Extracurricular Course Program

For an overview of the courses on German language and culture, please see the course catalog.

General conditions
Exchange students may register for a maximum of  three extracurricular courses per semester. You may freely choose between German language, regional studies, and culture courses. For German language courses, the following applies: You can register for a maximum of one parallel group of one course type. Only those who attend the first day of class confirm their spot in the course. Any vacant spots will be offered directly to students on the waiting list. If, for example, illness prevents you from attending the first day, please inform the International Office at germancoursesmail-uni-mannheim.de.

Due to the limited number of participants (15 students per course), we ask that you select your courses carefully. When planning your semester schedule, please make sure that the classes of your courses on German language and culture do not conflict with the classes of your regular curriculum. Please also remember to de-register from courses if you decide not to attend, so that students on the waiting list can move up.
Please note: Courses may be canceled at short notice if the number of participants is too low.

If you are studying at the University of Mannheim for two semesters, you can take courses twice. However, you will not receive additional ECTS credits, nor will your final grade improve. As such, repeating courses serves solely as a review for your own benefit.

Language proficiency levels
You may book German language courses in accordance with the level of German language proficiency that you have communicated to us via the Mobility Online Workflow.
Please note: You may only take German language courses of one level of language proficiency. It is not permitted to take courses at different levels at the same time.
Exceptions may only be made in special cases and after examination or approval by the International Office.

Waiting list
The desired course is already fully booked? In this case, you can register for the waiting list.
Please note: If you are no longer interested in a course or if there are scheduling conflicts, you need to de-register from the waiting list as you will automatically be admitted to a course as soon as a spot becomes available. No separate notification e-mail will be sent.
If you are moved from the waiting list into the course, you are required to pay the registration fee of EUR 20.

Providing proof of your level of German language proficiency is mandatory when registering for German language courses. Once proof of your level of German language proficiency has been submitted to the International Office, you will be assigned to the appropriate level and your account will be activated accordingly. You will then be able to view the courses and register for them during the registration period.

To verify your level of language proficiency, please take the online placement test.
Please upload the result (pdf, jpeg, png) to your Mobility Online Workflow no later than 12 January 2025.
Please note that uploading is only possible after you have received our e-mail with the subject line University of Mannheim: Courses on German language and culture.

You have no prior knowledge of German? Then you do not need to take the placement test. Please indicate in your Mobility Online Workflow that you do not have any German language skills. We will then directly assign you to our beginner-level courses.

Course registration on Portal² is only available if you have informed the International Office of your level of language proficiency (see Proof of your level of language proficiency). Which courses you can take during the semester depends on your level of language proficiency. You can view the courses open to you on Portal². Once you have selected the courses you would like to take and ensured that they do not conflict with the courses of your regular curriculum, please register during the registration period. The user guide on Portal² explains you how to register for courses.

Please note: Cancellation free of charge is only possible during the registration period. There is no waiver or refund for non-participation in the course.

Registration period:
You can register for German and culture courses from 15 January 2025, 9 a.m. until 29 January 2025, 2 p.m. (CET). If you have any questions, please write an e-mail to germancoursesmail-uni-mannheim.de.

During the registration period (until 29 January 2025) you can cancel your course registration free of charge. You can do this yourself via Portal².
After the registration period has ended, it is no longer possible to de-register free of charge and you are obliged to pay the registration fee in the amount of EUR 20.00 per course, even if you do not attend the course(s).
As soon as the registration period has ended, the amount to be paid will be shown in Portal² under MyStudies > Student Service > Bills and Payment.

The account details will be communicated to you after the end of the registration period.

You are required to attend the first day of the course. Otherwise, you will lose your spot on the course and can no longer attend. Courses are limited to a maximum of 15 participants. In view of the limited number of participants we kindly ask you to select courses carefully. When planning your semester schedule, please make sure that the classes of your courses on German language and culture do not conflict with the classes of your regular curriculum. If you de-register in time, your spot can be offered to other students on the waiting list.

If you have successfully participated in one or more courses, you will receive the corresponding number of ECTS credits. Successful completion of the examinations forms the basis for the awarding of ECTS credits. Examinations vary depending on the course and may include one final written exam, several tests and a written exam, a presentation and so on. Your teacher will inform you about the form of examination during the course.

Please note: Please check with your home institution in advance whether the ECTS credits earned from language and culture courses will be recognized. The International Office has no influence on the recognition of courses at your home institution.