Terms and Conditions
1. General Requirements
All courses are designed for adult learners. Participant must be at least 17 years of age and a proof of age should be furnished at the time of registration. (Except for courses meant for young learners)
2. Registration Procedure
2.1. Candidates for all the levels (A1-C2) are requested to register/pay online as per the registration schedule via Webshop on the website.
2.2. Students having prior knowledge of German and desiring to join a higher-level course or students with a gap of more than six months from their last Goethe-Examination have to take the level test prior to the registration. Placement in higher course levels is based on the result of the level test conducted.
3. Terms of Payment
3.1. The course fee as well the examination fee is payable at the time of online registration. The payment can be done on Webshop by using Visa or Master, credit / debit card eligible for international transactions. By making the online payment automatic acceptance of the terms & conditions of the Goethe-Institut is applicable.
3.2. If full payment is not received by the due date, the participant loses the right to participate.
4. Course fee
4.1. The contractually binding fee is the fee stated in the price list at the time of application.
4.2 Unless stated otherwise the books must be purchased separately.
5. Cancellation and refunds (Courses)
5.1 In case of cancellation prior to the start of the course, the course fee shall be refunded after deducting an administrative charge. No refunds shall be made after the commencement of the course. The cancellation charges are as follows:
If the cancellation mail sent |
Cancellation charges |
Up to 4 weeks before beginning of the course |
10% of course fee |
Up to 1 week before beginning of the course |
20% of course fee |
Up to 1 day before beginning of the course |
30% of course fee |
After beginning of the course |
100% of course fee |
5.2 Changes in bookings for a course (e.g. change of course dates) is permitted only once and in exceptional cases, if submitted in writing at least 5 working days before the commencement of the course and with the consent of Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan Kolkata. As batch transfer, 5% of the course fee is charged for each booking change, unless otherwise agreed. No changes shall be made after the commencement of the course.
5.3 Should the Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan cancel a course, the full course fee shall be reimbursed.
6. Examination fee
6.1 The contractually binding examination fee is the fee stated in the price list at the time of application. Only those who have paid their examination fee in full are eligible to take the examination.
6.2 Course participants can take the central examination of the corresponding level as an internal candidate upto 6 months after the end of the course. However this is valid only if the language office has been notified in writing prior to the examination date that he / she will not be taking the examination.
7. Cancellation and refunds (Examinations)
7.1 The fees are based on the local fee regulations that are currently in effect. Only those who have paid their exam fee in full upon registering may take the exam.
7.2 Examination fee is non-refundable. If an exam is not taken for reasons of illness, the exam fee will be credited only once for the next / following examination date, provided a medical certificate has been furnished prior to the commencement of the examination.
7.3 Should a participant be excluded from the exam (see Section 11 of the exam guidelines of the Goethe-Institut), the exam fee will not be refunded.
8. Course Level Determination
Candidates with prior knowledge of German, who wish to apply directly for a level higher than A1, are required to take a Level test. Registration at the level indicated by the level test is possible only if seats are available at that particular level. Level test conducted at the beginning or during a semester / trimester shall be valid only for the current or the ongoing semester/trimester. Former students are eligible to take the level test only after a gap of 6 months from the date of last registration.
9. Course participation certificate / Exam Certificates
9.1. Participants with minimum attendance of 70% are entitled to a Course Participation certificate.
9.2 Examinations are not mandatory. However participants have to pass the international exanimation of the current levels to qualify for the next level. The passing Percentage for all the examinations is 60%.
9.3 The international examination certificates should be collected within 6 months after the completion of the course and the exam. Thereafter, Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan Kolkata is not responsible for loss or damage of the certificates.
10. Course level assignment/ class size
10.1. Our courses have minimum 18 and at most 25 participants for the levels A1 to B2 and minimum 15 and at most 20 participants for the levels C1 to C2. If enrolments are insufficient on the starting date, the Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan reserves the right to cancel or postpone the course. In this case we will offer the participants the opportunity to move to another course or to receive a full refund of the course fee.
10.2 Request for change of batch / time slot will be considered before the first day of class and is subject to availability of a seat in the chosen course. Once the course starts the choice of course and chosen time slot are binding and the enrolment cannot be cancelled and the fees cannot be refunded. (See Section 5.2 of the General Terms & Conditions)
10.3 Participants are responsible for making up for any missed classes. No extra classes can be conducted. Participants cannot make up for missed classes by attending another parallel batch / course.
10.4 It is mandatory after the registration to get the student identity card and the library card made within two weeks from the commencement of the course which also entitles you to free membership of the library for the course period you have registered for.
11. Obligation of the course participants
The participants are obliged to comply with the house rules applicable to the Goethe-Institut German courses and exams Kolkata.
12. Handling Complaints
In case of a complaint regarding the courses and examinations at the Goethe-Institut Kolkata one should turn to the head of the language department. The examination regulations will settle further complaints regarding exams.
13. Liability of the Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan
The liability of the Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan and its staff shall be limited to intent and gross negligence. The Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan will have no liability for cancellation of its services due to force majeure (e.g. unrest, act of war or terrorism, natural calamities, epidemics, pandemics and all other circumstances beyond the control of the contractual parties).
Should such cases of extraordinary circumstances or events occur or should there be a change in the existing circumstances or events, caused by factors that are beyond the sphere of influence of the Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan, the Institute shall reserve the right to make changes in the ongoing course structure (e.g. in terms of time, methodology or format). Should the circumstances not allow the above-mentioned changes, in that case the Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan shall cancel the course without any alternative offer and financial compensation.
14. Copyright: All rights reserved.
It’s not allowed to reproduce the course materials, in any form (printing, photocopy, microfilm or another procedure) or to use electronic systems to duplicate or manipulate it, without the explicit permission. Use of the same (in the form of screenshots, photos, recordings, storage, distribution etc.) by the course participant or any other party beyond the scope of this course is prohibited and an infringement of existing copyright laws.
15. Shift from face-to-face classes to online live classes
The Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan Kolkata reserves the right to shift from face-to-face classes (offline classes) to online live classes if this is necessary due to official orders with respect to Covid-19 and/or the safety of employees and course participants. A refund owing to this is not possible. The course participant agrees to this procedure.
By booking a course the customer agrees to abide by the COVID-19 protocol (see website)