Intensive German

Alpha Aktiv Language Academy

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Course description

The language academy Alpha Aktiv specializes in German courses and it has much expertise in the field of intensive courses.

We offer German courses at all levels of the Common European Framework (CEF), from beginners level A1 to the almost fluent level C2. We also offer preparation courses for the most important German tests: DSH, Test-DaF, certificate C1 and C2 of the Goethe-Institute, telc etc.

Our intensive courses of 20 class hours per week are most popular. During these courses, class materials are intensely analysed, discussed and learned. Students improve their abilities in the four main areas: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, and also in Grammar.

Our Textbooks: „Begegnungen – Deutsch als Fremdsprache“ (A1-B1); „Erkundungen – Deutsch als Fremdsprache“(B2-C1); "Studio D" (A1-C1); "Schritte Plus" (A1-B1); "EM Hauptkurs" and "EM Abschlusskurs" (B2-C1)

Intensive course for beginners.

Our intensive course German-Beginner (level A1.1) starts on the first Monday of every month.
Course hours: Monday to Friday (9:00-12:15 or 12:30-15:45)

Intensive courses German basic, intermediate, advanced
Our intensive German courses for levels A1.2 until C2 are ongoing. This makes the registration process simple and straightforward.
Course hours: Monday to Friday (9:00-12:15 or 12:30-15:45)

Students are advised to take our assessment test before beginning a course. This helps us to match the course to the student's previous knowledge.

Course topics

Listening, Speaking, Pronunciation, Reading, Writing, Vocabulary and Grammar

Class schedule

Course duration
1-42 weeks
Start dates
Every Monday (except for beginners)
Start dates for beginners
Every first Monday of the month
Classes per week
20 lessons per week (each lesson lasts 45 min)
Class days
Monday - Friday
School holidays
23 Dec 2024 - 27 Dec 2024

Class times

You can choose from the following class times:

Morning session
09:00 AM - 12:15 PM
Afternoon session
12:30 PM - 03:45 PM

Class schedule may change depending on availability and season.

Class level

All levels, beginner to advanced
You will take a placement test before your arrival in Heidelberg to determine your class level.

Class size

Average 1 student
Maximum 20 students

Student age

Age range 18 years old and older
Average 19 years old
(16 in the summer)

Certificate

A certificate of completion will be issued at the end of the course.
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Photos

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reviews

Reviews

85% recommend

based on 33 reviews
5 stars
15
4 stars
11
3 stars
5
2 stars
0
1 star
2
Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing

"Intense, fun and developing."

Ingela Johansson, student from Sweden

The location is great, in the central of Heidelberg. The classroom had good lighting and ventilation. Our teacher was great, a very good pedagogue. The atmosphere in the classroom was very lighthearted thanks to Miriam being so easygoing and spreading joy. You didn't have to feel stupid if you answered wrong. My german improved. I studied only two weeks but we had one social activity on the last day and it was nice.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Duration of study
1 week
Date of study
11 Sep 2023 - 22 Sep 2023
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"Straordinaria!"

Veronica Manna, student from Italy

Sono state tre settimane fantastiche, Miriam l'insegnante del corso B2 è stata disponibile a farmi iniziare un corso già cominciato pur di farmi frequentare il livello adatto a me e che io volevo seguire. La didattica si è svolta in maniera molto divertente, abbiamo fatto dalla grammatica agli ascolti, al parlato e a giochi per imparare i vocaboli. Il ritmo con cui si fa lezione è giusto ed è tutto ben calibrato, c'è una pausa a metà lezione e si fanno tre ore piene.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Duration of study
2 weeks
Date of study
7 Aug 2023 - 25 Aug 2023
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"Interesting."

Katharina Mueller, student from Germany

The location was easily accessible with the Bismarkplatz just a 5minute walk away. The teachers were nice and incredibly good at explaining grammar points and engaging. The afternoon activities and the school overall did lack some structure, making the first few days pretty confusing.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Duration of study
1 week
Date of study
17 Jul 2023 - 28 Jul 2023
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"Low quality school and a bad experience"

Zuzana Hudecová, student from Slovakia

I personally would not recommend this language school to anyone. I took a 2-week long intensive C1 German course, and the quality-to-price ratio was terrible.

To begin with, Alpha Active Academy proved to be incompetent in sending emails to the correct recipients. During the two weeks, my friend and I were both attending, but I didn't receive any emails while she not only received hers but also mine. There was even an incident where she received an email meant for our classmate regarding personal matters.

Furthermore, as I mentioned earlier, I attended the school for two weeks, during which there were substitute teachers the entire time (three different ones). Unfortunately, no one informed me beforehand that there would be substitutes, leading to poorly structured and unprepared lessons. To make matters worse, one of the substitutes made several grammatical mistakes, which is unacceptable for a C1 course.

Additionally, I expected the course to run for 3 hours each day, Monday to Friday, with homework. However, that wasn't the case. Both of my Friday lessons were canceled, and instead, the Monday to Thursday lessons were extended. This wouldn't have been a major issue if someone had provided this information. Sadly, due to the lack of emails, I had to rely on my classmates to explain the situation.

Lastly, our course was supposed to have around 12-15 people, according to the advertised information, but it ended up with about 20 people (40 on paper). This overcrowding affected the quality of the learning experience.

All in all, I strongly discourage recommending Alpha Aktiv to anyone. If you have other options available, I would advise considering them instead.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Duration of study
1 week
Date of study
10 Jul 2023 - 21 Jul 2023
Would you recommend this school?
No
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"The teachers are good and cooperative that the children do not feel any difficulty in anything."

Darija Stojanovic, student from Germany

In this school, students enjoy a dynamic learning environment with interactive lessons and immersive language practice, led by friendly and compassionate teachers who readily assist them with any issues. The school also prioritizes comfort and keeps its facilities up-to-date with the latest technology, ensuring a pleasant and modern educational experience for all students.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Duration of study
1 week
Date of study
3 Jul 2023 - 14 Jul 2023
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"Unforgettable memories for a lifetime - the most professional German language course I've had"

Roksana Anna Fijołek

I went through the course from A1 to B2 with a two-month break. I had an A1-A2 course with one teacher and a B1-B2 course with another teacher. Both teachers were professional.
One teacher was a doctor of German by education. She was the best German teacher I've ever had. The teacher was very professional, she was able to explain some rules even using logic, the message was clear and specific and the whole lecture was very clearly understandable. I was able to understand everything at once.
The teacher in the B2 course was also very professional. He was a very talented teacher and committed to his duties. The teacher taught using a modern method of exploration - the student himself came to understand a given principle. The teacher used special breaks for gymnastics to stimulate the students' minds to study and not to overload them with learning. The teachers always made sure that the homework was done.
I think it would be good to ask a list of nouns with articles to learn every day after a given lesson and test knowledge with quizzes. It would be a good idea to always correct mistakes after students to consolidate correct grammar and give some more written work.
The books offered by the school are the best books for learning German - they are clearly written, the graphics are pleasing to the eye and all the rules are very easy to understand. Homework is given to consolidate the material.
The course combined fun and learning. The course is aimed at making the participants learn the language in a stress-free way. The course does not evaluate students, but helps them develop - this is a huge plus! The best students are not distinguished - every student is important and the course is geared to ensure that every student understands the material. The course teaches, and not only requires students, like many schools in Poland. The school is made for students.
I think it would be good to create light grades - "excellent", "good", "you need to put in more work" to put a very light pressure on students that would motivate them to study people who can't motivate themselves.
The exam is valuable, tests the students' knowledge and is not easy to pass. The level of the exam is appropriate for the difficulty and pace of learning on the intensive language course. The course sets adequate requirements for students.
It is worth remembering that the course needs to be consolidated on your own for the next few months, because these are the natural laws governing the learning of foreign languages.
My classmates were very talented in learning foreign languages. I met wonderful people from all over the world.
The location of the school is perfect. The dormitory is also close. It would be valuable to refurbish some dormitories. The library is close and you can study in it. The school organizes a trip for Christmas and leisure meetings for students after the end of the exam.
Persons working in the administration - Dominika and Vivika - are characterized by a professional appearance appropriate to the position held, have well-developed interpersonal skills and are able to communicate in a mediative manner. The school responds quickly and efficiently to e-mails and conducts business correspondence at a very good level.
The teachers are also characterized by a professional appearance and a full of interest and sympathy towards the students.
Heidelberg is a very nice city and everything is close - school, dormitory, grocery stores, book shops, discos, forest, park, river and castle!
I am proud of myself that I completed this course and consider it a very valuable achievement in my life. Completing this course gave me more satisfaction than university graduation.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
41 weeks
Date of study
3 Jan 2022 - 21 Oct 2022
Would you recommend this school?
Yes

"Awesome course"

Marta Anna Szczambura, student from Poland

I spent one week at Alpha Aktiv school and I have to say that it paid off to come here. A very nice teacher who could explain everything super. I recommend to everyone.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Date of study
25 Jul 2022 - 29 Jul 2022
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"The class was good and effective, the living conditions were horrible"

David Ricoli, student from Poland

The class was very good. The teacher was friendly and helpful and I learned a lot during the two weeks in the lessons. The grammar and content was described very well and the teacher used an excellent pace to teach the material. I was really happy that the book was easy to find and it was an excellent choice to use in the class. My only wish is that there was more conversational activities and less activities from the book/print outs. I mainly flew from Poland to Germany because I wanted to practice speaking.

They had good activities you could take, such as walking tours of the city and pool visits. I really enjoyed them, it was great to see the city with the tours and take a swim in the pool.

The housing was in a very good and convenient location. That is the only thing I can say positive about it. When I first entered the house, it was so filthy that I felt like vomiting. The refrigerator had rotten food, bugs were infesting the kitchen and bathroom (roaches were crawling on the toilet, flies in the kitchen), I had to clean rotten food from the previous student (so I was disposing rotten eggs and moldy sauce - why is this my responsibility?), I wore shoes in the bathroom over how filthy it was, students would vomit and not clean it, and the room smelt like rotten trash. I liked the class, but was eager to get out of that filthy room. I took pictures if you want to see them.

I would recommend the school, but not housing. If you can do an Airb&b, that would be better.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
1 week
Date of study
18 Jul 2022 - 29 Jul 2022
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"The teacher was excellent and it was a nice review for me."

Ariel Maloof, student from USA

Alpha Aktiv's staff was very helpful in attending to my needs, especially since I had to remain virtual. I very much enjoyed my experience, even though I was in a class that a bit too easy for me (the more advanced ones were at slightly more inconvenient times for me, due to the time zone differences). It was a nice review as to how to teach the content, since I teach German to younger students, and my teacher was very kind and wonderful. The classmates were also very kind, too. Maybe one day I will get to experience Alpha Aktiv in person! Thank you all so much!

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Date of study
19 Jul 2021 - 23 Jul 2021
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"Great teachers, but kind of intolerant inhabitants"

Kateřina Lochmanová, student from Czech Republic

I really appreciate the effort by Mirek and Inna, who were my teachers during the one-week long stay. Especially the conversation classes with Inna made me capable to speak on my own, which always used to be the biggest weakness of my language skills in any language at all. Moreover, Inna regularly wanted us to delve into some deep philosophical topics, which was convenient to hear (despite I was definitely not able to sufficiently express my own insights).

Unfortunately, it was not possible to fully avoid occasional communication in English, and I was especially disappointed when people in Heidelberg sometimes responded to my simplified questions in German too fluently so that I was forced to turn back to English. However, when speaking with foreigners, the situation was much better.

Of course, there were countless technical and organizational problems both with the accommodation and the course itself, but the experience definitely worth it.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Date of study
17 Aug 2020 - 21 Aug 2020
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"The teachers are nice, the lessons were interesting you learned quickly and if you didn’t understand they would explain it to you and they would take their time so that you understand everything"

Manon Folkard, student from France

The activities were nice

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
5 weeks
Date of study
6 Jul 2020 - 14 Aug 2020
Would you recommend this school?
No
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"My experience was good with my tutor and colleagues."

Esthelle Neloum, student from Chad

My experience with the school was terrible.The nightmare started from the first day that I stepped into the housing.Even though I had paid for a room before I left for germany,no room was available for me upon my arrival.After such of long trip,i had to wait for five hours before being givena very filthy place to stay.The other rooms in that apartment were all filled with boys who drank ,smoked and made noise all night.As a result I wasn't able to sleep.To make situation even worse were to share the same toilet.I send a message to the person in charge of accommodation saying that I wasn't going to stay in that apartment due to the horrible circumstances.Nonetheless ,little effort was made to salvage the situation.All only thing that they seemed interested in was money.
The only good thing about it all was a tutor.She was amazing and I must confess that she was my only consolation during that unimaginable experience.Certainly,i can't recommend that school to anyone specially the program with housing inclusive.Many students accommodation issues for wich no solution was found just like in my own case.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
3 weeks
Date of study
6 Jan 2020 - 31 Jan 2020
Would you recommend this school?
No
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"Very good"

Fadel Ryass Pratama Pane, student from Indonesia

Comfortable class, the teachers are highly qualified, I meet people from all over the world and have fun learning the language. I had a single apartment 7 minutes from school and it was totally fine for me!

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
17 weeks
Date of study
7 Oct 2019 - 7 Feb 2020
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"Absolutely worth it!"

Cristina Del Carmen Menendez Rule, student from Mexico

The teachers are really good, Isabel more than Maria. I learned more in 2 weeks here than in the 6 months doing Duolingo.
Definitely would recommend.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Duration of study
1 week
Date of study
12 Aug 2019 - 23 Aug 2019
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.
Sarah Menges, Market Development Manager at Alpha Aktiv Language Academy responded to this review.
16 October 2019

Dear Cristina,

thank you very much for your lovely feedback. It was a pleasure having you here with us and we would be happy to have you back!

Wishing you all the best!

"I learned a lot and enjoyed my stay in Heidelberg and that was the goal."

Latifa Benabdallah, student from Morocco

I liked the teacher and the location of the school.

The school facilities are good but with more cleaning they would be great.

The housing was very well located, few minutes walk from school.

But the beds are old and of low quality.

The kitchen is unfurnished.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
3 weeks
Date of study
5 Aug 2019 - 30 Aug 2019
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.
Sarah Menges, Market Development Manager at Alpha Aktiv Language Academy responded to this review.
16 October 2019

Dear Latifa,

thank you very much for your positive feedback. We are happy to hear that you have enjoyed your stay with us!
We are always looking for ways to improve, thus we have taken your suggestions seriously and have ordered new furniture for our accommodation. Maybe you will see them if you join us next year again :)

Wishing you all the best!

"I spent a wonderful time in Heidelberg"

Giulio Burresi, student from Italy

I really appreciated the lessons of the teacher Inna. She corrected every day my homework and she was passionate, helpful and thorough in teaching.

The school is very near to Haupstrasse, which is the main street of the Old Town.

A word about my host family. The landlady, Sevinc Kilic, was kind, clean, helpful and honest. She cooked every evening and she was talkative, so that I could improve my ability in conversation in German.

In my experience, there are no dislikes!

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
1 week
Date of study
29 Jul 2019 - 9 Aug 2019
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.
Sarah Menges, Market Development Manager at Alpha Aktiv Language Academy responded to this review.
15 August 2019

Dear Giulio,

thank you very much for your wonderful feedback!
I am happy to hear that you enjoyed your time with us and we hope to see you again in the future - maybe for a longer time :)

Wishing you all the best!

"Good teacher, good location, good activities"

Luciana Maria Stoian, student from Romania

The teacher was good. The location is in the center and is a good location. I liked the most the activities in the afternoon.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Duration of study
1 week
Date of study
8 Jul 2019 - 19 Jul 2019
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.
Sarah, Market Development Manager at Alpha Aktiv Language Academy responded to this review.
09 August 2019

Dear Luciana,

Thank you very much for your positive feedback. We are happy to hear that you have enjoyed your time with us and I hope you will keep Alpha Aktiv in good memories.

Wishing you all the best!

"The two weeks learning in alpha aktiv is equal to half a year in my homeland."

Pin-Yu Chen, student from Taiwan

At first, the teacher of our class changes frequently and they seem not to know what the previous has taught or what homework has given. Second week the teacher, Mirek, was really good. He knows what kind of problem we might have when it comes to learning grammar, and the lectures were much more interesting. In addition, the Lack of air conditioner is really a problem when there is a heatwave. It was too sweltering to learn.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Duration of study
1 week
Date of study
24 Jun 2019 - 5 Jul 2019
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.
Sarah, Market Development Manager at Alpha Aktiv Language Academy responded to this review.
09 August 2019

Dear Pin-Yu,

thank you very much for your positive feedback!
We are happy to hear that the course was helpful for you.
We apologize for the lack of air conditioner in 2 of our classrooms. The heatwave in Germany came very suddenly and when we tried to buy new ACs for the rooms, they were unfortunately all sold and couldn't even be ordered anymore.
We will make sure to buy new ACs this winter to be prepared for next summer - maybe you will then join us again! :)

"Skilled teachers and fun people, not the best housing"

Anton Enander, student from Sweden

The teacher for the C1 course was very skilled and motivated in her education, and made us students interact during class. The afternoon conversation-class was not very organized and at times a bot chaotic, and also because students from all different classes were mixed, there was some difficulty in communicating with each other. I did not take part in the activities. The people at the reception at the school were very nice and helpful. The accommodation could have been better, the bathroom sink was leaking and there was no possibility of WiFi/WLAN on our floor.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
2 weeks
Date of study
1 Jul 2019 - 19 Jul 2019
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.
Sarah, Market Development Manager at Alpha Aktiv Language Academy responded to this review.
09 August 2019

Hi Anton,

thank you very much for your good feedback, which we will for sure forward to Jessica! We do apologize for the problems in the accommodation. We now have finally set up a new WiFi-Router there and now it is working much better. We are sorry that it took so long.

Wishing you all the best for your future and we hope you keep your time in Germany in good memories :) !

"There were too many people in our group, so the classes were not such effective as they could be. The"

Sergei Slinkin, student from Russia

The teacher in my group was very good. His name is Mirek. His classes were interesting and we had a lot of fun. His way of explanation is clear and understandable. Perhaps, Mirek is the best language teacher I've ever seen. The general atmosphere in the group was friendly and comfortable. School is located in a nice place not far from the Old Town. The way from the dorm to the school took me 20 minutes by foot. The route is enjoyable.
However, there were some problems with Alpha Aktiv. The main problem was in number of students in my group. Most of the time of my language course there were 20+ students in the group, so it was not too effective. For some reason, Alpha Aktiv could not provides the necessary number of teachers. All in all, it was rather unpleasant.
Another problem is connected with the accomodation provided by Alpha Aktiv. There were some problems with water supply and sanitation. The water tap leaked from time to time. One time the sanitation was temporarily out of service.
An unfortunate incident happened in the last day of my staying at Alpha Aktiv's room. I was in my dorm room when suddenly someone opened the door by his key without knoking or something like that. The men who opened the door was janitor or groundskeeper, he asked me about my checking out rather rude. Apparently, he thought that I had to leave the room that day, but in fact I had one day more. After the claryfiyng teh situation he's gone, but such kind of unexpected visit was really impolite on his part.
So, the main problem of Alpha Aktiv is a quite low degree of organization, and it is saddening.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
1 week
Date of study
1 Jul 2019 - 12 Jul 2019
Would you recommend this school?
No
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.
Sarah, Market Development Manager at Alpha Aktiv Language Academy responded to this review.
09 August 2019

Dear Sergei,

thank you very much for your honest feedback. I understand that you felt unsatisfied about the large amount of number in your class. The situation here was not that we didn't have enough teachers, but that no student wanted to leave Mirek's class. Although all of our teachers are doing a great job, students who got used to Mirek then didn't want to leave his class anymore.
For next time, however, we will definitely think of another solution!
I do also apologize for the misunderstanding with the house keeper. The reason here is very simple: Usually, all of our students must move out of their dorm on Friday so that the house keeper and the cleaning crew have enough time to prepare the room for the new students. You were allowed to stay an extra night as an exception, so probably that's why the house keeper assumed you were already gone.
We wish you all the best in your future!

"Unforgettable experience"

Hin ka Cheong, student from China

The teacher is experienced with good teaching method and we learned a lot. The location of the school is good and is near the town. Heidelberg is a great place to study and stay. My housing is very nice with a nice and quiet environment and I have a very nice room that is good for study. The host mother is very nice and make delicious meal. I miss the house and my host mother. I would love to come again and stay longer.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Date of study
3 Jun 2019 - 7 Jun 2019
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.
Sarah, Market Development Manager at Alpha Aktiv Language Academy responded to this review.
09 August 2019

Dear Hin ka,

thank you very much for your lovely feedback!
We are happy to hear that you were satisfied with all of our services and we hope to see you again - maybe next year? :)

"Erfahrung 100% positiv"

Giulia Bruzzone, student from Switzerland

1572/5000
School:
Class size ideal. I never had the feeling that something was not working. The location in the city is optimal.

Course:
You immediately recognized which course is ideal for my level. The lessons were entertaining every day and you could see a continuous improvement in the level. For that, I would like to thank Mirek especially with all my heart, who besides a great experience and competence as a teacher, managed to spend nice, interesting hours with each other.

Accommodation:
I decided to stay with a family to get continuously a German-speaking input. At Dominika, I immediately felt at home and except for a great hostess also had a pointed wife and girlfriend, with whom I could always talk.
Many thanks!

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
3 weeks
Date of study
7 Jan 2019 - 1 Feb 2019
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"The only great thing about this course was the lesson."

Tea Qyteza, student from Albania

The accommodation was horrible. It doesn’t look nothing like the photos. I had to clean everything by myself. The room was so dirty. Some lights and the heating wasn’t working properly and I asked for the Hausmeister to come. They took 3 days to respond my email and the Hausmeister never came. The only reason I would recommend this course is Mirek the teacher. I have been to different courses and i think this was the most productive one. Sometimes when you 4 lessons a day it may get a little bit boring but this was not the case. We did different things and learned so many new things.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
2 weeks
Date of study
22 Oct 2018 - 9 Nov 2018
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"The course I attended in Alpha Aktiv was really helpful and I improved a lot."

Briana-Maria Soreata , student from Romania

My experience in Hidelberg and mostly at Alpha Aktiv was great. The course I attended helped me improve my German skills a lot in quite a short time. The people I've met were all really nice and helpful, both the teachers and the other students. The school and the apartment offered very good facilities and i liked that they were close to the city center. All in all, everything went well and I'm glad I had the opportunity to take part in this experience.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
3 weeks
Date of study
13 Aug 2018 - 7 Sep 2018
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"I would never repeat and I definitely don't recommend it to anyone"

Elena Hernández Benito, student from Spain

I enrolled for a super intensive course. That was my decision, but when I get there, the extra classes, that is, the conversation classes, were difficult for me. I asked if I could change the type of course that I was doing and do just the intensive course. They said that there was nothing they could do and that the only solution was not to attend those lessons. Nothing they could do???? Really????
The teacher for the grammar lessons was good, and the type of classes were ok too.
And then, there is the accommodation. I paid for a single room in a shared flat. The room was ok, it was clean and had a bed, a wardrobe and a table. But they don't provide you a pillow. If I am going to be there just for three weeks, I don't want to buy a pillow than I can't carry back home with me at the end. But I had to buy it. The flat was horrible. Everything was super old and it was really really dirty. The girls that lived there told me that once a week someone go to the flat to clean everything, which I highly doubt. I never seen anyone and there was the same dirt all the time. I asked for a change of flat, I wanted a single flat, something just for me. They allowed me to do that change, but of course, charging me with some money from the deposit. This institution is only interested in money and they don't care at all for their students well-being. I changed flats. The new one was very good. It was big and it was clean. But the neighbors were super loud all the time, specially at night. I couldn't sleep more than three or four hours every night and I was getting sick. I decided to leave earlier than I was supposed to. They didn't care about anything. I paid a deposit of 500 euro and they give me back just 320.
Also, the staff at the office isn't helpful at all. The girl that welcomed me the first day was really nice, and then, when I asked to talked with her about my problems they didn't let me do it.


I would never come back to this place and I don't recommend it to anyone. It's cheaper than other institutions in Germany, but it's definitely not worth it.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
2 weeks
Date of study
20 Aug 2018 - 7 Sep 2018
Would you recommend this school?
No
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"Great teachers, textbooks, and fellow students."

Robert Chipok, student from USA

I spent two weeks reviewing the level of German I had studied years ago in college. The morning grammar class was followed by a conversation class. After classes there was total immersion as I made my way around the city speaking German everywhere. The location of the school is very convenient. The school is not on the outskirts of the city, but in the center. The teachers I had were friendly, helpful, and highly competent. The textbook for the grammar class was well organized, and the reader that we used in the conversation class was an interesting story that takes place in Heidelberg. It was a pleasure working with the other students in my classes. The library of Heidelberg University is open to the public, so there was always a quiet place to study nearby. The library was open every day until one AM.
I stayed in my own private apartment, which I arranged through Alpha Aktiv. It was spacious, with lots of light and a balcony, and was only a few minutes from the school. The only negative was that some of the other residents treated the building like a fraternity house, with loud parties in the hallways, constant slamming of doors, and shouting at all hours.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
1 week
Date of study
20 Aug 2018 - 31 Aug 2018
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"It was a good class, I had trouble absorbing the material."

Mary Hilken, student from USA

The location was great. The teacher, Tam, was good. She spoke English with a very strong accent. I wondered if she also spoke German with an accent.

It was very hot in the rooms, which made it hard to concentrate. Air conditioning would be a big improvement.

I would have preferred a class with more emphasis on speaking, perhaps with a lot of repetition. It seems as if your classes are geared towards helping immigrants pass the test to get a visa. That’s fine, but it wasn’t my goal.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Duration of study
3 weeks
Date of study
2 Jul 2018 - 27 Jul 2018
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"Good teacher, perfect accomodation location, but dirty and unequipped flat in relation with the course price."

Belen Peñalver Ruiz, student from Spain

My teacher was really good, so even though I was just for three weeks I believe I have learned a lot for the time spendid.

My accommodation was perfectly located, however for its price and the course price it was quite dirty and unequipped, especially the kitchen.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
2 weeks
Date of study
2 Jul 2018 - 20 Jul 2018
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"It is an excellent learning technique which helps student step by step learn the langauge"

Zaina Alhashmi, student from Oman

I really I like the learning methods and I would go to the same in future , the accomodation was very good but I did not relax for the bed.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
3 weeks
Date of study
7 May 2018 - 30 May 2018
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.
Sarah Menges, Market Development Manager at Alpha Aktiv Language Academy responded to this review.
12 July 2018

Dear Zaina,

thank you very much for your great review. I am happy to hear that you would like to join us again in the future and that you enjoyed your class.
I am sorry to hear that you didn't feel comfortable. It is a pity that we didn't know about that earlier, we would have loved to help you!

Wishing you all the best!

"It was really good, I understand what I need to speak German."

Sebastian Barber, student from Chile

It was really good, the teachers are good and can help you in every moment and the classroom is good too. In a good space you feel good.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Duration of study
3 weeks
Date of study
29 Jan 2018 - 23 Feb 2018
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.
Sarah Menges, Market Development Manager at Alpha Aktiv Language Academy responded to this review.
12 July 2018

Dear Sebastian,

thank you very much for that great review.
It is a pleasure to hear that you have enjoyed your 4 weeks with us. In case you should ever come back to Heidelberg, please stop by at our school again. We would love to see you again and see how your German has improved in the meantime :)

Wishing you all the best!

"A great introduction to German in a comfortable environment"

Meagan Crotty, student from Canada

My fiancé and I spent one week in Heidelberg to start learning German. This course was a great introduction and we had a lot of fun. The class size was not too large and the teachers were encouraging. We will definitely continue to learn German back in Canada, and will definitely return to Heidelberg in the future.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
School location
Housing
Date of study
5 Feb 2018 - 9 Feb 2018
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.
Sarah Menges, Market Development Manager at Alpha Aktiv Language Academy responded to this review.
12 July 2018

Dear Meagan, dear Jason,

thank you very much for your wonderful review!
We are very happy to see that you have enjoyed your stay here with us - even though it was very short :)
We would love to welcome you back in Heidelberg in the future!

Wishing you all the best!!

"Everything was OK"

Jose-Ramon Martin Martin, student from Spain

A very intense week. There was a health problem with a woman teacher and they were quick and flexible to solve that problem and relocate the classes. A very professional and efficient School. The one to one classes of the super intensive course were the best.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
School location
Date of study
19 Jun 2017 - 23 Jun 2017
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.
Sarah, Market Development Manager at Alpha Aktiv Language Academy responded to this review.
22 August 2017

Dear Ramon,

thank you very much for your wonderful review on our school! We are happy to hear that you enjoyed your time here with us and we will also pass this on to Mirek :)
We wish you all the best for your future and hope you have had a safe trip back with your motorbike !

"A very dynamic group with an effective teaching method."

Cristy Contreras, student from UK

I had a great experience at the school. My classmates were always working in teams and the teacher had great communication with all the students. The location is just perfect in the centre of Heidelberg.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Duration of study
1 week
Date of study
23 Jan 2017 - 3 Feb 2017
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.
housing

Housing

Alpha Aktiv Language Academy offers the following housing types:
homestay

Homestay - Single-person room - Breakfast and dinner

$324
weekly
Age range: 12 years old and older
Location: Outside the city center of Heidelberg
Housing type: Homestay
Room type: Single-person room
Board type: Breakfast and dinner (14 meals per week)
Distance to school: 5 - 20 minutes by bus
Availability: January - December
Check-in: Sunday, anytime
Check-out: Saturday, anytime
$324
Host Families

Living with a host family is an alternative to living in our student residences or in an apartment. Living with a host family of our choice gives you the best chance to learn about the German way of life. In addition, by engaging with native speakers on a daily basis you get to improve your language skills in a very practical way.

The accommodation is usually booked with half board, but of course boarding arrangements can be customized if required.
student-residence

Student residence (off-campus) - 2-person shared room - No meals

$237
weekly
Age range: 18 years old and older
Address: Bergheimerstraße 19, Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg 69115, Germany
Location: In the city center of Heidelberg
Housing type: Student residence (off-campus)
Room type: 2-person shared room
Board type: No meals
Facilities: Kitchen, laundry, wireless internet, free internet, and heating
Distance to school: 5 - 10 minutes by walk
Availability: January - December
Check-in: Sunday, anytime
Check-out: Friday, before 12:00 PM
$237
Student Residence is ideal for those who wish to keep in contact with
other students of the school. There is a possibility to share a flat. This
includes a single room with no board, but use of kitchen.
The price depends on the kind of residence, its location in the city
center and the number of students living there.

• In the house there are 8-12 students
• There are three floors
• There are 3 rooms on each floor
• The kitchen is on each floor (to be shared)
• There are two bathrooms with shower (to be shared)
• 5 minutes walking to school
• Wireless internet connection

Student residence (off-campus/end on Friday) - Single-person room - No meals

$255
weekly
Age range: 18 years old and older
Address: Bergheimerstraße 19, Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg 69115, Heidelberg
Location: In the city center of Heidelberg
Housing type: Student residence (off-campus)
Room type: Single-person room
Board type: No meals
Facilities: Kitchen, laundry, wireless internet, free internet, and heating
Distance to school: 5 - 10 minutes by walk
Availability: January - December
Check-in: Sunday, anytime
Check-out: Friday, before 12:00 PM
$255
Student Residence is ideal for those who wish to keep in contact with
other students of the school. There is a possibility to share a flat. This
includes a single room with no board, but use of kitchen.
The price depends on the kind of residence, its location in the city
center and the number of students living there.

• In the house there are 8-12 students
• There are two floors
• There are 5 room on each floor (2-3 double rooms)
• The kitchen is on each floor (to be shared)
• On each floor there is separate bathroom with shower (to be shared)
• 5 minutes walking to school
• Wireless internet connection
apartment

Shared apartment - 2-person shared room - No meals

$342
weekly
Age range: 18 years old and older
Address: Rohrbacherstraße 61, Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg 69115, Germany
Location: In the city center of Heidelberg
Housing type: Shared apartment
Room type: 2-person shared room
Board type: No meals
Facilities: Private bathroom, kitchen, laundry, wireless internet, free internet, and heating
Distance to school: 5 - 8 minutes by walk
Availability: January - December
Check-in: Sunday, anytime
Check-out: Friday, before 12:00 PM
$342
• In the building there are 24 apartments
• There are 4 floors
• The room has its separate kitchenette and bathroom
• There is a wireless Internet connection in the room (also TV cable available)
• Room is furnished

Private apartment - Single-person room - No meals

$405
weekly
Age range: 18 years old and older
Address: Rohrbacherstraße 61, Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg 69115, Germany
Location: In the city center of Heidelberg
Housing type: Private apartment
Room type: Single-person room
Board type: No meals
Facilities: Private bathroom, kitchen, laundry, wireless internet, free internet, and heating
Distance to school: 5 - 7 minutes by walk
Availability: January - December
Check-in: Sunday, anytime
Check-out: Friday, before 12:00 PM
$405
• In the building there are 24 apartments
• There are 4 floors
• The room has its separate kitchenette and bathroom
• There is a wireless Internet connection in the room (also TV cable available)
• Room is furnished
visa

Visa support

We cannot apply for visas on behalf of students. However, the school can supply you with all the documentation you need to support your visa application.

Your letter of acceptance will be sent to your home address by regular mail at no charge to you. If you wish to receive your paperwork by express mail, you will be charged 100 € when you register.

Flights and airport transfer

Please note that we do not book flights for our students. If you are researching airfare costs, we recommend using Kayak.com, a search engine that lets you compare flight options from your home country to Heidelberg based on your budget, schedule and preferences.

Travel insurance

Study abroad worry-free with Language International's health and personal effects insurance coverage. When you book a course with us, you can opt to purchase an international insurance plan that covers not only your health care cost but also loss of your personal belongings. You must book your insurance in advance when you register.

Learn more about our insurance plan »

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questions

Questions and answers

Have questions? Get answers from Alpha Aktiv Language Academy staff, Language International student advisors, and past students.

Ask a question
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