Can uni-assist's grade calculation be wrong?

Yes. uni-assist converts your grades to the German 1.0–4.0 scale (the Umrechnung, often via the Bavarian formula) and issues a VPD. That conversion can be entered or calculated incorrectly, and a wrong converted average can push you below a competitive programme's cut-off. Check the VPD against your own transcript and request a written correction with evidence if it's wrong.

uni-assist rejected my documents — is that final?

Not necessarily. uni-assist is a pre-check and forwarding service, not the admitting body — the university's International Office decides admission. First separate a fixable formality (missing translation, wrong upload) from a real eligibility gap (your certificate doesn't meet the HZB requirement). Fix formalities and resubmit before the deadline; escalate the rest to the university directly.

Should I contact uni-assist or the university?

Both, in parallel. Request the correction from uni-assist with your transcript attached, and at the same time contact the university's International Office and programme coordinator — they hold admission discretion and are the office that can actually keep your application alive. Don't wait for uni-assist alone.

A VPD (Vorprüfungsdokumentation) is the preliminary review document uni-assist issues after checking your documents and converting your grades to the German scale. Many German universities require it as part of the application. It reflects uni-assist's assessment — not a final admission decision, which the university makes.

Can you fix a uni-assist error after the application deadline?

Usually no. After the deadline a university may have no procedural room to reopen a file, however clear the error. The real protection is submitting early enough that a correction cycle still fits inside the application window. We help you avoid needing a post-deadline rescue rather than promising one.

uni-assist got your grade wrong — here's what actually happens next

The short answer

If uni-assist miscalculated your average grade or rejected your documents, it is often fixable — but two things decide whether you save the application:

Knowing that uni-assist does not decide your admission — the university does. uni-assist checks and forwards documents; the International Office and the programme make the offer.
Acting before the application deadline. After it, the university may simply have no room to reopen your file. We do not promise a rescue after the deadline — we help you avoid needing one.

What uni-assist actually is (and isn't)

uni-assist e.V. is a pre-check and forwarding service used by many German universities. It receives your documents, checks formal completeness, and — importantly — converts your grades to the German scale and issues a VPD (Vorprüfungsdokumentation). It is not the admitting body. It cannot admit you, and its grade conversion is not the final word if it is wrong.

This distinction is the whole game. Students who treat uni-assist as "the decision" get stuck arguing with a processing office. Students who know the university decides escalate to the right place.

The two things that go wrong

1. Grade miscalculation on the VPD. The German scale runs 1.0 (best) to 4.0 (pass); the conversion from your home grades (the Umrechnung, often via the Bavarian formula) can be entered or calculated wrong. A converted average that comes out worse than it should — say 2.4 instead of 1.7 — can push you out of a competitive programme's cut-off. This is a documented, real error, not a rare edge case.

2. Document rejection or "incomplete" status. A missing certified translation, an unrecognised certificate, a formality flagged as missing. Some of these are genuinely fixable; some reflect a real eligibility gap you need to know about honestly.

If your grade looks wrong on the VPD

Check the conversion yourself. Open your VPD, find the converted average grade, and compare it against your own transcript and the conversion method stated on the document. If the arithmetic or the input grades are wrong, you have a concrete, provable error.
Request a written correction from uni-assist, attaching your transcript and pointing to the specific figures. Keep it factual: "the converted average should be X based on these grades," not a complaint.
Do this in parallel, not in sequence (see below) — don't wait weeks for uni-assist alone.

If your documents were rejected

Separate a fixable formality (missing translation, wrong upload) from a real eligibility gap (your certificate genuinely doesn't meet the HZB requirement — check the DAAD admission database / anabin). We will tell you honestly which one you're facing.
If it's fixable, correct and resubmit before the deadline.
If it's a real gap, the honest route may be a Studienkolleg, a foundation year, or a different qualification path — not an argument with uni-assist.

Who actually decides — escalate there in parallel

The university's International Office and the programme coordinator hold admission discretion. uni-assist does not. So while you request the correction from uni-assist, contact the university directly:

State the facts and attach evidence (your transcript, the VPD, the correct converted grade).
Ask the International Office / programme coordinator to note the correction on your file.
Because the university makes the final decision, it — not uni-assist — is the office that can actually keep your application alive.

Running both tracks at once is what turns a near-miss into an admission. This is exactly the move behind the rescue cases we see competitors advertise; it is a repeatable procedure, not luck.

The deadline is the hard wall

Everything above works only before the application deadline. After it, a university may have no procedural room to reopen a file, however clear the error. That is why the real protection is timeline discipline: submit early enough that a correction cycle still fits inside the window.

What we don't promise

We don't promise admission, and we don't promise to reverse a decision after the deadline. What we do: read your VPD and documents with you, tell you honestly whether you're facing a fixable error or a real gap, and help you escalate to the office that actually decides — in time for it to matter.