Language Courses and Certificates
What is the CLA?
The “Centro Linguistico dell’Ateneo” (CLA) is a service offered by the University that offers language courses and certificates to acquire the necessary skills for your experiences abroad.
It is aimed at both incoming and outgoing students, and some courses are provided free of charge by the CLA based on your mobility status.
If you are not eligible for free CLA courses, paid courses are available in collaboration with other language institutes. In this case, discounts on the rates are offered to Sapienza students.
Language Courses for Outgoing Students
CLA offers language courses for Erasmus+ outgoing students; the languages currently taught in these courses are:
- English (intermediate and advanced)
- French (beginner and advanced)
- Spanish (beginner and intermediate)
Sapienza is also working on adding courses for:
- German
- Portuguese
- Catalan
More information on the timetable and the course subscription form can be found here.
You can participate even if you are not leaving this year but plan to apply for mobility in the following academic year.
Access to the courses is only granted if you have registered for the international mobility tests organised by the CLA through the appropriate form.
Language Courses for incoming students
For incoming students (EU and Non-EU), Sapienza offers Italian courses for all levels; you can find more information at the links below:
- For Erasmus students.
- For International students.
If you want a certificate for your Italian level, Sapienza is an authorised exam centre of DITALS, so you can take the test in Sapienza.
Language Courses for all students
The Centro Linguistico di Ateneo also organises courses for all students in the following languages:
- French (intermediate)
- Spanish (beginner and intermediate)
- Persian (beginner)
- Romanian (beginner)
- Chinese (beginner)
- Greek (beginner and intermediate)
Language Certificates
Sapienza accepts certificates from all the major certification institutions; you can find a complete list of all accepted certificates here.
Suppose you don't have the required certificate. In that case, you can get one (only valid within Sapienza's Erasmus application processes) by taking a test at the Centro Linguistico di Ateneo (CLA). You can choose two of the following languages:
- English
- Spanish
- French
- German
- Portuguese
All languages can be tested from A2 to C1 level. Information about the tests is available here.
Sapienza also partnered with certification institutions to offer advantages to students:
- CAEF (English): Discounted course to prepare for the exam, reduced exam fee and authorised exam centre.
- IELTS (English): Discounted course to prepare for the exam, reduced exam fee and authorised exam centre.
- SIELE (Spanish): Authorised exam centre.
- DELF-DALF (French): Reduced exam fee.
Q&A: Why is language certification important for outgoing students?
A: The language certification from the CLA is essential to participate in the international mobility call and must be obtained before the deadline. Other official certifications can also replace it, but verifying that they are among those accepted by the call is important.
A piece of advice: If you are interested in mobility, it is important to be informed beforehand about the exam dates. Register for the exam using the appropriate form and prepare to achieve the required language level for your destination.
Furthermore, the validity of a CLA test is two years, so you can start taking the test one year before your departure.
If you are not leaving this year but want to prepare for CLA tests next year, you can take advantage of the language courses designed for outgoing students. More information is available here.
Q&A: What happens if the host institution requires a higher language level than that required by the call?
A: In some cases, the language level required to apply to the mobility program differs from the level required by the host university to participate in classes.
Therefore, if the host institution requires a higher language level than required to apply for the call, winning students must commit to improving their language skills before the start of the mobility.
BiblioTandem
Practice language with the Tandem!
It is a cultural-linguistic exchange that brings Italian and international students at Sapienza to improve their language skills by experiencing other cultures and lifestyles. BiblioTandem is an opportunity for incoming students to meet native-speaker students of the same Faculty.
The service is available in the following libraries:
C. Darwin Biology and Biotechnology Library
Anthropology Building CU006, 1st floor
For information bibliotecadarwin@uniroma1.it
Marconi Building CU013, ground floor
For information biblioteca@roma1.infn.it
“Gabriello Illuminati’’ Library
Caglioti building CU032, 3rd floor
For information bibliotecailluminati@uniroma1.it
“Guido Castelnuovo” Mathematics Library
Guido Castelnuovo Building CU006, 2nd floor
For information biblioteca@mat.uniroma1.it
Botany and Genetics building CU022,
For information bibliodba@uniroma1.it
