STUDY IN ITALY

Basic facts

Why Italy?

Because of its geographical position, Italy has direct contacts with the main ethnic and cultural areas of old Europe (neo-Latin, Germanic, and Slav-Balkan areas) as well as, through North-African countries, with the world of Arab-Islamic civilization. Consequently, while still anchored in the European and Western civilization, Italy can be considered a natural link to those African and Asian countries which, bordering as they do on the same Mediterranean Sea, have shared historical events and cultural influences over many centuries.

Italian culture is deeply rooted in the ancient Greek and Roman civilizations which flourished on the peninsula for over a millennium and left their imprint everywhere in the country in so many works of art, her legal system, her traditions.

In recent years, Italy has played an important role in European higher education: it is one of the four countries that first engaged to create the so-called "European Area of Higher Education" (Sorbonne Declaration, May 1998), thus starting that type of higher education reform which, known as "Bologna Process" (Bologna Declaration, June 1999) is being implemented all over Europe.

Today Italy ranks among the 8 most industrialized countries in the world. Alongside some big companies, both state-owned and private, she has developed a sound network of small and medium-sized undertakings, promoted a few scientific parks, and is incentivizing basic and applied research in a great variety of fields (biology, ICT, medicine, physics, etc.).

Education system

The academic year in Italy is made up of two semesters. The first semester starts in September/October and ends in January/February. The second semester starts in February and ends in July. The actual start and finish dates will vary in the different universities but each semester lasts around 20 weeks and is made up of a teaching period lasting around 14 weeks and an exam period lasting around 6 weeks.

Most teaching still takes place in large lecture halls but this will depend very much on the single course of study. Students are also expected to carry out a considerable amount of self study outside the classroom in order to prepare for exams.

Exams are held after the teaching period and are mainly oral exams although some courses will have written tests taking place during the semester or before the oral exam. Each exam will have a number of dates offered during the exam period and students can choose which date they wish to take the exam. They are also entitled to turn down a mark and take the exam again if they are not satisfied with the result. Rules apply as to how often a student can take an exam within an examination period.

Examinations are graded according to a scale ranging from 0 to 30, with 18 as a pass mark.

A "cum laude" may be added to the highest grade (30; 30 e lode) as a mention of special distinction.

All examination results are used to calculate the overall degree mark on a scale of 0 – 110. The final result is based on exam results plus the presentation of a project or dissertation in front of a Board of Examiners. The pass mark is 66 and students who obtain full marks of 110 may also be awarded ‘summa cum laude’ (110 e lode).

Costs

Universities and other Higher Education Institutes establish their own fees but in the case of university education there is a legal minimum fee for enrolment and maximum level for student contributions to costs and services, which cannot exceed 20% of state funding.

The average fees a student has to pay is somewhere between 850 euro and 1,000 euro per year since this varies from one university to another and also depends on the chosen course of study. Private universities are clearly much more expensive.

Admission to “master universitari” and other specialization courses also have much higher fees. Doctoral students who receive a grant from the university do not pay fees, but non- grant holders are required to pay the fees, which will vary again according to the university chosen.

All international students are entitled to the same student assistance services as Italian students, on basis of the same requisites of financial means and/or merit. This applies to scholarships, student loans, housing assistance, refectory meal tickets and fee waivers.

These services are managed by the DSU office (Diritto allo studio universitario). Alongside scholarship and financial aid information, DSU offices will also provide other services such as counseling and information on extra-curricular activities, sport, transport and other practical matters. You should contact the office at the university where you plan to study to find out what services are available to you.

Student life

Options for social activities will depend very much on where you study. Obviously the bigger cities and towns have more on offer but small towns often have very active student associations and a wider choice of outdoor activities. The best way to find out what is going on is to check with local students and student associations. The local papers will cover information on events taking place in the town or region.