Infos & FAQs

KIT students and staff, and students and staff from all other universities in Karlsruhe (as well as EUCOR and EPICUR universities) are eligible to take part in our language courses. Please indicate during registration at which university you study/work or if you are a member of staff at KIT. If your institution is not listed, please select the category “Sonstige” on the online registration form.
Please note: students are not permitted to take part in courses in their mother tongue e.g. French native speakers are not allowed to take part in French courses. KIT departments will not accept ECTS points gained in this way. See also “For what do I get ECTS-points (credits)?”

Courses normally take place during the semester, starting during the second week of the lecture period. Information about intensive courses during the lecture free period can be found on the website. The Language Centre is located in two buildings: 08.03 near Marktplatz and 50.20, which is the former children’s hospital at Durlacher Tor (opposite the university library). There is a map at Kontakt und Anfahrt. For all courses, the room and building information are clearly stated.

To take part in the courses, you have to register online.
If you are interested in an English course and have not taken part in one before, you will have to do the online placement test (you can find more information here). A placement test is not necessary for other languages. Those liable to pay can transfer the fee by providing the details listed in the confirmation e-mail. The time period for online registration will be indicated on the homepage of this website.
Please find out about the procedure and dates for registration before the semester starts at Anmeldung (Registration).

Priority Registration EUKLID students, Ethics (Latin), Art History (Italian), as well as students and staff preparing for a stay abroad can register for a course starting from 4 weeks before the beginning of online registration. Authorisation must be accompanied by an up-to-date matriculation card (Art History, EUKLID, and Ethics) or written confirmation from the International Students Office (Akademische Auslandsamt) or another relevant institution. Students going abroad via IStO/INTL, do not need to send any documents as we receive a list in advance. Send any documentation to info∂spz.kit.edu. We need your email address as, after eligibility verification, a token (weblink) will be sent to you, allowing online registration for ONE free course.

The cost of each course is listed alongside the timetable for each language. ONE COURSE EACH SEMESTER IS FREE FOR KIT STUDENTS as well as students of EUCOR and EPICUR universities (financed by quality assurance funds). Further courses are charged at the rates indicated on the website. You can find general information about this (in German) at Gebuehr. 

Regulations for getting a discount are outlined here (in German). IMPORTANT: all documents have to be shown at payment. Refunds cannot be issued at a later date.

During the semester break there are French, Spanish and English intensive courses. You can find more information on the relevant pages of this website.

Min: 10 (beginner courses) or 7 (advanced courses)
Max: up to 25 (some English courses 15 or 18)

Participants who attend regularly (at least 80%) AND pass the course receive credit points (ECTS). For a course with a duration of 90 minutes/week (= 2 SWS), 2 to 3 ECTS credits will be awarded (Regular attendance + passing exam = 2 ECTS, or 3 ECTS if an additional task agreed with the respective lecturers is provided). In courses with 135 minutes/week (= 3 SWS), a maximum of 3 ECTS credits can be awarded for attendance + passing exam, and in courses with 180 minutes/week (= 4 SWS), a maximum of 4 ECTS credits can be awarded.

To be notified about the publication of your grade, you can activate notifications for "SQ/ÜQs" in the Campus Portal.
To do this, check the box next to "Book an SQ/ÜQ service" under Personal Data/Notifications and press save.

Study programs with electronic accreditation (CAS Campus)
- SQ credits will be added to your “Leistungsübersicht” automatically
- From winter semester 2021-22, it is possible for students whose degree program already uses the CAS Campus system to transfer the credits from their language course themselves using the online platform. 

Study programs without electronic accreditation (HIS-POS) or external students
- You can request a certificate (by e-mail to info∂spz.kit.edu or from the relevant department for English, French or Spanish courses). If you want the certificate to be sent to you, please provide us with a stamped addressed envelope.
- Submit the certificate at the Student Service Centre.

The Language Centre does not issue an extra certificate of language proficiency. If you need confirmation of your language skills for a semester abroad (e.g. Erasmus), you can do this with the help of your Transcript of Records. You can find out how to include language courses in your transcript under " How do I get ECTS points (credits)? ". If participation in a course is not sufficient for your application, you will need to take a language test to prove your current language level.

Each semester, the new course program is published on the website approximately one month before classes start. Class times are listed under each language. It is not possible to publish the new timetable any earlier due to various external factors influencing the planning process such as availability of teachers, rooms etc. Although we only publish the dates of the courses when they have been confirmed, it is sometimes necessary to make late changes. Therefore, please check the relevant part of the website again before you register and before the first class.

Yes. There are regular tests for English, French and Spanish. Please check the relevant page of the website or contact the department by e-mail. In line with the articles of the Language Centre, there is a charge of 35 euros for these tests. (bank transfer only).
Deutsche Bundesbank Filiale Karlsruhe, IBAN: DE 5766 0000 0000 6600 1508  BIC: MARK DE F1660  
Please include the following information:  XD02003911901  + language

Unfortunately we cannot provide this service for other languages as there are no permanent members of staff. In this case, please contact Mr Forstmeyer, the general manager of the Language Centre, who will try to find a solution. If you are studying at another university, you can only take part in tests at our institution if the language in which you need to be tested is not offered at your place of study.

Language 1: beginners without no or limited previous knowledge
Language 2: beginners with little knowledge
Language 3: good basic knowledge
Language 4: good knowledge

Language intensive: Intensive course with 3 SWS. After 2 intensive courses you will have reached a level that is equivalent to that normally attained after three 2 SWS courses.
Language rápido / express1: 4 SWS, the topics from Language 1 and 2 are taught within one semester
Language rápido / express2: 4 SWS, the topics from Language 3 and 4 are taught within one semester

Topical Issues / Conversation: Participants should be able to talk fluently about issues at intermediate level (autonomous use of language).
Technical Language: You can choose between technical or business content.
Parallel courses: are indicated by different letters at the same level (for example Chinese 1a, 1b, 1c)

You can find more information about content and teaching materials under “Kursinhalt” (course content) at each language’s homepage.

English courses are accredited by UNIcert®. As a result, the language program is set up differently. You can find more information here.

On the "Content" page of the respective course, you can check whether you need to buy a book. If you need a book, we recommend looking first on the KIT "Bücherbörse".

If you have not been able to find your question here, please contact the relevant department. You can find contact information here.