UNIcert®

UNIcert® is a quality standard for foreign language training at universities that prepares students for the requirements of a degree course as well as for a future professional career in a foreign language.

The UNIcert® system

The UNIcert® certification system under the umbrella of the Arbeitskreis der Sprachenzentren an Hochschulen e.V. (Working Group of Language Centres at Universities) (AKS) is based on a framework agreement between leading German universities and colleges. Its aim is to promote the same standard of language training across universities and thus enable seamless transitions to foreign language training at another university. The Unicert certification systems is therefore also accepted outside the universities. The Language Centre of the TU Braunschweig has been UNIcert® accredited since 1998. Accreditation is granted for a maximum of five years and is then reviewed again. This ensures a consistently high quality of language training at the participating universities.

UNIcert® forms the Network of University Language Testers in Europe (NULTE) in cooperation with UNIcert®LUCE (Slovakia and Czech Republic and Acert (Poland), CertAcles® (Spain), CLES (France) and UNILANG (United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland). This means that uniform quality standards for university-specific foreign language certificates as well as core elements such as accreditation/peer review are specified internationally.

The UNIcert® system comprises five levels of competence, which are based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR):

UNIcert® Basic	Is based on A2 • comprises initial basic language skills for the simple and direct exchange of information in routine situations
UNIcert® I	is based on B1 • comprises basic language skills which can be developed to cope with selected general, professional and study-related situations in the target language.
UNIcert® II	is based on B2 • comprises fundamental language skills as required to study and work in a country of the target language (lowest mobility level).
UNIcert® III	is based on C1 • easily meets the linguistic requirements of a study and work stay in a country of the target language (recommended mobility level)
UNIcert® IV	is oriented towards C2 • has general scientific and subject-related language knowledge and skills at a high professional level, possesses comprehensive communicative foreign language competence in order to be able to act and react correctly, fluently and adequately in all general as well as study-related, professional and subject-related situations - in accordance with the requirements and contents of academic professions as well as the correspondingly required style and language register.

The UNIcert® Certificates in German as a Foreign Language

The TU Braunschweig is currently UNIcert® accredited in Chinese, English, French, Italian, Russian, Swedish, Spanish and German as a foreign language. You can find an overview of the requirements in the area of German as a foreign language here. More information can be obtained from the respective language section and the respective language section heads.

In German as a foreign language, the UNIcert® I certificate is currently offered at the TU Braunschweig

UNIcert® I: General language of science (16 SWS)

Level	SWS	Course
A1	4	Basic Course A1
A2	4	Basic Course A2
B1.1	4	Basic Course B1.1
B1.2	4	Basic Course B1.2

Issue of the certificate

The UNIcert® Basis certificate can be issued as soon as you have successfully completed all required language courses and all grades are available. The certificate grade is calculated as the average of the individual grades of all courses. You do not have to take an additional language exam.

Registration

Please submit the completed registration form together with your course certificates to the head of the respective language section. Once your registration has been approved, please transfer the fee for the Unicert certificate in order for your registration to be processed further.

Registration form UNIcert (PDF, 1359 KB)

Registration Deadlines

UNIcert® Basic, I und II:

Registration is possible at any time after the completion of the required courses.

UNIcert® III und IV (derzeit nur in Englisch):

Anmeldeschluss ist jeweils der letzte Samstag der Vorlesungszeit.

Examination and Language Training Regulations

UNIcert® foreign language training at the TU Braunschweig is bindingly regulated in the UNIcert® examination and training regulations. Here you will also find detailed information on levels, admission requirements, creditable courses and examination modalities:

UNIcert®-Prüfungsordnung (PDF, 703 KB, German)

UNIcert®-Ausbildungsordnung (PDF, 1.65 MB, German)

UNIcert®-Musterzertifikat (PDF, 307 KB, German)

UNIcert®-Code of Practice (PDF, 95 KB, German)

Additional information can always be found on the UNIcert® website.