Finding the German Equivalent to a Kenyan Degree/Diploma/Certificate

This year marks 10 years since Germany established the Anerkennungsgesetz that simplified the recognition process for foreign professional credentials. For holders of degrees/diplomas/certificates gained at Kenyan Universities and colleges, this is how to find its German equivalent qualification.

The ANABIN Databank was set up to provide information for foreigners interested in joining the German job market. The Databank simply provides information. Those interested in the conversion of their credentials need to get in touch with the relevant office aka Anerkennungsstelle or the authorized professional body.

For example, Psychologists can have their qualifications converted by the Berufsverband Deutscher Psychologinnen und Psychologen e.V. (BDP). For other professions like doctors, the process is a bit more complicated. One is required to work under a practicing doctor in Germany for a while and do some tests before being allowed to practice independently, but that is another article on its own. 

Back to ANABIN and finding out the German equivalent to your qualifications.

• Visit anabin.de 
• Click on Hochschulabschlusse 
• Pick on Suche nach Abschlusstypen 
• Then Länderauswählen,
• Pick Kenia (or any other country) and
• Click on Länderauswahl bestätigen

This lands you on a general list of the recognised qualifications from Kenya. 

You can find the full list of qualifications looked at here: Kenyan Qualifications degree diploma certificate recognised in Germany.

To find the specific course, then you can use the search button on the top, or click on the purple plus sign next to the qualification e.g. Certificate. A pop up window will open with a list of recognised Certificates in Kenya. Click on the one you want and another pop up will open with more details about the course:

• the German translation of the course name (if there is one);
• the equivalence ranking, the qualification class and
• from which institutions the qualification is recognised.

The Equivalence class ranking (Äquivalenzklasse) compares the Kenyan qualification to its German equivalent:

Klasse	Definition
Bedingt vergleichbar	The foreign qualification is similar to the German one only in the naming but differs in the content handled
Entspricht	The foreign qualification is similar to the German one only in the naming. No comment on the content handled
Gleichwertig	The foreign qualification is equal to the German one both in the naming and in the content handled. Der ausländische Abschlusstyp/Abschluss ist dem deutschen Abschlusstyp formal und materiell gleichwertig.

and the qualification class (Abschlussklasse) ranking:

Klasse	Definition
A2	Qualifications with a duration of less than 3 years
A3	Qualifications with a duration of less than 4 years
A4	Qualifications with a duration of 4 years
A5	Qualifications with a duration of more than 4 years
PGS	Postgraduate Studies
D1	Promotion
D2	Habilitation
HC	Honorary degree
NZ	Nicht zugeordnet, weil die entsprechende Information fehlt oder weil sich der Abschlusstyp einer entsprechenden Klassifizierung nicht fügt.