Language Courses

Students of the IMPRS-TRUST are not compelled to learn German, as English is the working language at the Max Planck Institutes and within the computer science departments at Saarland University and RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau. Students wishing to learn German can attend German language courses.

All IMPRS-TRUST students can take our German and English courses in Saarbrücken or online.  These courses have different levels of proficiency and are free of charge for everyone meeting our course requirements.

Please check our Course Requirements.

During the semester, classes take place once or twice a week. The current timetable is available here.

New students can join either a German complete beginners course or a more advanced course in German or English, whereas the latter is only possible if these students take the placement test held at the start of the semester.

We offer online courses on all levels of proficiency. In addition, selected courses will take place on-site. More information is available in the registration form.


Registration for Language Courses

You can register for a language course if you:

  • have already received the result of your placement test
  • are qualified for a language course because you passed a previous course
  • want to register for DaF1 (German complete beginners)

Also, check our detailed course requirements.


Registration for Placement Tests

Placement tests serve the purpose of finding the right level language course for each student. They are valid for two semesters. You need to register for a placement test if you:

  • took an IMPRS-TRUST placement test more than 2 semesters ago, or
  • passed an IMPRS-TRUST language course more than 3 semesters ago, or
  • have never taken an IMPRS-TRUST placement test or language course.

Students who want to take DaF1 a/b can register for the language course directly. Online registration for language courses will be accessible starting April 9th, 2024.

After registering for a placement test, students will be sent a link to access the test. They then have to complete the test themselves and send them back via e-mail to by March 21st, 2024. Tests received after this deadline cannot be take into account for the courses.

Students will be informed about their test result by e-mail.


→ Registration Placement Tests ←


German Language Courses in Kaiserslautern

Depending on the students’ needs, there are different course types for all CEFRL levels (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).

You can find an overview of the different courses on the website of the VKB. Please note that you have to register personally for a course so that your language skills can be assessed and you can be placed in the correct course level.

Goethe Institute

If you would like to learn German while you are still in your home country, the Goethe Institute may be helpful: they offer German language courses all over the world.