H+
Documented as a higher education institution
The institution is listed as a recognised higher education institution in its country. This says nothing about which degree you hold or how it will be assessed.
Recognition Intelligence
What does H+ mean for your university degree?
Understanding your university is the first step toward understanding recognition. H+, H+/- and H- describe institutions. They are not recognition decisions.
Institutional entries are published by the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB) in the Anabin portal. proceda explains how they relate to the rest of your preparation.
In short
H+ in anabin classifies the university, not your degree: the ZAB lists institutions as H+ (recognised), H- (not recognised) or H+/- (depending on the programme). For your degree, H+ only means it can be assessed at all. Whether it is comparable to a German degree is settled by the ZAB's Statement of Comparability or, in regulated professions, by the competent authority's recognition procedure.
Institution layer
Every university has its own academic context
Higher education institutions differ in accreditation, structure and the education system they belong to. Before a qualification can be compared with a German one, that context has to be established.
That is the purpose of institutional classification. It answers one question only: how the institution itself is placed in the education system of its country, and whether German bodies treat it as a higher education institution.
Institutions and degree programmes are documented in Anabin, the information portal maintained by the ZAB within the KMK.
From institution to understanding
Five states, and only one of them is a decision
- 01 A university existsSomewhere in the world an institution teaches, examines and awards degrees under the rules of its own country.
- 02 It enters an academic networkAccreditation, legal status and the structure of its education system place it in a comparable frame.
- 03 The institution is classifiedH+, H+/- or H- records how the institution is documented. The classification belongs to the institution, not to you.
- 04 Your degree appears separatelyProgramme, content and duration are their own object. Two people from the same university can hold very different qualifications.
- 05 Recognition stays outsideWhether a qualification is treated as equivalent is decided in a separate procedure by a competent body.
Institution ≠ Recognition
Explore institutional relationshipsH+ Compass
Where does the institution sit, and what is still open?
Three choices, and the compass shows which layer each answer belongs to. It looks nothing up and it decides nothing. It shows relationships.
Step 1 · Where the institution is located
Step 2 · Type of institution
Step 3 · What you want to understand
Start anywhere
Three choices, one layer
Pick a location, a type of institution and the question you have. The compass never looks an institution up. It shows which layer your question belongs to, and which layers stay untouched by it.
- Institution layerExplained on this page. H+, H+/- and H- live here.
- Qualification layerYour degree, its content and its documentation. Diploma Check continues here.
- Recognition layerEquivalence is decided in a procedure by a competent body.
- Profession layerWhether a decision is required at all depends on the profession.
- Preparation layerEvidence, form and sequence, once the body is known.
This explains institutional relationships. It does not determine institutional status or official recognition outcomes. Entries in Anabin are maintained by the ZAB, decisions are made by the competent bodies.
Classification
Three classifications, three different meanings
None of the three is a grade and none of them is a verdict about you. They describe how an institution is documented in Anabin.
H+/-
Depends on programme or period
The entry differentiates. Certain degree programmes, faculties or periods are documented differently from others at the same institution.
H-
Not documented as a higher education institution
The institution is not listed as a higher education institution in the sense of the portal. Other qualification routes and other bodies can still be relevant.
Institutional entries and their interpretation remain with the ZAB and the competent bodies. proceda explains what the classification describes, never what it means for your individual case.
The misconception
Institution and qualification are different concepts
Institutional classification and qualification recognition are related, and they are not the same thing. Five objects, each with its own question and its own decision maker.
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INSTITUTIONIs the university documented as a higher education institution?
Recorded in Anabin by the ZAB. This is the layer H+, H+/- and H- belong to.
-
QUALIFICATIONWhat did you study, for how long, with what content?
Your degree, not your university. Two graduates of one institution can be in entirely different positions.
-
RECOGNITIONIs the qualification treated as equivalent?
A separate procedure with a competent body, described on the recognition process.
-
PROFESSIONDoes the profession require a decision at all?
Only regulated professions make recognition a condition for practising.
-
PREPARATIONWhich evidence, in which form, for which body?
The last layer, and the one that only becomes concrete once the ones above it are settled.
proceda · Diploma Check
Where institutional understanding ends, Diploma Check begins
This page explains the institution. Diploma Check continues with the qualification: what you studied, how it is documented and which recognition pathways relate to it.
Diploma Check is structured orientation and educational preparation. It is not an equivalence assessment and it does not predict what an authority will decide.
Recognition Intelligence
Understanding grows through relationships, not isolated facts
proceda organises recognition knowledge as relationships between institutions, qualifications, professions and preparation. Each element keeps its own role, so no answer is mistaken for another.
Recognition Intelligence is part of the proceda Digital Migration Management System developed by ReFixCon AG. Official bodies remain responsible for every decision.
Sequence
The order, without dates
No step here comes with a duration or a promise. The sequence is logical, not scheduled.
- University Where you studied, and how that institution is documented. This page.
- Qualification The degree itself, its content and its documentation.
- Recognition A procedure with a competent body, where one applies.
- Profession Whether the profession is regulated changes the whole order.
- Preparation Evidence, form and sequence, once the body is known.
- Application The point where preparation ends and an institution takes over.
- Next steps Whatever the decision opens, from employment to further requirements.
Questions about H+
What does H+ mean?
H+ records that an institution is documented as a recognised higher education institution in the education system of its country. It describes the institution, not your degree and not a recognition outcome.
Does H+ automatically mean my diploma is recognised?
No. Institutional classification and qualification recognition are separate concepts. Whether a qualification is treated as equivalent is decided in its own procedure by a competent body.
What is the difference between a university and a degree?
The university is the institution that taught and examined. The degree is what you personally obtained there, with its own programme, content and duration. Both are documented separately.
Why are institutions classified at all?
Because education systems differ. Establishing the academic context of an institution comes before any comparison of individual qualifications can be made.
What does H+/- mean?
It means the entry differentiates within one institution. Certain degree programmes, faculties or periods are documented differently from others. The detail matters more than the letter.
What does H- mean?
It means the institution is not documented as a higher education institution in the sense of the portal. That is an institutional statement. Which routes remain relevant for a qualification is a separate question.
Does proceda determine H+?
No. Institutional entries are maintained by the ZAB in the Anabin portal. proceda does not create, change or replace them. It explains how they relate to the rest of your preparation.
What happens after I understand H+?
The focus moves one layer down, from the institution to your qualification. That is where diploma recognition in Germany continues, and where Diploma Check turns the general context into your own.
When should I use Diploma Check?
As soon as the institutional layer is clear to you. Diploma Check is orientation, so it works best before you commit time to documents or appointments.
Which page should I read next?
Is my diploma recognised in Germany? for the qualification layer, and Process Check if you want to see how this one answer sits inside the whole preparation.
Next step
Continue your recognition journey
Understanding institutional classification is the first layer. Continue with Diploma Check to see how qualifications, professions and recognition pathways connect.
proceda structures recognition knowledge and supports preparation, organisation and orientation. Which procedures apply, which body is responsible and how it decides remains with the institutions responsible for your case.
Everything in the app
