Language Requirements

All students must be in possession of the relevant language certificates/proof of language skills when they submit the online application dossier to the International Office School of Business.

Students who do not fulfil the language requirements for a particular university at the time of application for the selection process will have the university dropped from their list of preferences.

Steps to check whether you fulfil the necessary language requirements:

  1. Check the language requirements at the partner university
  2. Check if the university is in an English-speaking country (special requirements apply)
  3. Check the rules stated below for those universities that do not have specific requirements.
     

Please read through the language requirements below:

Students must in all cases fulfil the specific language requirements of the partner universities.

  • If the partner requires an external certificate, this must be submitted with the application to the International Office School of Business. Please submit one of the following:

    – An International English Language Testing Services (IELTS) Academic* overall Band score of 5.5 or higher
    – A TOEFL certificate with a score (Internet-based test) of 61 or higher
    – A Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English, grade ‘C’ or above
    – Students with a passport from a country where the 1st official language is English can use it as proof of English

    * If you plan to take an IELTS examination, please note that you can take the exam in different Swiss cities (see dates and locations here). Results will be issued in 13 days (see more information here). Students who take a language certificate exam but do not receive their official grade before the application process to International Office School of Business MUST upload at least proof of their online result on their online application before the application deadline. 
  • If the partner does not require an external certificate the School of Business will provide on request a letter of confirmation of proficiency in English for:

    IM and BIT students: confirmation of level C1

    BÖK, WI and IBM students: confirmation of level B2. Students from these degree programmes who require a letter of confirmation of C1 level must obtain this from their English Communication lecturer. The link to the template for this letter of confirmation can be found here.

Students who do not have a sufficient level of language proficiency to allow them to follow courses in the local language should only apply for an exchange place at such a university if the university offers a programme for exchange students in English, German or the students’ own first language. Proficiency in the local language of the partner university is taken into account in the exchange semester placement.

Spanish is considered the local language for the purposes of the required language proficiency for all exchange universities in Spain and Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America. Students with little or no Spanish who are interested in a semester abroad at a Spanish-speaking university which does not have a minimum language requirement are strongly recommended to have passed or be enrolled in Spanish courses for a total of at least 5 ECTS at the time of the application to the IO. This can be achieved in the following ways:

  • Full-time students: “Spanisch fürs Studium” (5 ECTS; registration before application to IO)
  • Part-time students: “Spanisch Grundkurs” (3 ECTS) + “Spanisch Aufbaukurs”  (2 ECTS)
  • IBM students: “Spanish Elective” semester 3 and, where relevant, semester 4. IBM students in the first year of their studies are not penalized during the application process for not attending Spanish language courses, as these are not available in the first semester. However, they are expected to enrol for the available electives before their semester abroad if they are placed at a partner in Spain or Spanish-speaking Latin America.
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