Proof of Language Proficiency in the Bachelor's Program in Teacher Education

No proof of language proficiency required

If you have already learned the required foreign language at school, you can provide proof of language proficiency through your school education if you meet the following criteria:

• Basic knowledge / passive proficiency: 2 years of school lessons at secondary school; final grade at least “fair” (4.0, “ausreichend”).
• Proficiency: Option 1: Four years of school lessons in secondary education with a final grade of at least “fair” (4.0, ausreichend). Option 2: Three years of school education in upper secondary education (Gymnasium) leading to the Abitur (German General Higher Education Entrance Qualification): For G8: school years 10–12; for G9: school years 11–13. During the final two years of upper secondary education (referred to as grades I and II in the German system), the average grade over four semesters must be at least “fair” (4.0, ausreichend).
• Latinum / Graecum certificate: Note stating that the Latinum has been passed / Graecum exam in the secondary school leaving certificate (Abiturzeugnis).

If your university entrance qualification (e.g. Abitur certificate) includes proof of sufficient language proficiency, Student Services will recored this as “passed” in the system during your first semester. As we already received your university entrance qualification with your application, the process will be completed automatically and no additional steps are required on your part.

If your university entrance qualification does not demonstrate sufficient language proficiency, you may be required to submit additional certificates or documentation in individual cases. At the beginning of the second semester (February or March), please check whether your language proficiency has been recorded as “passed” in the system by Student Services. If this is not the case, please contact your responsible Student Services advisor.

The proof of language proficiency you do need to provide is based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). You need to provide proof for the following levels of language proficiency:

• Basic knowledge / passive proficiency: Language proficiency level A2 or higher
• Proficiency: Language proficiency level B2 or higher

The Latinum and Graecum certificates are state supplementary examinations organized and held by a Regierungspräsidium (regional council) in Baden-Württemberg. Please note that you need the regular Latinum certificate as proof, you do not need the advanced Latin certificate (“Großes Latinum”). To prepare for the examination to obtain the Latinum certificate, we recommend attending the Latin courses offered by the History and Philosophy departments. In addition, you can take advantage of the courses offered by the Heidelberger Pädagogium, which are subject to a fee.

The supplementary examination required to obtain the Latinum certificate is usually offered by the regional councils three times a year only. You can repeat the examination once. We recommend making your first attempt at the beginning of the fourth semester at the latest. This way, you would be still in time if you need to take the exam again. Please take this into account when planning your studies and start with the preparatory Latin courses in the first semester. You are free to choose which regional council you take the exam at. Information on supplementary examinations, dates, and registration can be found on the regional councils' websites:

Regierungspräsidium Karlsruhe

Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart

Regierungspräsidium Freiburg

Regierungspräsidium Tübingen

Language courses provided by the departments
Some departments offer language courses to help students acquire the necessary language skills. We recommend that you take advantage of these language courses. For French, Italian and Spanish, we strongly recommend participation.

If you are taking the language you need to prove proficiency in as a subject, you can demonstrate your language skills by successfully completing your regular language courses.

Language courses provided by Studium Generale
Studium Generale offers various foreign language courses. These will enable you to acquire the necessary level of language proficiency.

Language courses provided by external institutions
To acquire the necessary language skills, you can also make use of courses offered by external providers such as the Abendakademie or adult education centers. To obtain the Latinum or Graecum certificate, the Heidelberger Pädagogium offers preparation courses that are partly aligned with the academic calendar of Mannheim.

Language courses provided by the departments
If you acquire your language proficiency through language courses provided by the departments, Student Services will automatically record this as proof of language proficiency after you have successfully completed the course and passed the exam. Please register for the respective exam during the exam registration. Exceptions are the preparatory courses for the Latinum certificate in the subjects History and Philosophy/Ethics, which are not sufficient as proof of language proficiency.

Alternative acquirement of language proficiency
For language proficiency acquired outside the courses offered by the University of Mannheim, the Studium Generale language certificate serves as proof. The language certificate is issued for English, French, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish. Language proficiency is considered proven if you have achieved the required proficiency level in three of the four areas assessed in the language certificate. Please use the language certificate form (PDF, 123 kB) as proof.
If Studium Generale does not issue a certificate for a particular language, you need to provide other evidence of your language skills. This evidence must show that you have passed and clearly indicate the language level according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

Latinum and Graecum
As proof of the Latinum, you must submit the certificate issued after successfully passing the state supplementary examination.

Please submit the certificate via e-mail to your responsible Student Services advisor in due time.

Student Services will record your proof of language proficiency in Portal². During the first semester, the required language proficiency for each subject will be visible in the system as approved exams (marked “ZU” = admitted). If multiple options exist for providing proof of language proficiency—for example, the Latinum certificate or proficiency in another modern foreign language—all options will appear as approved exams in Portal². Once you submit proof of language proficiency, our colleagues will mark the exam as passed in the system (as “BE” = passed) and remove any remaining options.

Depending on your subject and language, you must provide proof of language proficiency either by the end of the orientation phase or by the end of your bachelor's program. Submit your proof to Student Services by the respective deadline. If you do not submit proof by the deadline, you are no longer eligible to take examinations.

In cases where students require additional time to improve their language skills, the framework regulation for teacher education programs issued by the Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs permits extensions of one or two semesters. The extension lasts until the end of the orientation phase and is applied automatically, so no application is required. Under “Required level of language proficiency and deadlines,” the respective deadlines for your subjects are listed. The extensions of the deadlines have already been taken into account here. Please note that the deadlines for the same foreign language may vary depending on the subject.

Proof of language proficiency must usually be provided by the end of the orientation phase. For legal reasons, they are a prerequisite for attending the orientation courses in the respective subject. If you have not yet provided proof of your language proficiency, you can still attend the course and take the exam, but only under certain conditions and on a provisional basis. This means that the exam will only be considered passed and will be shown in the system once you have provided proof of your language proficiency. However, if you ultimately fail the language proficiency test, you are no longer eligible to take examinations in that subject. As soon as you submit your proof of language proficiency to Student Services, your advisor will lift the provisional status. The exam will then appear in your records and on your Transcript of Records.
If you miss the deadline for submitting proof, the exam will be marked as failed, and you will not receive a certificate.

Please attend your courses according to your degree plan despite the missing proof of language proficiency. By allowing you to take the course exams on a provisional basis, we enable you to study your subjects according to the degree plan despite the outstanding proof of language proficiency.

If you are required to improve your language skills, it may be advisable to adjust your degree plan. This applies in particular to acquiring the language proficiency necessary for the Latinum certificate in the subjects History and Philosophy/Ethics. At the information event for first-year students, both departments usually introduce an alternative degree plan in the respective subjects that takes the need to catch up on Latin into account. If you have any questions or need personal advice on your degree plan, please do not hesitate to contact the program managers or your subject-specific academic advisors.

Please make sure that, even if you adjust your degree plan, you complete the orientation courses and examinations in the first or second semester, if possible. The same applies to any courses or examinations you take on a provisional basis. Doing so will help you avoid potential deadline issues. In addition, many subsequent courses are based on these orientation courses.

To study the subjects English, French, Italian and Spanish, a certain level of language proficiency in the respective foreign language is required.

English
To study English, the examination regulations require a B2 level in accordance with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). You can provide proof of your language skills either through school knowledge or through the Foundation course, which all students take in the first semester. If you pass the language course, you have proven your language skills. There is no placement test or specific language test before the start of the program.

French / Italian / Spanish
In the subjects French, Italian, and Spanish, you can acquire the corresponding language skills as part of your studies. During the first week of the semester before the start of your studies, you need to take a mandatory placement test for the language you would like to study. The placement test allows us to determine your level of language proficiency and assign you to the appropriate language practice course. If your level of language proficiency is not yet sufficient for participating in the language practice courses included in the curriculum, you will need to take preparatory language practice courses. You can also begin your studies without any prior knowledge of the foreign language. In this case, you do not need to take the placement test. You will start with Intensive Course I. You do not need to provide additional proof of language proficiency for the language you study.

If you are required to submit proof of different levels of language proficiency for different subjects, you must only submit proof for the higher level of language proficiency. However, please note, that the deadlines for providing proof may vary depending on the respective subject.

If you study French, Italian or Spanish in combination with History or Philosophy/Ethics and need to catch up on your Latin skills, we recommend you take the course “Latein für Romanisten”. By passing the course, you will obtain the required proof of basic knowledge of Latin for your Romance language subject, which needs to be submitted by the end of the 4th semester. You must submit your Latinum certificate for the subjects History and Philosophy/Ethics by the end of the 5th semester. If you do not pass your examination to obtain the Latinum certificate by the deadline, this will not affect your Romance language subject.