APS Certificate Requirements for Vietnamese Students Applying to German Universities
By Muntasir • Published Mar 10, 2024 • Updated Sep 20, 2026 • Study Abroad
Vietnamese applicants need an APS certificate from the Academic Evaluation Centre at the German Embassy in Hanoi before any German university, Studienkolleg, or uni-assist file gets reviewed. Undergraduate applicants go through document review only, while postgraduate applicants also sit a short interview about their coursework.
📩 Required for anyone who studied in Vietnam, regardless of citizenship
🎓 Postgraduate applicants attend an interview, undergraduate applicants do not
⏱️ Interviews run twice a year, in May and November, in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City
Document deadlines: end of February for the May round, end of August for the November round
Why Vietnamese Applicants Need APS
Germany introduced the Akademische Prüfstelle (APS), the Academic Evaluation Centre, for Vietnamese applicants in 2007 after finding a pattern of falsified certificates in visa applications. The APS office at the German Embassy in Hanoi checks the authenticity of school and university records before uni-assist, a Studienkolleg, or a German university looks at your application. The requirement applies to anyone who completed schooling or a degree in Vietnam, whatever passport you hold.
Certificate Procedure vs Interview Procedure
What happens after you submit documents depends on the degree you are applying for.
Undergraduate and Studienkolleg applicants: APS reviews your school and any university documents on paper. No interview.
Postgraduate applicants (master's or a further degree): after document review, you attend a roughly 15-minute oral interview so an APS officer checks your knowledge against your transcript.
Passing either route gets you an APS certificate, which you then attach to your uni-assist file or direct university application.
Interview Schedule
Postgraduate interviews run only twice a year, in May and November , held in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Document submission deadlines fall at the end of February for the May round and the end of August for the November round. Missing a submission deadline pushes you to the next round six months later, which costs you an entire intake if your target semester starts soon after. Build your APS timeline before you touch uni-assist or a direct application, not alongside it.
What You Get
On successful completion, APS issues ten copies of your certificate or attestation. Extra copies beyond the initial ten cost 20 USD each. Keep several original copies, since you may need to send one to uni-assist, one to a Studienkolleg, and one to the visa section at your local German consulate.
Fees
APS charges a processing fee in Vietnamese dong at registration, on top of the 20 USD per extra certificate copy. Confirm the current amount on the APS section of the German Embassy Hanoi site before you register, since embassy fee schedules change.
Preparing for the Interview
The interview covers the subjects on your transcript, not general knowledge. Review your own coursework, especially subjects with high grades, since APS officers commonly ask applicants to explain a topic where a strong mark looks inconsistent with a weaker overall record. Bring the original documents you submitted plus your passport. The interview runs in Vietnamese or English depending on the applicant and officer.
After APS: What Comes Next
An APS certificate does not admit you to a university on its own. It confirms your documents are genuine, which is what lets uni-assist or the university's own admissions office assess your qualification against German entry requirements. If your school-leaving results sit below Germany's direct-entry threshold, common for Vietnam's 12-year system, you still need a Studienkolleg foundation year after APS clears your documents.