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anabin H+ explained with a worked example

What H+, H+/- and H- mean in anabin, and a step-by-step lookup of a Pakistani engineering degree: the institution, the degree and the printouts.

Updated 7 November 2026 · Written by CareerBahn from official sources · every figure checked at the source on the date shown

All guides · Part of: Degree recognition

Short answer: anabin rates two things: your university and your degree type. H+ means your university is recognised in its home country, so its degrees can be checked; it does not decide equivalence. The degree record does: a four-year Bachelor of Engineering from Pakistan is rated "Entspricht" (formally equivalent) to a German bachelor's. Print both records. If your university is H+/- or your degree is only "bedingt vergleichbar", get a ZAB statement.

Every German visa checklist for graduates mentions anabin, and most people open it, see "H+" next to their university and stop there. H+ is only half the answer. This guide walks through one real lookup, step by step.

What anabin is

anabin is the database of the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB) at the Standing Conference of education ministers. It rates two separate things: the institution (is it a recognised university in its own country?) and the degree type (how does this degree compare with a German one?). You need both.

The three institution ratings

  • H+: recognised as a university in its home country, and therefore treated as one in Germany.
  • H+/-: no single rating is possible for this type of institution; further conditions apply, for example only certain programmes count.
  • H-: not treated as a university in Germany, for now or permanently.

anabin itself warns that H+ only means degrees from that institution can be examined for equivalence. It does not decide whether they are equivalent. Source: anabin · checked 7 Nov 2026

Of the 235 Pakistani institutions in anabin, 207 are H+, 17 are H+/- and 11 are H-. Source: anabin · checked 7 Nov 2026

Worked example: BE Civil Engineering, NED University

Take a graduate with a four-year Bachelor of Engineering in civil engineering from NED University, Karachi.

  1. Institution. In anabin, choose "Institutionen", then Pakistan, and search for NED. The entry "NED University of Engineering & Technology", Karachi (Sindh), is rated H+. Source: anabin · checked 7 Nov 2026
  2. Degree. Choose "Hochschulabschlüsse" (degrees), then Pakistan, and find the record whose name matches your certificate: here "Bachelor of Engineering [field]". Its equivalence class is "Entspricht" to a German bachelor's ("Bachelor 3j"). Source: anabin · checked 7 Nov 2026
  3. Read the conditions. The record notes that two-, three- and four-year bachelor's degrees in Pakistan often have the same name, so the length of study is checked on your transcript, and that HEC attestation is expected.
  4. Print both pages. anabin has no link to a single record, so save or print the institution page and the degree page as PDF. The Karachi mission's Opportunity Card checklist asks for exactly these two printouts, or a ZAB statement instead. Source: pakistan.diplo.de · checked 7 Nov 2026

The same check works for other universities. UET Lahore, NUST and COMSATS are all H+; so are IIT Bombay, IIT Madras and Anna University in India. Source: anabin · checked 7 Nov 2026

What "Entspricht" means

  • Entspricht: formally equivalent to the German degree type. anabin makes no statement about the content.
  • Gleichwertig: equivalent in form and content.
  • Bedingt vergleichbar: formally but not materially comparable. A three-year BS or a two-year BSc (Pass) from Pakistan falls here.

anabin adds that these classes are not a recognition decision. Source: anabin · checked 7 Nov 2026 The Indian missions, for example, ask for a degree rated "entspricht" or "gleichwertig" from an H+ university for the Opportunity Card. Source: india.diplo.de · checked 7 Nov 2026

If you also have a Master of Engineering

A Pakistani Master of Engineering counts as equivalent to a German consecutive master's only if it followed a four-year bachelor's and included a full thesis. After a three-year bachelor's it is only "bedingt vergleichbar". Source: anabin · checked 7 Nov 2026

When anabin is not enough

If your university is H+/- or missing, or your degree is "bedingt vergleichbar", apply to the ZAB for a statement of comparability. It costs €208, and the Karachi checklist accepts it in place of the anabin printouts. Source: zab.kmk.org · checked 6 Nov 2026

Recognition for a visa is not the same as the right to call yourself "Ingenieur" in Germany, which is a protected title. The recognition page covers both, and the readiness check shows what your result means for the Opportunity Card.

Questions people ask

What does H+ mean in anabin?

The institution is recognised as a university in its home country and is treated as one in Germany. It means its degrees can be examined for equivalence, not that they are equivalent.

What does H+/- mean in anabin?

No single rating is possible for that type of institution; further conditions apply, for example only certain programmes count. A ZAB statement of comparability settles your individual case.

Is UET Lahore H+ in anabin?

Yes. The University of Engineering & Technology, Lahore is rated H+, as are NUST, NED University and COMSATS (checked 7 November 2026).

What does 'entspricht' mean in anabin?

The foreign degree is formally equivalent to the German degree type. anabin makes no statement about the content, and the rating is not a recognition decision.

Official sources

Questions about a video? Ask Qaiser in the comments on Instagram or YouTube.

General information, not legal advice. Rules change. Check the official source linked above; for your own case, the German mission decides.

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