For most civic integration candidates, our Dutch courses for civic integration candidates are the best option. These courses comprise more and longer lessons than our other Dutch courses. If your mother tongue has few similarities with Dutch, this extra time allows you to still learn Dutch at a high pace. These courses also provide more space to learn about Dutch culture.

The Dutch courses for civic integration candidates are offered at three levels: 0>A2, A2>B1, and B1>B2. If you complete each course with good results, you could go from level 0 to B2 within a year. Usually, it will take you about 18 months, because you would do, for example, a conversation course somewhere in between. You have to take into account that you will have to set aside at least 24 hours per week for learning Dutch. We also expect you to have an active and autonomous learner attitude. This includes doing a lot of self-study outside of class and actively seeking out situations where you can put your Dutch into practice.

If you are a family migrant, if you follow the course voluntarily, or if you have already reached level B1, it is sometimes also possible to do a different Dutch course, such as a general group course. You would have less and shorter lessons than those of the Dutch courses for civic integration candidates, which means the pace will be even higher. These courses are often held in the evenings, which often makes it easier to combine with work. During the intake interview, we could discuss whether this would be a good option for you.

You can plan an online Dutch language level consultation if you:

• are a staff member or student of the University of Groningen. The consultation is not necessary for courses with starting level 0.
• do the course voluntarily, i.e. you are not obliged to participate in a civic integration programme, and you pay for the course yourself and not by means of a DUO loan.
• are a family migrant and are going to pay for the course yourself and not by means of a DUO loan. In most cases, you will have already done the Basic Civic Integration Examination abroad.

Are you an asylum migrant and would you like to follow a Dutch course at the Language Centre? Or are you a family migrant or are you going to do the course voluntarily and would you like to pay for the course by means of a DUO loan? Please register for the Study Skills Test first.

If you are an asylum migrant or family migrant and you fall under the scope of the new Civic Integration Act – please see the letter titled Notification of Civic Integration Requirement: Wi2021 – it is also important that your contact person of the municipality you live in gives you permission to follow a course at the Language Centre and that you have a civic integration and participation plan (PIP, Plan Inburgering en Participatie). Please check this before you register for the Study Skills Test.

Study Skills Test

The Study Skills Test is a short test that provides information about the speed with which you are able to learn a language. The test will assess the skills that make learning a language easier. It will not test your Dutch language skills, so it does not matter whether you already speak Dutch or not.

The test will be done on the computer. At the start of the test, you will receive instructions from one of our staff members in English and Dutch. You will have to do the test completely independently, of course, and without any resources. The explanation included in the test is available in many languages. The test is held roughly once every two weeks, in a group setting.

Within two business days after completing the test, you will receive an email with your test result. There are three options:

• If you score 15 or more points out of the maximum 25, it is very likely that a Language Centre course is suitable for you. We will then invite you to do an online intake interview with a teacher.

• If you score somewhere between 11 to 14 points, our courses are probably too high-paced for you. We will still invite you to do an online intake interview with a teacher, because sometimes it is still possible to do a course with us.

• If you score 10 points or less, a course at a lower pace at a different language institute is probably a better fit for you. In that case, you will not be able to book an appointment for an intake interview at the Language Centre and will not do a course with us.

If you have been given permission to book an online intake interview, you can pick a day and time of your choosing on our website. Usually, the interview can take place within five business days. During the intake interview, you will talk to a teacher about your background, your experience with learning new languages, your current situation, and your plans in the Netherlands. At the end of this interview, the teacher will decide whether you can start with a course at the Language Centre and, if so, at what level. After that, you can register for a course at the Language Centre via our website, provided there is enough space.

The advice you receive after the Study Skills Test is binding. You are not allowed to do this test more than once.

Have you followed a course at the Language Centre before and does your advice for the follow-up course still apply? In that case, you do not have to do another intake interview at the Language Centre, and you can immediately register for a course.

How to register and pay with a loan from the Education Executive Agency (DUO)

You can pay for Dutch courses at the University of Groningen Language Centre in preparation for the State Examination in Dutch as a Second Language (level B2) or Staatsexamen NT2 with a loan from the Education Executive Agency (DUO).

Please note that a DUO loan allows you to take 2 courses per quarter for a maximum of €2,000. We will charge DUO for the total amount at the end of the course. Make sure there is enough money available from your quarterly limit at that time. If there is not enough money available, then you will have to pay the full amount yourself.

You should register as follows:

1. Visit en.inburgeren.nl for more information about integration.
2. Request a loan from DUO. Log in to My Integration on the internet. You will need DigiD to get access to government websites. Online requests are processed much faster than paper form requests.
3. When you register for your Language Centre course, you upload a photocopy or scan of the letter in which DUO approves your loan. For all future courses that you register for, you must upload the most recent overview of your DUO grant.
4. Go to our overview of Dutch courses
5. Have you not followed a course at the Language Centre in the past year? Please check which intake procedure applies to you.
6. Did you receive a positive advice? You may register for a course online. As payment method, select ‘DUO loan for integration via the State Examination in Dutch as a Second Language (level B2) or Staatsexamen NT2 '.
7. You will be sent more information about the course by e-mail one week before the course is due to begin.
8. Before the start of the course you will receive a digital course contract which you must sign before the start of the course. This contract states the conditions applying to your course schedule, in line with the criteria of Blik op Werk.
9. After the course your DUO invoice will be sent to your DUO-account, you need to approve this invoice in your account. The Language Centre will inform you on this.

N.B. the Language Centre satisfies the Blik op Werk quality standard. This means that course participants who are obliged to participate in a civic integration programme can use their loan from the Education Executive Agency (DUO) to pay for their Dutch language course. The obligation to participate in a civic integration programme applies to all course participants who have not yet gained their civic integration certificate or passed the State Examination in Dutch as a Second Language.

If you have already passed the Inburgering A2 course or the State Examination for Programme I (B1) or II (B2), you no longer have this obligation and are thus not permitted to use a DUO loan for the course. If you want to use your DUO loan for the course, you should therefore not take any exams until after you have completed the course.

• Integration in the Netherlands – Dutch government integration website
• Board of Examinations – about the Dutch State Exam NT2
• Groningen Municipality
• Pathfinder for refugee students - Different procedures apply for refugee students. Use our Pathfinder tool to find out what you need to do in your situation.
• International Welcome Center North (IWCN) – a one-stop shop for international people living in Groningen, Friesland and Drenthe.
• The Foundation for Refugee Students – UAF - assists refugees in continuing their higher education and in finding a job that dovetails with their capabilities.
• New in the Netherlands – Dutch government immigration website
• Net in Nederland – online platform for newcomers