In all courses general language skills are taught. The English courses furthermore contain elements in English for technical purposes.

On presentation of a valid semester certificate all courses are free of charge for students of the TUHH and as well for members of the university staff.

Our language courses cover the five competence levels from A1 to C1 following the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) developed by the European Council.

We would like to help you to develop your proficiency in foreign languages in a focused way. If you intend to gain credits for foreign language course in non-technical subjects, please be aware of the procedures laid down in the curriculum .

For you to gain credits for a foreign language course, you have to pass an additional course achievement and the final exam.

A special note on recognition/eligibility subject to previous language background:

As a matter of principle, language courses in the language or languages in which your course is taught, i.e. German and/or English, only count toward credits if you gained your university entrance qualification in another language. 

English: only level C2 courses count towards credits in the English-language and bilingual (IWI and ES/GES) programs. In German-language programs it counts toward credits only if the language in which you gained your university entrance qualification was not English.

For all other languages no courses in a student’s native language are eligible to count toward credits.

For registration you will need:

•     Your matriculation number
•    Your TUHH email address
•     Your placement certificate / performance record for a follow-up course.
      - Your certificate from a previous course (no more than 12 months old)
      - If you have not attended a previous course, please send us your placement test result: www.cornelsen.de/empfehlungen/sprachtest (free of charge).
•     All Beginner A1 courses do not require a placement test.
•    The courses are exclusively for students and employees of the TUHH. Please upload your matriculation certificate/proof of enrollment as a PDF.

>> Download (pdf): FAQs - frequently asked questions and answers about the language courses (in German)

For courses of an advanced level a placement test is essential provided you did not attend any courses in the target language within the last 12 months nor did you take a placement test. Please upload your placement certificate or your performance record when applying online. 

Beginners courses at level A1.1 do not require any placement test!

Prior knowledge

Any prior language skills have to be proven by a placement test (see Admission Requirement). The course recommendation depends on the test result.

Placement Procedure

Written placements according to the General European Reference Frame for Languages based on your self assessment

•  online-Cornelsen placement test: https://www.cornelsen.de/sprachtest/ for the languages German as a Foreign Language, English, French and Spanish of the levels A1.2 to B1.3
• www.sprachtest.de for the languages German as a Foreign Language and English starting from level B2.1  

The certificate from a previous course replaces this placement.

An additional oral placement test will be taken in certain cases.

Please apply for the language courses via our online application form that can be found above during the registration period. 

The asterisked fields are mandatory fields.

Note: 
Employees of the TUHH please enter 99999 in the mandatory field “matriculation number” and upload a blank sheet with your signature instead of a certificate of enrolment.

A prompt email response acknowledges receipt of your application. 
Should there be more applicants than places in a language course you will be waitlisted and move up as soon as a place is free. 
A confirmation of participation will be sent directly before the beginning of the course. The message might reach you at very short notice as the release of the individual course depends on the number of applicants. 

(Target course size: 10 – 20 students per course)

Quality is our utmost concern and the key for your success. With your registration for one of our language courses you go for a modern, interactive learning methodology – up-to-date learning materials, professional lecturers dedicated to their job and the application of learning platforms especially in the courses German as a Foreign Language – all this in combination with lots of fun.  https://e-learning.tuhh.de/.

All courses follow the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) developed by the European Council – a consistent structure that divides language competencies into several levels in order to make them comparable across national borders.

For students planning a semester or a work experience abroad this is an essential precondition.

Here you can find the current program of the VHS language courses in cooperation with the TUHH in the summer semester 2022:
Current program of the language courses
Current program of the German courses

Exam registration: If you wish to take an examination in order to acquire credit points, you must register for this examination in TUNE. No credit points can be gained without registering for an exam. Exam registration takes place exclusively during a two-week period. The registration period will be announced in good time. During this period, you can register for your exams in TUNE under My studies > Planner of studies with Module plan. You can find detailed instructions here.

Late registration will not be considered!

Deregistration from examinations: Please note that deregistration from an examination is only possible from the time of registration and only up to two days before the examination date. You can therefore also deregister from the examination outside the registration period.

For proof of language skills in

•     English

we offer the DAAD Language Certificate (PDF). The DAAD Language Certificate is a language assessment for the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and/or the International Office.

You can find detailed information here.

You can find more information on international language certificates and examination centres here.