FAQs
FAQs
What's the deal with the four free courses?
Currently, every regularly enrolled student at Oldenburg University has four 'free courses' at the Language Centre. This means that the first four language courses can be attended free of charge. Only after the fifth language course is a course fee due. The current course fees can be found in the most recent version of the University's Schedule of Fees and Charges.
ATTENTION: The free courses are not recounted if you change from BA to MA. You will then continue to be considered a student of the university and if you have already taken four language courses in the BA, then your four free courses will be paid off.
Are there courses during the semester break?
Yes. You can find the dates on StudIP or on our website.
Who can participate in the courses of the Language Centre?
The courses of the Language Centre are open to all members of the university. Guest students can attend the language courses that are released for the Studium Generale. These are not all foreign language courses!
The Department of German for International Students also offers German courses for university applicants. Please inform yourself on the corresponding pages.
Is it necessary to register for the placement test?
It is generally not necessary to register for the placement tests for French and Spanish. The dates for the placement tests can be found on our website. You simply come to one of these dates and take the test.
For English, however, you must register for an appointment. To register, please register with our English lecturers in Stud.IP! for an office hour appointment.
The current dates for placement tests can be found here.
Please note that this does NOT apply to the placement tests for German as a foreign language. For German, please refer to our respective websites.
All other languages do a similar analysis of your language skills and knowledge in the first session of the course.
How can I prepare for the placement test?
The placement test of the Language Centre of the University of Oldenburg is a 10-minute oral placement test. No preparation is necessary, as you want to be placed in a language course that corresponds to your knowledge. Therefore, the placement test is not a test for which you should specifically prepare.
Please note: The placement tests are not tests that certify any level of proficiency. We do not issue certificates for the placement test. There is only a list of results. The placement tests are only used to place you in our course programme and are not transferable to other things.
How do I confirm the registration via stud.IP?
Here you will find the instructions for the registration procedure. Just click!
How often can I be absent from a course?
The University of Oldenburg sees itself as a presence university. The Language Centre is part of Faculty III for Linguistics and Cultural Studies. Within the framework of the 'Round Tables', the FK III has decided that the offers of the faculty are presence offers that require active participation. We agree with this, because we believe that language teaching can only be successful through active participation. No one can improve his or her language skills by just sitting in a class and not participating
We therefore recommend regular attendance, which should not fall below 80%. This means that one may only be absent from the course three times without showing a good reason (medical certificate or similar). The teachers keep attendance lists, and only those who have been present regularly are admitted to the module examination.
However, we would also like to express that only a stable group of participants can really lead to lecturers being able to conduct their lessons as they plan them, and only then can it be guaranteed that the desired progression through the learning material happens.
In conclusion, however, we can also say here that attendance at the language centre is not a problem because our participants attend the courses of their own free will and are therefore there regularly - interest and fun are the best basis for regular attendance. Those who do not bring their own motivation to a language course should therefore consider whether there are not more important things to do at the time.
When do I have to take a placement test? What does the placement test cost?
The placement test must be taken if courses in English, French or Spanish are to be taken at the Language Centre.
The placement test is free of charge.
The placement test is not proof of language skills and is only used for placement in the Language Centre's course system.
For placement in the German courses, please read the information on the pages of the German section.
Are there courses for exam preparation?
Yes, there are. The preparatory courses for language examinations in English are generally subject to a fee (for fees, please refer to the current version of the University's Schedule of Fees and Charges). You can find the dates for the courses under Language Tests and Language Certificates.
The Language Centre offers exam preparation courses for the following language exams:
TOELF itp C1 English B2 English
For language examinations in French and Spanish, exam preparation takes place within the framework of language courses on offer. These courses are not subject to a fee. The fees for the examinations can be found in the current version of the University's Schedule of Fees and Charges.
The Language Centre generally offers courses to prepare for the following examinations:
DELF DALF DELF pro
DELE (not regularly)
How do I withdraw from a language course?
By sending an email to the Language Centre or by cancelling in person at the office. You cannot deregister through your lecturers.
Where can I get a DAAD Language Certificate?
For English: We offer regular dates for DAAD exams. Registration via sprachenzentrum@uol.de
For other languages, please send an email to maike.engelhardt@uol.de.
Can I take the IELTS at the Language Centre?
No, unfortunately we do not offer IELTS tests at the moment.
What is required in the English language tests?
The TOEFL itp and DAAD language tests test your language skills. You cannot fail these tests, only get an appropriate score that allows you to interpret your own language competence.
Except for the TOEFL itp, all tests include oral, written, grammatical and listening comprehension tasks. The TOEFL itp lacks the oral and written components.
The B1, B2 and C1 tests check whether the language level is at these levels of the Common European Framework of Reference or not. You can therefore fail these tests.
With what result do I pass a language test?
It depends a bit on what you want to achieve with the result. You can only really fail the B1/B2/C1 English tests, as these tests confirm the language level. All other tests give you an assessment of your knowledge according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
I already have previous knowledge of a foreign language
If you already have previous knowledge of a foreign language and want to develop it further, then you should take one of the following steps:
1. you have previous knowledge of a foreign language from school, another university, VHS etc.
For English, French and Spanish, please take the placement test and have yourself placed in our course programme. For all other languages, please go to the first lesson of the course and speak to the teacher. She will be able to tell you which course level you need to take. You will then be registered by the Language Centre secretary's office.
2. you have previous knowledge from your family.
If you speak a foreign language as a family language (i.e. speak, but not necessarily read or write), then please contact the head of the Language Centre. If you are a near-native speaker of a foreign language, you cannot take that language as a language course. However, we will make every effort to offer you another course that will support you in your language acquisition. We have offered courses in Turkish for Turkish speakers in the past. We work closely with Slavic Studies, so insiders can also take Russian or Polish courses there. So if you have previous family knowledge, talk to us - we'll try to give you support on the way to academic language use! (But we won't let you into the beginners' courses).
Are the language tests of the University of Oldenburg recognised at other universities?
The Language Centre of the University of Bremen recognises the Oldenburg B1, B2 and C1 certificates for English.
For recognition at other universities, you have to ask there in each case. Each university and each subject at a university has different admission regulations and requirements. We cannot keep track of this.