Germany – Academic Qualifications Exempt from Assessment

At a glance

Germany has a specific list of academic qualifications that are exempt from assessment by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) for immigration purposes. This list is used when assessing German qualifications under Skilled Migrant Category (SM) residence instructions, Skilled Migrant Residence (SR) instructions, or relevant work visa instructions (WI), depending on whether the applicant is relying on Appendix 3 or Appendix 17 [G-germany-academic-qualifications].

A German qualification is exempt if it meets all five conditions set out in the instruction, is one of the recognised qualification types with the correct abbreviation, and was awarded by a listed institution within the specified date range [G-germany-academic-qualifications].

Definition

A German academic qualification is exempt from NZQA assessment and qualifies for the indicated points if all of the following are true [G-germany-academic-qualifications]:

1. The qualification is listed in the Academic Qualifications Table.
2. The awarding institution is listed in the Awarding Institutions Table.
3. The qualification abbreviation matches the right‑hand column in the Awarding Institutions Table for that institution.
4. The qualification was awarded from or within the year range listed in the right‑hand column in the Awarding Institutions Table.
5. The qualification is not excluded by the notes under the Academic Qualifications Table.

The recognised qualification types, with their abbreviations, NZQF levels, and points under the SMC, are [G-germany-academic-qualifications]:

Qualification type	Abbreviation	NZQF Level	SMC points
Diplom / Diplom eines Wissenschaftszweiges / Diplomen eines Wissenschaftszweiges (title must include 'Diplom' or 'Diplomen' with a subject specialty)	EDip	7	50
Diplom (award certificate may be headed 'Diplom', 'Diplomurkunde', or 'Verleiht'; title includes a subject specialty)	UDip	8	50
Magister Artium	Mag	8	50
Doktor / Doktor eines Wissenschaftzweiges (title includes a subject specialty)	EDok	9	70
Doktor der / Doktorin der / Doktors (award certificate may be headed 'Promotionsurkunde'; title includes 'Doktor', 'Doktors' or 'Doktorin' with a subject specialty)	UDok	10	70

If an applicant believes their qualification may be higher than the level stated, they can apply to NZQA for an International Qualification Assessment [G-germany-academic-qualifications].

Application in decisions

An immigration officer checks a claimed German qualification by [G-germany-academic-qualifications]:

• confirming the qualification type and abbreviation appear in the Academic Qualifications Table;
• verifying the awarding institution is in the Awarding Institutions Table;
• checking that the abbreviation for the qualification matches the institution's listed abbreviation;
• ensuring the award date falls within the permitted year range for that institution;
• confirming none of the exclusionary notes apply.

Award certificates must be provided in the original language. Some universities award certificates in Latin; in that case, a translated copy from the university or an approved English translation must also be provided [G-germany-academic-qualifications].

Points for the SMC are awarded according to the NZQF levels and points shown in the table. For other visa categories, the NZQF level alone informs the assessment [G-germany-academic-qualifications].

Interpretation & edge cases

• Honorary degrees are not exempt; all honorary degrees must be referred to NZQA for an International Qualifications Assessment [G-germany-academic-qualifications].
• Overseas study: A listed qualification completed at an institution outside of Germany, including any overseas campus of a listed awarding institution, must be assessed by NZQA [G-germany-academic-qualifications].
• Cross‑credited courses: Any listed qualification that contains cross‑credited courses or papers must also be referred to NZQA [G-germany-academic-qualifications].
• Post‑2017 awards: All qualifications awarded after 2017 are not covered by this exemption list and require NZQA assessment [G-germany-academic-qualifications].
• Higher levels: If an applicant thinks their qualification merits a higher NZQF level than the listed level, they may apply to NZQA for an individual International Qualification Assessment [G-germany-academic-qualifications].
• List changes: The list is effective from 28 August 2017 and may not apply to applications made under earlier versions of the immigration instructions [G-germany-academic-qualifications].

The list of recognised institutions is extensive and includes over 50 German universities and technical universities with their former names and precise date ranges for each qualification type. Only the exact institution names and dates listed in the Awarding Institutions Table are accepted [G-germany-academic-qualifications].

Citations

• G-germany-academic-qualifications — Germany - Academic Qualifications