PLACEMENT TESTS AND ENGLISH COURSE ENROLMENT (for students who do NOT have the B2 English exam as a prerequisite)
The University of Siena requires all students to pass an English language exam, B1 level for bachelor’s degree and B2 level for master’s degree, which are also important for those wishing to participate in Erasmus exchange programs at English-speaking universities. This eligibility must be demonstrated by a qualifying examination administered by the Foreign Languages Center.
For this reason, once enrolled in the university, you should sign up as soon as possible for a placement test in order to verify your level of the English language and follow a suitable course of study, unless you have already obtained an international certificate approved by our university. In this case, you should not take the placement test, but send a scanned copy of your certificate to infocla@unisi.it in order to be awarded the appropriate credits.
REMEMBER: If you do not have a certificate, you must BOOK THE TEST ONLINE!
PLACEMENT TESTS are held twice a year: in September and February.The test is computer-based and multiple-choice, and assesses your knowledge of English grammar, therefore it is important to complete it without any outside help (friends, websites, dictionaries, etc. ) After taking the test, you will be able to register for a course at your level. You will not be able to enrol in a course at a different level. If you have any doubts or questions, you can contact our staff, available online or at our Front Office. We will advise you about the best way for you to reach your objective and pass the English exam required for your degree.
In order to take the test, you must already be enrolled in the university and have your UNISI username and password.
Please note: If you are enrolled in the Engineering, Economics, Geology, Chemistry, Pharmacology, Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Technology, Biology, Literary and Philosophical Studies, History, or Social Service Studies faculties, and you have already taken the CISIA test including the part in English, you do not need to take the placement test with us. To enroll in a course, all you have to do is contact our Front Office with your TOLC score.
IF YOU HAVE ALREADY PASSED A B1 LEVEL ENGLISH EXAM IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO TAKE A PLACEMENT TEST TO ENROL IN A B2 COURSE.
Department of Social, Political and Cognitive Sciences (DISPOC)
The DISPOC department has established that students enrolled in Communication Sciences (with mandatory, four-skill B2 and C1 level English exams and the opportunity to take a level C2 course), Language and Mind: Linguistics and Cognitive Studies, and Strategies in Communication Techniques, and Public and Cultural Diplomacy (curriculum also requiring a four-skill B2 level English exam) should take an English diagnostic test (even if they have a B1 certificate or higher) in September at the language lab which is located on the 4th floor of the San Niccolò building on Via Roma, 56 (0577-234848, selfaccesslab@gmail.com). Two passport photos, an identity card, and your student identification number are necessary in order to register at the lab and take the test.
Bachelor’s Degree in the Health Sector
Students enrolled in a bachelor’s degree course in the health sector are not required to take a placement test. If you have already been awarded a PET certificate (or equivalent , or have previously passed a B1 level English exam in another university language center), you should bring the original copy to our Front Office in order to be awarded credits.
MASTER’S DEGREES
If you have already reached the B1 level, demonstrated by an international certificate accepted by our university - see table of certificates approved by the University of Siena – or by an exam taken at the Foreign Languages Center, you can enroll directly in a B2 level course without taking a placement test. Course enrollments for the fall semester will be open online from this link in mid-September. If your undergraduate degree was awarded from another university, you will need to prove that you have reached a B1 level, either by taking a placement test (to be booked online) or by submitting an international certificate accepted by our university, in order to be allowed access to a B2 level course.
Even though you have already passed a B1 exam or have a B1 certificate, if you have not used the English language for some time, we suggest that you test yourself and, if necessary, turn to a self-study online course in order to review, so that you will be at an advantage when following the B2 course.
BACHELOR’S AND MASTER’S DEGREE COURSES TAUGHT IN ENGLISH
Students enrolled in a degree course with curriculum in English that requires level B2 as a prerequisite (bachelor’s degree in Economics and Banking and Economics and Management, master’s degree in Artificial Intelligence, Electronics and Communications Engineering (for students enrolled from 2020/2021 academic year), Economics, Finance, International Accounting and Management, Biotechnolgies of Human Reproduction, Biodiversity Conservation and Environmental Quality, Genetic Counsellors, Medical Biotechnologies (for students enrolled from the 2019/2020 academic year), Sustainable Industrial Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Chemistry, Dentistry, European Studies, and Language and Mind: Linguistics and Cognitive Studies), must prove that they have reached this level by presenting an international certificate approved by our university. If this is not your case, you can take the B2 level English exam at the Language Center (registration at the CLA Front Office). In order to take the exam it is mandatory to have already completed matriculation procedures.
Table of English language certificates approved by the University of Siena
Students that have been awarded one of the international certificates listed in the table, or have passed an exam held by a language center in another university before enrolling at the University of Siena, should send a scanned copy of their certificate by email to our Front Office at: infocla@unisi.it. The appropriate number of credits for knowledge of the English language will then be awarded automatically.