FAQ

In order to participate in our courses, you must register online in advance on our homepage. Course participation without prior online registration is not possible.

You must re-register for each winter semester, summer semester and for the intensive courses in September, even if you have already attended a German course at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena.

Will I receive a

Thoska

card after my course admission?

No. Admission to a language course at the Language Centre of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena is not the basis for obtaining a student ID card (Thoska).

You will only receive a valid student card if you enrol for a regular study programme at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena.

Placement for German courses

Placement is made either by our written placement test or by an appropriate language certificate. You can find more information on this subject under "Recognition of certificates and placement test".

Your personal status at the Friedrich- Schiller University of Jena is important when registering online and for the amount of course fee. Therefore, we would like to help you find the right status:

- Student with enrolment at the FSU

You have a Thoska card with a valid matriculation number (on the front) and are therefore a full-time, part-time or exchange student at the FSU.

- Student enrolled at another German higher education institution

You have a valid certificate of enrolment from another German university. Please note that students at universities outside Germany must register for a German course as a "guest".

- Doctoral/PhD student at the FSU with student status

You are doing your doctorate at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena and have a Thoska card with a valid matriculation number.

- Doctoral student/PhD student outside the FSU without student status

You are doing your doctorate at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena and have a Thoska card without a matriculation number.

- Employee at the FSU

You are working at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena and have a Thoska card without a matriculation number.

- Guest

If none of the above statuses apply to you, please register for a German course in the status "Guest".

A change of your status after the start of the course is only possible in the first two weeks with official proof. To change your status, please send us an e-mail to deutsch@uni-jena.de.

Participation in a German course is not possible without a current language certificate or a written placement test.

You may have already learned German in the past and received a certificate. As there are many different institutions offering language courses in different course formats and contents, we only recognise official certificates:

• Goethe-Zertifikate marked “sehr gut” or “gut”
• telc language certificates marked „sehr gut“ or „gut“
  • Exception: We do NOT recognise the Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer (DTZ)
• DSH 1 and TestDaF 3 – You can join our B2.1 courses.
• DSH 2 and TestDaF 4 – You can join our B2.2/C1.1 courses.
• DSH 3 and TestDaF 5 – You can join our C courses.
• ÖSD marked “sehr gut” or “gut”

If you have any of the above which is not older than six months, you do not have to take the placement test.

Please send your certificate after online registration to deutsch@uni-jena.de.

If you do not have a valid certificate, have not yet attended a German course at the Language Centre or completed one of our German courses in the previous semester with a grade of 3.0 or worse, participation in a written placement test is obligatory for you.

The written placement test determines your current course level and serves to find a suitable language course for you according to your language skills. You will receive your test result by email - it is not possible to fail the test!

Please note: The course level from your placement test or certificate is binding, it is not possible to change to a higher course level.

In principle, you can attend different language courses at the course level you have demonstrated according to your official certificate or your result in the written placement test. Please note, however, that it is not possible to combine an intensive and a basic course within one semester. Complementary courses can be taken individually or combined with Main and Intensive courses. For example, if you attend an A2.1 basic course, you may also attend the A2 Writing complementary course.

Please note that you need to take time beyond the classroom hours for preparation and review of the work for each course. Please do not put yourself under too much pressure.

If you only have time for a language course once a week, you can take part in our complementary courses and subject-specific courses.

For our Main and Intensive courses, it is necessary to take part several times per week. You will need this time to learn the language efficiently.

What do I do if I have chosen the wrong course?

You can change courses only during the first two weeks after the course has started as long there is a good reason. Please talk to your course instructor first. They are experienced and will gladly advise you.

If you do want to change or drop courses after consulting your course instructor, please inform us by email at deutsch@uni-jena.de and add your course instructor to the cc.

Am I allowed to participate in both ATS courses and DaF courses?

Yes, exchange students who are taking part in ATS courses at the Institute of German as a Foreign and Second Language and Intercultural studies are allowed to join further language courses at the Language Centre. However, the placement test for ATS courses is not valid for Language Centre German courses. Always take our placement test, if you want to join our courses.

Please do not underestimate the academic demands and the expenditure of time for your ATS courses. The German courses of the Language Centre can serve only as a supplement to your ATS courses.

You can gain additional credits for language courses taken at the Language Centre. Your home university may also credit these language courses in your learning agreement. 

You can find general information about the start of courses and the respective course times on our homepage under the heading "Dates and Registration".

How often am I allowed to miss a lesson?

In order to learn efficiently, it is not advisable to miss lessons, except due to illness or other important reasons.

Please contact your course instructor in advance and via email, if you cannot make it to the lessons. A refund of your course fee is only possible in the case of an illness of at least eight weeks.

In a complementary course or subject-specific course with 30 teaching units (UE), you may be absent a maximum of three times.

In a main course with 60 teaching units (UE), you may be absent a maximum of six times.

In an intensive course with 60 teaching units (UE), you are generally allowed to miss 4 full days or 12 UE.

If you miss more than this, you will not be allowed to take the examination. Exams are usually in the penultimate or last week of the course. Your course instructor will tell you the exact date.

Language of instruction

German is the language of instruction in our German courses. However, English is also used as the language of explanation and mediation, especially in the beginners' courses (up to level A2.1).

In order to be able to follow the language lessons, you should, therefore, have at least an A2/B1 level of English.

Teaching material

All information about the textbooks used can be found on our homepage Material.

You can buy the books online using the ISBN or at a book shop. For example:

The University Jena partner book store Thalia

Leutragraben 1

07743 Jena

You can find all information about the course fees on our homepage under Course Fees. The price or course fee depends on your personal status at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena.

All payments should only be made after the receipt of the invoice, which you are expected to receive in the third week after the start of lectures. Cash payment is not possible.

Will I receive a certificate (Schein)?

If you attended the language course regularly and successfully passed the examinations, you will receive a certificate of achievement/Leistungsschein (with grade and ECTS points). On it, you will find general information about the course and examination performance as well as information about the credits (ECTS points) and the grade.

Please note that certificates are only valid within the FSU and do not replace external, standardised tests.

If you have regularly taken part in the language course but did not pass the examinations or take them, you will receive a participation certificate (without a grade and without ECTS points).

For Main and Intensive courses (60 teaching units - UE) you will receive 5 ECTS points. For a complementary course or a subject-specific course (30 teaching units - UE) you will receive 3 ECTS points.

For the recorded participation in the self-learning tutorial, you will receive 1 ECTS point for 30 teaching units (due to the pandemic, this offer is not currently taking place).

Calculation of marks

pass

• 1,0 = 95-100 %
• 1,3 = 90-94 %
• 1,7 = 85-89 %
• 2,0 = 80-84 %
• 2,3 = 75-79 %
• 2,7 = 70-74 %
• 3,0 = 65-69 %
• 3,3 = 60-64 %
• 3,7 = 55-59 %
• 4,0 = 50-54 %

fail

• 5,0 = 0-49 %

Overall grade

Your overall grade in main and intensive courses is made up of the following partial grades:

• 33.33 % course-related work (tests, homework, active participation, etc.)
• 33.33 % oral examination at the end of the course
• 33.33 % written examination at the end of the course

You can find out the composition of your overall grade in complementary courses and subject-specific courses from your course instructor. If you wish to continue learning German at the Language Centre after attending a complementary course or subject-specific course, but decide to take a main or intensive course, we will always ask you to retake our written placement.

In order to participate in a follow-up course at the next language level (main and intensive course) without a written placement test, you need an overall grade of 2.7 or better on your certificate. Otherwise. you will have to take our written placement test again.

The Language Centre of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena is not responsible for any visa matters. If you have any questions about the requirements for your visa application, please contact your local Immigration Office.

The Language Centre does not issue invitations or certificates before or after the German course to prove your participation in a language course. You will receive a Schein (certificate) upon successful participation in a German course, which you can use as confirmation for your records.

Please note: Admission to individual language courses at the Language Centre of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena is not a basis for obtaining a student visa or a residence title for full-time students or language course participants. If you would like to study at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena, please contact the International Office (IB), the Student Service Centre (SSZ) or the Master Service Centre (MSZ) of the FSU. Information on examinations for university admission can be found under international certificates.

Finding accommodation and rooms

We recommend that all students look for a room in a hall of residence or private accommodation in good time. More information on the Studierendenwerk Thüringen's halls of residence can be found here.

The Language Centre cannot assist in the search for accommodation.

Further offers for learning German

If you would like to improve your German independently of our language courses, you can find numerous learning materials on our homepage. In addition, you can find out about the international Stammtisch (regular social meetings) or the possibility of a language tandem outside the Language Centre at Int.RoExternal link.

I have another question ...

We are constantly trying to improve and expand the information we offer - and you can help us!

Haven't found the answer? Write to us by email.