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Foreign Languages for General and Professional Purposes

Our foreign languages course programme offers you the opportunity to either learn a variety of different languages from scratch or to deepen and expand your existing communication skills. In our courses at  CEFR levels A1 to B1 you will learn the basics of the respective language, which will enable you to cope with everyday situations (e.g. shopping, personal conversations or planning a trip). In our courses at  CEFR levels B2 to C1 you will hone your knowledge of the target language, so that you will be able to communicate confidently in more demanding everyday or professional contexts (e.g. a stay abroad or an internship in an international company).

Our courses train all four areas of language competences (reading, writing, listening, speaking). In addition, we offer a variety of options for learning additional or consolidating specific language skills, e.g. conversation courses, professional communication, job application training or creative writing.

Our courses are also open to students from other German universities (subject to availability).

For all our foreign language courses we charge a one-time registration fee of 20 EUR (2 SWS) or 40 EUR (4 SWS) per semester for students of Osnabrück University and 80 EUR (2 SWS) or 110 EUR (4 SWS) for staff members and students from other universities.

Good to know before you register

There are currently no compulsory placement tests. If you do not have a certified level of proficiency (e.g. from previous language courses), please assess yourself using the descriptors of the  Common European Framework of Reference for Languages before registering. Please note: The languages listed here refer to your first language, NOT the target language. Alternatively, you can also register for a placement test on Stud.IP. The next dates are 1 Apr 2025 at 10 am and 2 pm.

If in doubt, you may arrange for a language consultation with  jan.heinrich.brockmann@uni-osnabrueck.de.

Yes, for almost all languages taught at the Language Center (except German and Ukrainian) you can take a test online to find out which course level we would recommend. The test is voluntary, free of charge and does not oblige you to take a particular course. All you have to do is to invest between 30 and 60 minutes of your time, depending on the language.

The tests will be available on 1 Apr 2025 in the course  "Workshop: Einstufungstests - Fremdsprachen für Alltag und Beruf" ond Stud.IP as a VIPS plugin.
Places are limited; please register from 13 to 27 Mar 2025 via Stud.IP.

If you have any questions, please send an e-mail to  jan.heinrich.brockmann@uni-osnabrueck.de.

You can find out more about the placement for our German language courses on the website of our  teaching unit   German as a foreign language.

The registration period for our foreign language courses in the Summer Semester 2025 starts on 9 Apr 2025 at 12 noon and ends on 15 Apr 2025 at 12 noon. Registration takes place online via Stud.IP. This does NOT apply to German language courses; if you are interested in German language courses, please go to  German as a foreign language.

You can still register for foreign language courses after the registration deadline within the period stated below, if

  • you qualify for the desired course (see above) and
  • there are still places available in the course.

Please contact  Jan-Heinrich Brockmann by telephone between 22 and 25 Apr 2025 between 9 am and 12 noon.

The language courses will start on 22 Apr 2025 (week 2 of the teaching term).

Next placement test

1 Apr 2025

online via Stud.IP

More information under  "Do you offer placement tests?"

Find your way around a foreign language course - our explanatory videos:

Signing up for a foreign language course

Would you like to take part in one of our foreign language courses and still have questions? For example:

  • How does the registration process work?
  • How much does a foreign language course cost?
  • How do I know which course is right for me?

Exam registration via HISinOne

Would you like to register for the final exam on HISinOne and still have questions? For example:

  • How do I register for the exam in HISinOne?
  • How do I find my language course in HISinOne?
  • What do I do if I have taken several foreign language courses?

Starting off in a foreign language course

Are you enrolled in one of our foreign language courses and still have questions? For example:

  • What do I need to do now?
  • How are the courses assessed? Do I need to register for the final exam?
  • What should I do if I have problems in the course?

After the foreign language course

Your foreign language course is over, but you still have questions? For example:

  • When will I get my exam results?
  • How can I get the credit points for the course?
  • Which course should I do next?

Frequently asked questions about our foreign language courses

For students of Osnabrück University, a course with 4 lessons per week (in German: 4 SWS) is € 40 and a course with 2 lessons per week (in German: 2 SWS) is € 20.

Students from other German universities and employees of Osnabrück University pay € 110 (4 SWS) and € 80 (2 SWS). These fees are all one-time payments upon registration in Stud.IP.

If you have no prior knowledge, you should take a course at level A1 or level 1. If you have a proof of proficiency according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), please choose a course at the next higher level.

If you do not know what proficiency level you are at, you can self-assess your language skills using the  CEFR descriptors before registering for the course. The languages listed here refer to your first language, NOT the target language. If in doubt, you may arrange for a language consultation with the heads of our teaching units or take one of our placement tests.

There are no compulsory placement tests for our foreign language courses. However, if you are interested in taking a placement test, you can find more information well in advance of the upcoming semester under  Good to know before you register.

You can register for the next test date on Stud.IP. Look for the course  Workshop: Einstufungstests - Fremdsprachen für Alltag und Beruf.

For our foreign language courses, you can sign up directly via the respective course sites on Stud.IP during the registration period.

This does not apply for  German as a Foreign Language - here the registration process is slightly different.

If you have good reasons to believe that the proficiency level of the course that you have chosen is not appropriate, please contact the respective head of the teaching unit for advice.

No. However, if you need the credit points and/or a certificate of participation in the course, you must register for the exam in HISinOne within the registration period specified in the course description (usually between week 7 and week 11 of the semester). You can find detailed information on exam registration in the explanatory video "Exam registration via HISinOne" on our website. If you are not a student at Osnabrück University, you cannot register for the exam in HISinOne.

If you use HISinOne and have registered for the exam, your grade will automatically appear on your transcript of records, provided you have passed the final exam and attended at least 80% of the classes.
If you do not have a HISinOne account, please contact  jan.heinrich.brockmann@uni-osnabrueck.de (Foreign Languages for General and Professional Purposes) or  frank.lauterbach@uni-osnabrueck.de (Foreign Languages for Academic Purposes).

No. You can use our placement tests only for our language courses. However, you can take a DAAD test with us, if you need a proof of your language proficiency for a stint at another university.

We offer a number of test dates for the DAAD test every year. You can find more detailed information on Stud.IP in the course "DAAD Sprachtests für Auslandsaufenthalte" or contact Jan-Heinrich Brockmann via email, telephone or drop by consultation hours.

Students of Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences can register for a foreign language course with us using their HS login information via "Login für Externe" on Stud.IP.

Yes, you can participate in our foreign language courses. If your university does not use Stud.IP, you must apply for a Stud.IP access at virtUOS.

Unfortunately, only students and employees of Osnabrück University can participate in our courses.

You must first activate the "Bezahlkurse" plug-in in your "Profile" tab in Stud.IP. You can find the "Bezahlkurse" plug-in, if you choose "More..." in your "Profile" tab. You can then enter your account details and issue the direct debit authorization. We recommend that you enter your bank account details well before the start of the registration period. However, it is still possible to enter the details during the registration process. You can also find more information in the explanatory video "Signing up for a foreign language course" on our website.

For courses in our semester programme, you can withdraw free-of-charge until Sunday (midnight) of the second teaching week (i.e. the first week of teaching for courses offered at the Language Center); for other course formats withdrawal is possible until two days after the start of the course. The cancellation of your registration has to be done in writing. Please send an email to the Language Center to do so. Note that an email to your instructor alone does not suffice. In particular, deregistration with the respective course instructor alone is invalid.
It is still possible to withdraw from a course after this deadline, but the registration fee can then no longer be refunded. Please refer to our Terms and Conditions, which you can find on the course site on Stud.IP.

Please talk to your lecturer first. If changing the course makes sense, it is possible within the first two weeks of the course, provided there are still places available in the other course. Please contact the head of the respective teaching unit: Jan-Heinrich Brockmann (Foreign Languages for General and Professional Purposes) or Frank Lauterbach (Foreign Languages for Academic Purposes).

Please note that attendance is compulsory for all our language courses.

Head of Foreign Languages for General and Professional Purposes

Jan-Heinrich Brockmann, M.A.

Sprachenzentrum

Neuer Graben 7/9
49074 Osnabrück

Room: 52/110
Office hours: n.V. (Termin über studIP-Plugin)

 +49 541 969-4616
 jan.heinrich.brockmann@uni-osnabrueck.de