APS: Verifying Chinese Degree Certificates to Apply for Studying in Germany

germany flag in front of building

The Academic Evaluation Center (APS) verifies the documents of applicants who wish to apply for studies in Germany with a Chinese school or university degree.
The APS is a joint institution of the German Embassy’s cultural department and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). It exists in China and Vietnam. The APS checks the authenticity of educational biographies and the corresponding educational certificates, and issues certificates if the result is positive. For these countries, the APS certificate is an absolute requirement to apply to a German university.

An APS certificate is a condition for obtaining a student visa at the Belgian Embassy or Consulates General in PR China. The APS screening is not an academic selection procedure but is meant to avoid document fraud and guarantee sufficient language knowledge.

Information for International Students and Graduates in China
Applicants to German universities who

  • are not holding a Chinese passport,
  • have completed their elementary / high school education outside of China,
  • have graduated with a Bachelor’s degree issued by a Chinese university

have to participate in an APS evaluation, unless they are able to apply to German universities based on degrees from their home countries.

Graduates who have obtained a Chinese Masters without a preceding Chinese Bachelor’s degree should participate in the document verification process.

Applicants who reside in the consular region of Shanghai (Shanghai, Anhui, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang) should submit their documents to the APS office in Shanghai.

Applicants residing in the consular region of Beijing, Chengdu, and Guangzhou may submit their documents directly to the APS office in Beijing.

Graduates of Chinese Universities Who Currently Reside Outside of China

The Academic Evaluation Center (APS) is a service center of the cultural department of the German
Embassy in Beijing in cooperation with the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).
The APS evaluates the authenticity of study records obtained from Chinese institutions of higher education and thereby also determines the university entrance qualification level for a German university

Application:

  1. Register online by choosing the APS process “Document Verification”: www.aps.org.cn
    Print out your application and sign it personally. Make sure that all data is correct.
  2. Transfer the APS evaluation fee of 1000 RMB to the APS bank account.
  3. Submit your documents by postal mail.
  4. APS evaluation procedure: The entire evaluation process usually takes between 4 to 6 weeks. It
    consists of a document verification procedure. Processing time may vary during peak application
    periods.
    10 days after we have received your documents, you will be assigned an APS file number. You may
    also find this number in your APS account. If there are any questions about your documents during
    the evaluation process, you will be contacted by email. After the evaluation process is finished
    successfully, you will be issued an APS certificate stating the authenticity of your documents

Required documents:
1. A printed and signed copy of the online registration form. Please attach a recent passport photo
(not older than 6 months).

  1. A copy of APS fee wire receipt.
  2. Copy of all relevant passport pages (photo page, last visa for China)
  3. A notarized copy, including a notarized translation of your degree/diploma in China
  4. A notarized copy as well as a notarized translation of your university transcripts

Notes:
1) After receiving the APS file number any entitlement to a refund of paid fees is forfeit.
2) Please provide a valid return address. The APS will use this address when mailing your certificate.
3) Translations must be submitted in English. If the original of your degree/university transcript is issued in English by your Chinese university please provide notarized copies.
4) For notarization and translation you might rely on state authorized notary offices of your country of
residence.
5) Student transcripts need to state all courses and grades in the order they were taken, including
unsuccessful courses. They need to be stamped by the seal of the Office of Student Affairs (教务处 /
档案室 / 学籍管理办公室等校级部门). Please note that the faculty seal is not sufficient!

The APS reserves the right to request further information or documents.

Bank wire information:
PLEASE NOTE: Due to technical reasons, we can currently only accept wire transfers from within the
Chinese mainland. Foreign applicants who do not have a Chinese bank account are requested to
have a Chinese friend wire the money for them.
收款人名称: 德国驻华使馆文化处留德人员审核部
账号: 332 456 013 427
收款银行名称: 中国银行北京亮马河大厦支行
Recipient: German Embassy Cultural Section Academic Evaluation Center
Account number 332 456 013 427
Bank: Bank of China Landmark Tower Branch
Post:
DRC Building D1, 1302
19 Dongfang Donglu,
Chaoyang District
100600 Beijing
Recipient: APS / 德国使馆留德人员审核部
Telephone: 010 – 6590 7138
All the documents are archived and will not be returned to the applicants.

All information is provided according to best knowledge and conscience, errors and specifications subject to change without notice.

Note: If you are still facing problem to do APS then you may contact us to have our service assistance!

Source: APS.ORG.CN