Programs in Austria, Germany and Switzerland require applicants to have studied the host language in order to be admitted into the program. See below for details.
As of March 2011, the Year and Semester Programs in Austria no longer require that applicants have completed one semester of German-language study prior to admission into the program. Instead, applicants to Austria are expected to enroll in an online Rosetta Stone language course and study independently prior to departure and while on program. The online course will be organized and monitored by AFS Austria who will email registration and login instructions to each student approximately 2 months prior to the start of the program.
Upon arrival in Austria, all students will be asked to pay €65 (approx $95) to cover the cost of the course. At the end of the program, AFS Austria will refund €35 (approx $50) to students who have regularly used the online course throughout their semester or year abroad. They will also provide a Certificate of Completion that indicates the language level that the student has reached, according to Rosetta Stone's assessment. Students who do not login and use the online course on a regular basis will not be eligible for the refund nor the Certificate of Completion.
The Semester High School Program in Germany requires applicants to have completed a minimum 1 semester of German - or the equivalent - prior to departure. This requirement can be met in 3 ways (in order of preference):
- Formal Study - If you have taken German language courses in high school or at a community college, please indicate this on the Academic Record (form 7) portion of Online Application or by providing a school transcript. One semester of class is sufficient. A certificate of completion from a language school course is also acceptable.
- Private Tutor - If formal language classes are not available in your community, AFS Germany prefers that you study with a private tutor. If this is how you plan to meet the requirement, please submit a signed statement from your tutor confirming that they have given, or will be offering, language instruction to you. The statement should include details such as hours of class time, hours of independent study per day, the study materials used, and the language level attained - with examples of the student's speaking ability at the end of the course.
- Independent Study - If no formal classes or private tutor are available then you can study independently. You must submit a statement signed by both you and a parent that outlines exactly how you will complete the independent study. Please detail the materials you plan to use (whether it's a book, a website, a multimedia course, etc.), the amount of time you intend to devote to language study each day or week, the level you plan to complete (Level 2 of Rosetta Stone, for example), and examples of your anticipated language speaking ability at departure (i.e. "I will be able to greet people, ask simple questions and understand the answers, order from a menu, and get directions"). If possible, we encourage you to speak with a native-speaker so that you can practice your newly acquired language skills. You may upload the signed statement into your Online Application along with your Academic Record forms.
* Note that this language requirement does not apply to the Year High School Program in Germany.
Applicants to Italy are expected to enroll in an online Rosetta Stone language course and study independently prior to departure and while on program. The online course will be organized and monitored by AFS Italy who will email registration and login instructions to each student approximately four months prior to the start of the program.
AFS Italy considers the course mandatory and requires that all students complete at least one level of the course (approx. 40 hours) BEFORE their arrival in Italy. If the students do not complete one level, then they will be required to reimburse AFS Italy for the cost of the course (€50 or approx. $65) upon their arrival in Rome.
At the end of the program, AFS Italy will provide a Certificate of Completion that indicates the language level that the student has reached, according to Rosetta Stone's assessment. Students who do not login and use the online course on a regular basis will not be eligible for the Certificate of Completion.
Due to the relatively short time you will be abroad and in order to be able to participate in host school classes, you must have completed three years of German or French language study prior to departure. Length and level of formal study (high school, college, or private language school) must be indicated on the Academic Record form. Please note that this language requirement applies to the Trimester High School Program only, not to the Year High School Program.
We encourage all participants to learn as much of their host country's language as possible prior to departure as this will aid your integration into your host family and school. Here are some online Language Learning Resources that other students have found helpful.
