Europa-Universität Flensburg has been successfully certified as a TOEFL iBT® test (Test of English as a Foreign Language) testing center. For the first time, individuals can take the comprehensive TOEFL iBT® test within the Flensburg region. Previously, the nearest test centers were in Hamburg or Copenhagen.

The TOEFL iBT® test was developed in 1964 as a standardized test of the English language for non-native speakers. Offered by the US company Educational Testing Service (ETS), the test must be taken at a certified test center on a computer via the Internet. Test dates and times are strictly controlled by ETS to prevent cheating.

"EUF students who want to study in the United States at an EUF non-partner university, as well as high school students who want to get a degree in the U.S. or Great Britain, often need to take the TOEFL iBT for their application in order to officially prove that they have the required English language skills," explains EUF Language Center instructor Scott Simpson, who organizes and supervises the TOEFL tests at EUF.

Offering the TOEFL iBT® test at EUF also gives people in the Flensburg region who are interested in studying at EUF, for example in the area of English language and literature, another way to demonstrate their English language proficiency.

Registration for the TOEFL iBT® test is handled directly by ETS. Interested participants can register through the ETS website. "Dates for our testing center are already set for Fall Semester 2023/24. The next possible test date is June 24," says Scott Simpson.

The TOEFL-IBT is the third certified language test offered by EUF. Previously offered were the TOEFL ITP - which, unlike the TOEFL iBT, tests listening, reading, and vocabulary/grammar but not speaking and writing - and the internationally recognized DELE Spanish exam, which is administered by the Instituto Cervantes.

"We are very pleased to be able to offer the TOEFL iBT® test as a certified test center for the region," said Prof. Dr. Ulrich Glassmann, Vice President for Europe and International Affairs. "We are working to offer more language tests in the future. We want our students to have the opportunity to learn new languages and/or improve their language skills. Being able to certify these language skills is an important part of our internationalization strategy".