UNIcert® III - ENGLISH

The Institute of Medical Terminology and Foreign Languages at the Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University Bratislava is an accredited centre authorised to provide language courses and administer examinations within the international UNIcert® certification system.

The UNIcert® certificate provides official evidence of the holder's language proficiency for participation in international student mobility programmes. It is also recognised as a substitute for the language examination required during PhD studies, may be used to demonstrate language competence to future employers, and serves as an officially recognised qualification for teaching in the English-language study programme at the Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University Bratislava.

Changes to the UNIcert® III Preparation Programme

From September 2026, a new preparation system will be introduced for the English for Health Sciences – UNIcert® III examination (CEFR Level C1).

Reasons for the change

• to reduce the financial burden on students

• to provide broader and more systematic language training

• to increase opportunities for students to obtain the internationally recognised UNIcert® III certificate

Who will be affected?

First-year students enrolling from the 2026/2027 academic year

Students will:

• complete the compulsory courses English 1 (AJ1) and English 2 (AJ2);

• from the third year onwards, be able to enrol in the elective courses Foreign Language 3 (CJ3 – English) and Foreign Language 4 (CJ4 – English);

• after successfully completing all four courses, fulfil the required 120 hours of language instruction, which is a prerequisite for taking the UNIcert® III examination.

Current students

Current students will:

• have the opportunity to join the new system from the 2028/2029 academic year;

• be able to enrol in CJ3 and CJ4 as elective courses within the standard curriculum;

• be eligible to sit the UNIcert® III examination once all programme requirements have been met.

UNIcert® III Examination Preparation Course and the UNIcert® III examination

UNIcert® III Examination Preparation Course (10 teaching hours) is subject to the course fee set annually by the Institute of Medical Terminology and Foreign Languages, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University Bratislava.
UNIcert® III examination fee is fixed at 60 €.

UNIcert® International Network

The international UNIcert® system currently includes 65 universities and higher education institutions, primarily in Germany, as well as in many other countries across Europe and around the world.

UNIcert® Franchise Agreement

International project of professional language training

Institute of Medical Terminology and Foreign Languages, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University in Bratislava was granted accreditation to two language programmes by UNIcert® LUCE (Language Accreditation Unit for Universities in Central Europe) in 2010:

- English for Health Sciences - level C1 – UNIcert^® III

- German for Health Sciences - level C1 – UNIcert^® III

Currently, we offer only English for Health Sciences - level C1 – UNIcert® III

UNIcert^® III is an international educational and testing programme which is the only academic educational language programme in central Europe which:

provides professionally and academically oriented language instruction for specific purposes on a high level,
provides a possibility to obtain a certificate of language competence on advanced level C1 – proficient user (effective operational proficiency, according to CEFR),
supports students´ mobility (study placement at a university abroad),
proves high language competence in pertinent field for future employers.

The framework directives of the system UNIcert^® as a programme of foreign language instruction for specific purposes was set by the Language Centre of Technical University in Dresden, German Association of Language Centres, Language Teaching Institutes and Institutes of Foreign Languages in 1991. This programme is a respond to the processes of uniting Europe, new forms of cooperation between European universities, especially students´ mobility and growing internationalisation of trade, industry, science and research. UNIcert^® programme can be accredited at four levels (I – IV), corresponding to the levels of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages B1– C2 and the following documents are closely linked to it:

1. European professional language biography

2. European language portfolio for university students

UNIcert® III exam - scope and form

The UNIcert® III level exam consists of an oral and a written part and lasts a maximum of 240 minutes.

1. The oral exam consists of two parts and lasts a maximum of 60 minutes: - a presentation in the target language and subsequent discussion - interaction in the target language

2. The written exam consists of three parts and lasts 180 minutes: - tasks testing reading comprehension - tasks testing listening comprehension - tasks for written production in the target language, which draw content from various areas of medicine and correspond to the topics covered in the course.

To pass the exam successfully, it is necessary to obtain a minimum of 60% in EACH of its parts.