Do All German Universities Use uni-assist? The 3 Routes I Used as a Nigerian

Do all German universities use uni-assist? No, and I know it because I applied to three of them in three different ways. I hold a bachelor’s degree from a Nigerian university. For SRH Hotel Academy Dresden I sent my credentials and my Nigerian transcript straight to the school. Hochschule Deggendorf handled my application through its own system, Primuss, with no uni-assist at all. Only Hochschule Fulda sent me through uni-assist, where I uploaded every earlier German transcript plus my Nigerian transcript and paid EUR 75 for the first university. Same degree, three different doors.

Updated 7 November 2026. Fees and processing times below were checked in November 2026 against university pages that quote uni-assist’s current rules.

Do all German universities use uni-assist? The short answer

No. uni-assist is a service that checks and forwards applications for the universities that have joined it. A university that has not joined, or that prefers to decide for itself, runs its own process. Nobody outside the university can tell you for sure which route applies to your course, so the university’s own international applicants page is the only answer that counts. Many guides online give long lists of who uses uni-assist, but those lists go out of date. Use them to get ideas, then confirm on the university website.

This matters for a Nigerian student because the wrong assumption costs money and weeks. If you pay uni-assist for a university that does not need it, you lose EUR 75 or EUR 30 for nothing. If you skip uni-assist for a university that requires it, you miss the deadline.

Route 1: Applying directly to the university

This is how I applied to SRH Hotel Academy Dresden, a private university. I sent my credentials and my Nigerian transcript directly and the school made the decision. There was no third party in the middle and no extra service fee.

Direct application usually means a short email or an online form plus scanned documents. The risk is that nobody tells you if something is missing in the format they wanted, so read the checklist twice.

Route 2: A university portal such as Primuss

This is how Hochschule Deggendorf assessed me. Primuss is an application portal that several universities of applied sciences use. You create an account, choose your course, fill in your details and upload your documents inside the university’s own system. The university then reviews everything itself.

Here is the part that catches people. A university using its own portal does not automatically skip uni-assist. The Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt (THI) is a good example. Its master’s page says international applicants apply in its Primuss portal, but they first need a VPD from uni-assist, and the VPD must arrive before the application period ends (THI international application page, checked November 2026). So “Primuss” tells you where you upload. It does not tell you whether uni-assist is involved.

Route 3: uni-assist, and what it actually does

This is the Hochschule Fulda route for me. You create an account in the uni-assist portal, upload your documents, pay the fee, and uni-assist checks your certificates and forwards the application once the entry requirements are met. In my case I uploaded all my previous German transcripts together with my Nigerian transcript. If you need help knowing what to upload from Nigeria, read our guide on the Nigerian university transcript for uni-assist, and for the full portal walk-through see Uni-assist Explained: How Nigerians Apply to German Universities Step by Step.

uni-assist numbers, checked November 2026

Fees are checked against the University of Koblenz and THI pages, which both quote uni-assist’s current charges. Always confirm on uni-assist.de before you pay, because the portal shows the final amount at checkout. The University of Koblenz page also warns that a visa process after admission can add up to five months, so start before you think you need to.

How to find out which route your university uses in 5 minutes

1. Open the university website and find the page for international applicants or “degree-seeking students”.
2. Look for the words uni-assist, VPD, Primuss, or “direct application”. Most pages name the route in the first screen.
3. Read which documents go where. If a VPD is mentioned, you need uni-assist even if the application itself is in another portal.
4. Check the deadline for your intake. Our German university application deadlines page helps you plan backwards from it.
5. If the page is unclear, email the international office with your degree, country and course name and ask which route applies. Keep the reply, because you may need it later for your visa file.

You can also cross-check the course on the DAAD website, which links to each course’s own admission page.

A worked example: three applications, two ways to pay

This is an example to show the arithmetic, not my own file. Say a Nigerian graduate applies to three universities. If all three use uni-assist, the cost is EUR 75 plus EUR 30 plus EUR 30, which is EUR 135. If one uses uni-assist and two take direct applications, the uni-assist cost is EUR 75. If all three are direct, it is zero. The difference is small in euros, but in naira at the exchange rate you are paying while saving for a blocked account, it is worth avoiding unnecessary fees. It also shows why you should find out the route first and only then open a uni-assist account.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Paying uni-assist for a university that did not ask for it. Check the university page before paying.
• Assuming Primuss means no uni-assist. The THI page above shows it can mean both.
• Uploading old German transcripts as an afterthought. If you are transferring, the new university may want every earlier German transcript as well as your Nigerian one. That is what Fulda wanted from me.
• Waiting for the university decision before preparing your visa documents. Our German student visa document checklist lists what I submitted and what was wasted.

Where this fits in your wider plan

Choosing the right application route is the first step of the student visa journey. Once you have an admission letter, the next steps are the blocked account, health insurance and the visa appointment. The full order is in How to Apply for a German Student Visa from Nigeria in 2026. If you want help organising your documents and checking them before you submit, try the GrandRoyal visa platform.

Frequently asked questions

Do all German universities use uni-assist?

No. Many universities run their own application portal or accept applications directly, and uni-assist only handles applications for the universities that have joined it. Each university states its own route on its admissions page, so always check there first.

How much does uni-assist cost in 2026?

The fee is EUR 75 for the first university you apply to and EUR 30 for each additional one, according to university pages that quote uni-assist’s current fees (checked November 2026). You pay nothing to uni-assist if your university takes applications directly.

Can I apply to a university that uses Primuss without uni-assist?

Sometimes. Primuss is a portal run by the university, not a replacement for uni-assist. Some universities check your documents inside their own portal, and others still ask you to get a preliminary review document (VPD) from uni-assist first and upload it to Primuss. The university’s international applicant page tells you which.

What is a VPD?

A VPD is the preliminary review document that uni-assist issues after it checks whether your foreign certificates and grades are enough for the course. Some universities that use their own portal still ask for it. One published guide says processing usually takes 4 to 6 weeks, so start early.

Do I need uni-assist if I am already studying in Germany and want to transfer?

It depends on the new university, not on you. When I moved to Hochschule Fulda I applied through uni-assist and uploaded all my earlier German transcripts plus my Nigerian transcript. My other two universities did not use it.

Is applying directly to a university cheaper than uni-assist?

Usually yes, because there is no uni-assist fee. Direct applications can also mean you send your documents straight to the people deciding your case. The trade-off is that every university has its own checklist and you must read it carefully.

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