General Language and Culture courses
Improve your language skills and cultural awareness with our LfA courses, which run in evenings and on Wednesday afternoons. They are open to everyone and run at a range of levels.
We currently offer Arabic, Chinese, Classical Latin, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Medieval Latin and Spanish. Classes run from October to May, during the University’s term time, for a total of 18 weeks.
LfA courses are open to anyone who wishes to learn a language and provide an opportunity to learn in an engaging and inclusive environment.
Course Dates 2025/26
Part 1 (9 sessions):
- Start week beginning Monday 6 October 2025
- Vacation (no LfA classes): 27 October - 2 November
- End week finishing Friday 12 December 2025
Part 2 (9 sessions):
- Start week beginning Monday 7 February 2026
- Vacation (no LfA classes): 30 March - 10 April 2026
- End week finishing 24 April 2026
Course Fees
Fee options (18 weeks, 2 weekly hours):
- £260 University of York students
- £320 University of York staff/Over 60s/Students from other HE institutions
- £340 University of York alums
- £350 Members of the public
If you are a visiting student or scholar who is at the University of York for one semester only and you wish to enrol for part 1 or part 2 only, please contact us at languages
Register for a LfA general language and culture course
Registration for our General Language and Culture LfA courses will open in August 2025. If you wish to receive an email notification when registration opens, please fill in this form: Sign up for the LfA reminder email
Languages and levels
Our General Language and Culture courses are available for Arabic, Chinese, Classical Latin, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Medieval Latin and Spanish at levels ranging from Beginner to Advanced. They align with the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR).
Please consult our detailed guide and/or assess your level through our self-assessment tool, available for French, German, Italian, Japanese and Spanish.
Tailor your language-learning journey
If you are a UoY student, you can choose between our extracurricular LfA courses or our accredited York Language Electives (YLEs) and easily move from one strand to another. For example, if you choose a 20-credit elective module in French one year, then you can take a higher-level class in French as an evening course through our LfA programme the following year and vice versa.
Timetable and Course Descriptors
Please see the LfA General Language and Culture Courses Timetable 2025/26 for an overview of our courses and class times.
LfA Terms and conditions
Please make sure you have read our LfA Full terms and conditions before registering for one of our courses.