About My GUIDE

My GUIDE is a platform provided by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) that allows prospective students from abroad to find suitable degree programmes at German higher education institutions.

My GUIDE will assist you on your individual journey to studying in Germany by showing you precisely the information that is relevant to you personally. My GUIDE offers you:

• A search that will help you find the right degree programme among over 20,000 courses in Germany, based on your profile
• Functionality to compare your qualifications and the respective admission requirements
• A way to contact higher education institutions regarding your desired course of study

After answering three introductory questions you are presented with suitable degree courses at German higher education institutions. In a second step you can enter information on your previous qualifications to conduct a preliminary check that will tell you for which of these courses you meet the admission requirements, narrowing down your results. You can further refine this selection in accordance with your individual interests. Your personal login allows you to step away at any time and return to the search and selection procedure later on.

You can then use an integrated form to send an individual enquiry to the higher education institution of your choice in order to connect with them directly for any further questions and to submit your application. German higher education institutions receive a wide range of different enquiries from prospective students every day. A pre-structured enquiry via My GUIDE has the advantage that it includes important information that will help the higher education institution respond to your questions. But you are always in control of your data and can choose what information you want to include. Your My GUIDE enquiry also provides the higher education institution with your e-mail address, enabling its staff to respond to you directly.

The range of degree programmes presented in My GUIDE comes from the Higher Education Compass, an information portal hosted by the German Rectors‘ Conference that publishes information from state and state-recognised German universities about their study and doctorate opportunities and international partnerships. All information found in the Higher Education Compass is authorised by the universities and is updated by employees at the universities themselves. This means that My GUIDE always provides a reliable and comprehensive overview of your study options and ensures that your enquiry is sent to the right office at the higher education institution.

The entrance qualification check in My GUIDE is performed using the DAAD admission requirements database. This information, prepared together with uni-assist e.V., is based on the evaluation proposals of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (Kultusministerkonferenz), published in the anabin database of the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB). The evaluation proposals serve the respective certification authorities as the basis for deciding which international school diplomas render their holders eligible for admission to the higher education system in Germany. The response My GUIDE provides regarding your eligibility serves as an orientation for you; it does not however guarantee that you are actually eligible for admission to the respective degree programme. We therefore recommend that you contact the higher education institution yourself using the My GUIDE contact form.

My GUIDE is a free service provided by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).
The DAAD is the world’s largest funding organisation for the international exchange of students and researchers. Since it was founded in 1925, the DAAD has provided funding for around two million academics in Germany and abroad. The DAAD is a registered association and its members are German institutions of higher education and student bodies. Its activities go far beyond awarding grants and scholarships: The DAAD supports the internationalisation of German higher education institutions, promotes German studies and the German language abroad, assists developing countries in establishing effective higher education institutions and advises decision-makers in the fields of educational and academic relations as well as development policy.

The DAAD on the one hand assists German higher education institutions in publicising their degree programmes worldwide and recruiting qualified international students. On the other hand it is tasked with helping prospective students from abroad to find suitable study places in Germany. That is My GUIDE’s mission.

My GUIDE is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).