Eligibility Check

How to check your eligibility to do a PhD at LMU

To join a PhD program at a German university you have to hold a Master's degree obtained from a recognised higher education institution (HEI) which is equivalent to a German Master's degree.

You can check the recognition of the HEI at which you studied and of your academic qualifications by using the database of recognised institutes abroad ANABIN. The database is in German, but by following the steps below, you will still be able to gain the necessary information:

HEI recognition:

Go to the following website.

Click on ‘Suchen’ to get to the search function. Choose your country (using the dropdown list box ‘Alle Länder’ tab) and city (‘Alle Orte’). If there are many educational institutions in your city you can also specify the type (‘Typ’). Start the search by clicking the ‘Suche starten’ button and look for your university in the results list.

If your university is classified as ‘H+’, it is recognised in Germany. If it is described as ‘H+/-’ , your specific degree program will have to be evaluated individually. If it is labelled as ‘H-’ your degree will not be accepted in Germany as your institution is not approved as HEI. In this case, you do not have a suitable degree to start a PhD with us.

Degree recognition:

Go to the following website.

Click on ‘Suchen nach Abschlüssen’ to get to the search function. Here, you can look up your degree by specific areas of studies (‘ (Alle) Studeinrichtung(en) and/or type (‘(alle) Abschlusstypen’). Again select the country in which you obtained your degree from the dropdown list in the box ‘(Alle) Länder’. After this, you can choose the degree type and your area of study. When you have found your degree, click on the plus sign on the left. The pop-up window that opens up will show you, how your degree is classified. If it equals to at least 2 years Master program (A5), you fulfil the degree requirement to start your PhD in Germany.