Free language exam given to the examinees – Here are the details

Eduline.hu reports that Katalin Novák, the Minister of State for Family and Youth, announced an important decision of the government: language exams are going to be free from next year on, and it is not only the cost of the 1st exam that is going to be paid back by the state.

From 1 January 2018, the government is going to pay for the costs of the language exams for anyone under 35, even if the person already has one or more language exams. This is a significant change, because so far, it was rumored that only the 1st exam is going to be repaid.

How much is paid back?

The amount of money paid back by the government is equal to the cost of the language exam or the cost of the advanced-level school leaving exam in any language, but it can be 25% of the annual minimal wage at most.

If we want to work it out, the minimal wage next year is going to be 138,000 forint (around 460 euros). Thus, the quarter of it is 34,500 forint (115 euros) that is going to be repaid for the language exams.

This sum is a bit higher than the cost of the most popular language exams. Let’s check them out.

The costs of a B2 (intermediate) complex language exam are the following at different language centers:

• TELC                     32,000 forint (107 euros)
• ECL                        28,000 forint (94 euros)
• Euroexam            31,000 forint (103 euros)
• ELTE Origó          28,000 forint (93 euros)
• BME                       27,500 forint (92 euros)

A C1 (advanced) complex language exam is more expensive in each of the language centers.

• TELC                      35,000 forint (117 euros) – surpasses the governmental support only with 500 Ft
• ECL                        29,000 forint (97 euros)
• Euroexam            33,000 forint (110 euros)
• ELTE Origó           31,000 forint (103 euros)
• BME                       29,500 forint (99 euros)

It is important to know that the costs of the exams have to be paid by the individuals first, as the financial support is not given in advance.

If the individual passes successfully both the written and the oral parts of the test, then an application form has to be submmitted to ask for the refund of the costs from the Új Nemzedék Központ Nonprofit Közhasznú Kft (New Nation Center Nonprofit Ltd.). It has to be done within 1 year after the certificate has been issued. If somebody runs out of time, the financial support cannot be given.

How does it work exactly?

After the submission of the application, the Education Authority checks the details of the exam within 15 days. Then, if everything is find appropriate, they transfer the cost of the exam to the bank account of the examinee who does not have to pay tax from the sum.

Hopefully, the new initiative would motivate more people to start learning languages in Hungary and pass the languages exams required at schools and at workplaces.

Featured image: pixabay.com

Source: eduline.hu