FAQ: Placement and registration

Only enrolled students, staff, and guest researchers of the University of Hamburg can participate in the DaF courses at the Language Center (course level B1-C2.

External course participants who are not enrolled at the University of Hamburg or working there unfortunately cannot participate. Auditors and participants in the contact studies program are also not eligible to join the language courses

Yes, you can generally register for language courses in your first semester. If you do not yet have a B-ID and cannot register for our courses through STiNE, please contact our secretariat via the contact form. Please provide the courses you would like to enroll in, your name, and, if available, your student ID number. Attach the letter of acceptance from the University of Hamburg. Submit your student ID number once you receive it.

Please note that we need a proof of language proficienceý in order to process your registration.

Information about registration and language certificates can be found on the Student Registration page.

A B-identifier is only provided to students (including Erasmus students) and staff of the University of Hamburg. It is required for course registration and for the placement test at the Language Center.

If you do not yet have a B-identifier and cannot register for our courses via STiNE, please contact our secretariat through the contact form. Provide the courses you wish to register for, your name, and, if available, your student ID number. Attach the letter of acceptance from the University of Hamburg. Submit your student ID number as soon as it is available.

For technical issues related to STiNE access, please contact STiNE Support.

Yes, Erasmus students can participate in our language courses.

You can find information about registration on the page Registration for Students.

If you have not yet received a matriculation number and B-ID, which are required for registration, please contact us via our contact form. Provide the courses you wish to register for, your name, and, if available, your matriculation number. Attach the Letter of Acceptance from the University of Hamburg. Submit your matriculation number as soon as you receive it.

Refugees who are not enrolled at the University of Hamburg have the opportunity to participate in the #UHHhilft program under certain conditions and thereby gain access to our German courses (DaF). If you are not enrolled at the University of Hamburg or participating in the #UHHhilft program, unfortunately, you will not be able to attend our language courses.

For information on how to register for the #UHHhilft program (and the registration form), please refer to the program's website.

Registration is only possible during the registration phases. You can find information about the registration phases on the Campus Center website.

Course registration requires two steps:

1. Submit a proof of language proficiency: You can either take our online placement test or submit a standardized language certificate (e.g., Goethe-Zertifikat). Information about registration and accepted language certificates can be found on the registration page for students. The language certificate must be submitted to us before the course begins, as otherwise registration will not be possible.

2. Select courses in STiNE: After logging in to STiNE, you can find our courses via the following path: Studying -> Register for courses and modules -> Extracurriculare Veranstaltungen -> Sprachenzentrum der Universität Hamburg -> Deutsch als Fremdsprache

Please note that only students and staff of the University of Hamburg, as well as refugees enrolled in the #UHHhilft program, can participate in our language courses.

As a student at the University of Hamburg, you can register for regular semester courses and intensive courses. Please do not register for special courses / courses for staff / international researchers, PhDs, or Post-Docs if you are enrolled in a Bachelor's or Master's program, as these courses are designed exclusively for UHH employees.

An overview of our offerings for students can be downloaded in our course program (German as a Foreign Language).

You can only choose courses that match your language level. A language certificate is required before registration:

If you submit a standardized language certificate (Goethe, telc, TestDaF, etc.), you can register for courses at the same level or one level higher. This means that if you submit a Goethe-Zertifikat B2, you can register for B2 or C1 German courses.

If you have completed our online placement test, you will receive your placement result (A1 - C1) directly after the test. You can then register for courses that correspond to this level. This means: if your result is B2, you can only register for B2 courses – not for C1 courses.

Information about registration and accepted language certificates can be found on the registration page for students.

During the registration phases, you can also cancel your registration yourself via STiNE.

If you wish to cancel after the registration phase, we can remove you from the course list. This will prevent the course from appearing in your Transcript of Records. Please contact our secretariat for this.

The DaF courses at the Language Center are free of charge.

The Language Center does not offer A1 or A2 courses, but starts at level B1.

If you would like to take a course at level A1 or A2, please contact the General Languages.

Yes. In all courses, there is some form of test.

Depending on the course, this may be a different type of test, such as an exam, a term paper, a presentation, portfolio tasks, etc. Your course instructor will inform you about the form of the test.

Generally, you will not receive a certificate after completing the course. After the course is finished, it will be displayed in STiNE or in your Transcript of Records.

Additionally, it is possible to apply for a "Großes Sprachzertifikat" (Large Language Certificate) if you have successfully completed five German courses at the Language Center of UHH. Please contact our secretariat and send us your STiNE Transcript of Records as a PDF or screenshots showing that you have passed the courses. We also need your full name and matriculation number. If you have five different grades, we will calculate your average grade and include it on the Large Language Certificate. However, this certificate is simply a confirmation of successful course completion and is not an official proof of language proficiency.

In exceptional cases, we can issue a certificate of attendance upon request – for example, if you urgently need it as proof for an authority. Please send us your full name, matriculation number, and proof that you attended the course.

You can find the latest information about course rooms and times in STiNE.

If no room is listed, the course instructor will usually email you with the location before the course begins. This also applies to online courses.

You can communicate with your course instructors via the email function in STiNE.

A placement test is used to assess your current language skills and assign you to the appropriate course level. The test checks various language abilities such as grammar, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. Based on the results, a recommendation will be made for the course that best fits your level, ensuring that the lessons are tailored to your proficiency.

The University of Hamburg's Language Center offers its own placement test, which can be taken online once per semester and serves as proof of your language level. Once you have completed the test and received a result, you can register for our courses. Please do not submit results from other placement tests (e.g., Cornelsen, Klett, Hueber, etc.).

To access the test and for more information, click here: Placement Test.

Your result will indicate your achieved language level, with the following possible levels:

• A1 - Beginner
• A2 - Basic knowledge
• B1 - Intermediate language use
• B2 - Independent language use
• C1 - Proficient language knowledge
• C2 - Near-native proficiency

For more information, visit the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages website.

You can independently register for the test once per semester and take it directly online.

The test is hosted on the learning platform OpenOlat. To access the test, you need your B-ID and the corresponding password. The test is only accessible for students and staff of the University of Hamburg.

If you have not yet received a student ID and B-ID required for registration, feel free to contact us via our contact form and request a temporary ID for the placement test. Please attach the University of Hamburg's Letter of Acceptance. Submit your student ID as soon as it is available.

We recommend choosing a quiet environment for taking the test where you won’t be disturbed. The test lasts 50 minutes.

How to find the placement test on OpenOlat and the current password you need to enter can be found on the following page: Online Placement Test. Here, you will find further information and a detailed guide.

You can take the test only once per semester. A retake is not allowed and will not be considered.

We strongly recommend taking the placement test on OpenOlat before registering for courses. Your test result will determine which courses you can register for. For example, if you achieve "B2" in the placement test, you can only register for B2 courses, not B1 or C1 courses.

A language proof (either the placement test or a standardized language certificate must be submitted by the beginning of the semester for us to approve your registration.

General information, the link, and the password for access, as well as instructions on how to open the free online test on the OpenOlat platform, can be found on the page Placement Test.

The placement test is a so-called C-test. The tasks assess understanding of grammatical structure, vocabulary knowledge, and contextual comprehension.

Our C-test consists of eight cloze tests that must be completed within 50 minutes. The remaining time is displayed by a timer in the upper left corner.

It is not possible to pause or retake the test. The timer will continue running even if you close the browser. Therefore, please ensure that you have enough time to complete the test without interruptions before starting.

During the test, you can skip tasks and return to them later during the 50 minutes by clicking on the respective task in the left task menu. Please save your answers before starting a new task.

Once you have answered the tasks and used less than 50 minutes, you can finish the test (top right). Immediately afterward, your result will be displayed.

All aids are prohibited.

After completing the placement test on OpenOlat, your test result will be displayed. Since this appears only once after the test, we recommend taking a screenshot of your language level and the score achieved so that you can remember your result if necessary.

You can then register for courses on STiNE that match your language level. This means that if you have achieved "B2", you can register for B2-level courses.

You do not need to inform us about this, as OpenOlat stores all test results, which we cross-check with the course registrations. If we do not receive an appropriate test result (or standardized language certificate) from you before the start of the semester, we will cancel your registration.

Due to the high volume of emails, we will not send a separate message about successful registration or cancellation.

In principle, you cannot prepare for our placement test. However, you can find C-tests from other institutions on the internet using your search engine and learn more about the concept.

Additionally, we offer a practice test for orientation, which you can repeat as often as you like. You can find it here: DaF-Check

No, this is generally not possible. Please choose a course that matches your test result / certificate result.

Otherwise, students might feel uncertain or demotivated if people with higher language levels join the course and have better language skills.

If you still wish to take a course with a lower language level, please send us an email with a detailed explanation via the contact form. We will then decide whether to approve the change or not.

After taking the placement test on OpenOlat, your test result will be displayed. Since it only appears once after the test, we recommend taking a screenshot of your language level and the achieved score so you can remember your result later. You can then register for courses on STiNE that match your language level. For example, if you achieved "B2", you can register for courses at the B2 level.

The following language levels are possible:

• A1 - Beginner
• A2 - Basic Knowledge
• B1 - Intermediate Language Use
• B2 - Independent Language Use
• C1 - Proficient Language Skills
• C2 - Near-Native Proficiency

For more information, please visit the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages page.

OpenOlat stores all test results, which we match with course registrations. If we do not receive a suitable test result or language certificate from you before the start of the semester, we will cancel your registration.

Due to the high volume of emails, we cannot send a separate message regarding successful registration or cancellation.

For international researchers, scholarship holders, PhD candidates, and Post-Docs, we offer special courses every semester that are tailored to the needs of this target group.

For example, the following topics are covered:

• Academic writing
• Presenting, moderating
• Communication in everyday university life, e.g. writing emails, making phone calls, small talk

The current course offerings and information can be found on the Special Courses in German as a Foreign Language page.

Additionally, you can attend the regular DaF courses for students, provided there are still available spots — students have priority. Information on registration can be found on the same website under the additional course offerings.

The General Languages department also offers courses at language levels A1 and A2.

International researchers / PhDs or Post-Docs can find information about the current course offerings on the Special Courses in German as a Foreign Language page and register directly for courses through our booking forms.

Additionally, the regular DaF courses for students can be attended, provided there are still available spots—students have priority. If interested, please register via email at sonderkurse.sz"AT"uni-hamburg.de with the following details:

• First name, last name
• Your email address
• Status (e.g., staff, PhD student...)
• Which course or courses you would like to attend

Before the course starts, you will be informed whether a spot in the course is available for you.

No, you do not need to submit a language certificate for course registration or take a placement test.

However, if you are unsure about which course level matches your language skills, we recommend taking our free placement test online. This is only for your orientation and is not a requirement for course registration.

Upon request, you will receive a certificate of achievement or attendance after successfully completing the course. Please contact our secretariat for this.