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What is the Foundation Year?

The Foundation Year is a preparatory course. It helps students get ready for university in Italy, including the University of Pavia. All classes are taught in Italian.

Who is it for?

This program is for students who do not have the 12 years of schooling needed for an Italian university. It is also for students missing any other requirements for their degree.

Is the Foundation Year a restricted-access program?

No, there is no entrance exam. We accept students in the order they apply. It is best to apply early.

Is the Foundation Year Program online or in person?

The Foundation Year is an in-person program. The University of Pavia allows only students who are waiting for their visa to attend classes online from their home country. In the event of a visa refusal, it will no longer be possible to continue attending classes online, and your enrollment will be withdrawn.

What are the courses offered by the Foundation Year Program?

In the 2027/2028 academic year, the Program will offer :

  • 200 hours of Italian language and culture courses from October to June
  • 400 hours of courses taught in Italian in a study area chosen by the student (Humanities, Science and Medicine, Social Sciences, or Musicology) from February to June
IMPORTANT: Italian language classes will start at approximately the intermediate level.  

Will I get a certificate upon completion of the Foundation Year Program?

After you successfully complete the entire program, you will receive an official Foundation Year certificate. This certificate is very important. It proves that you have met the 12-year schooling requirement and are ready for a degree program at the University of Pavia. The certificate also replaces the mandatory Italian language test at Pavia, so you will not have to take that separate exam.

In what language are the courses taught?

All the courses are entirely taught in Italian.

Is it possible to work a part-time job while attending Foundation Year classes?

We strongly advise students not to work a part-time job during the Foundation Year. The program is an intensive, full-time course, and attendance at all classes is mandatory. It is very difficult to manage both work and your studies successfully.

While students over 18 with a Type D Visa are legally allowed to work up to 20 hours per week, you will likely find that the program's schedule makes this impossible.

I have a UK qualification. Am I eligible with O-levels?

No. To be eligible for the Foundation Year, you must have at least one full A-level qualification.

What documents do I need to submit with my application?

  • A scanned copy of your passport (main page, front cover and back cover);
  • A scanned copy of your IGCSE and AS-level qualifications;
  • A scanned copy of at least one full A-level qualification;
  • A scanned copy of your Declaration of Value, issued and signed by the Italian Embassy/Consulate in the UK, or the Statement of Verification issued by CIMEA;
  • A B1 Italian language certificate, only if you need a visa to enter Italy. If you do not have it at the time of application, you can submit it by 30 June 2027.

If you have not yet received your Declaration of Value or Statement of Verification issued by CIMEA, you can still submit your application. However, all required documents must be submitted by 31 October 2027 for the A.Y. 2027/2028.

What if I have not received my A-level results yet?

You can still apply for the Foundation Year. However, together with your application, you will need to submit a letter from a representative of your high school stating when you are expected to receive your A-level results.

A scanned copy of your A-level qualification must then be sent by email to foundationyear@unipv.it by the end of August 2027 for the A.Y. 2027/2028. Failure to provide the A level by this deadline will result in the cancellation of your application, and no refund will be issued. 

 

Only for students who require a visa to enter Italy:

❗Submit a B1-level Italian language certificate by JUNE 30th 2027

  • The following certificates are accepted: Italian language certification at level B1 of the Council of Europe or higher (CILS, CELI, Roma3, or PLIDA) issued within the CLIQ quality system (Certificazione Lingua Italiana di Qualità), which gathers the current certifying bodies (Università per stranieri di Perugia, Università per stranieri di Siena, Università Roma Tre, Società Dante Alighieri), also issued by the Università per stranieri “Dante Alighieri” of Reggio Calabria, also in agreement with Italian Institutes of Culture abroad or other entities. Other language certificates will be evaluated by the Admission Committee
Do you need a visa but don’t have a B1 level yet? Apply for the Preparatory B1 Italian Language Course within the Foundation Year application

Can I apply for the Foundation Year Program even if I do not know any Italian?

You will need to have a B1 Italian language certificate for your visa application, if you need a visa for Italy. 

Please note that in the 2027/2028 academic year, the Program will offer :
  • 200 hours of Italian language and culture courses from October to June
  • 400 hours of courses taught in Italian in a study area chosen by the student (Humanities, Science and Medicine, Social Sciences, or Musicology) from February to June
IMPORTANT: Italian language classes will start at approximately the intermediate level.  

 

 

How can I apply?

First, fill out and submit the online application form through our "Apply" portal. You will then need to upload all the required documents, which are listed just below this section.

Please note: in order to submit your application, you must pay a non-refundable application fee of €35.

What is the application deadline for 2027-2028 Foundation Year Program?

You can find the application calendar here 

What are the Foundation year Program Admission Requirements?

You can find the Foundation year Program Admission Requirements here

What documents do I need to submit with my application?

  • Passport: a copy of the main page, front cover and back cover;
  • Original Secondary School Diploma officially translated into Italian or English (N.B. Documents issued in English, Spanish or French do not need to be translated);
  • Original Transcript of Records for the final year of High School (N.B. Documents issued in English, Spanish or French do not need to be translated);
  • B1 Italian language certificate: only if you need a visa to enter Italy. If you do not have the certificate at the time of application, you may submit it by 30 June 2027. (you can join our Preparatory B1 Italian Language Course directly through your Foundation Year application from October 1 to 15.)

N.B. If you already have a Declaration of Value or CIMEA Statement of Comparability and apostille/legalization or CIMEA Statement of Verification please submit these documents to your application.

Declaration of Value and apostille/legalization pending?
If you have not yet received these documents: Declaration of Value or CIMEA Statement of Comparability and apostille/legalization or CIMEA Statement of Verification, — you can still submit your application. These documents must be submitted by 31 October 2027 for the A.Y. 2027/2028.

Can I submit my Foundation Year Program application even if i have not received my High School Diploma yet?

If your final High School Diploma is not yet available, you must submit:

  • a copy of your passport (main page, front cover and back cover);
  • a letter from your High School stating when you are expected to receive your diploma (at least month), officially translated into Italian or English (N.B. Documents issued in English, Spanish or French do not need to be translated);
  • a copy of your Transcript of Records from the previous academic year, officially translated into Italian or English (N.B. Documents issued in English, Spanish or French do not need to be translated);
  • a copy of your latest available marks from the current academic year, officially translated into Italian or English;
  • a B1 Italian language certificate, only if you need a visa to enter Italy. If you do not have it at the time of application, you may submit it by 30 June 2027.

Important: you must submit your final High School Diploma by 15 September 2027 for the A.Y. 2027/2028. Failure to provide the diploma by this deadline will result in the cancellation of your application, and no refund will be issued.

When I receive the acceptance letter?

 You will receive the acceptance letter after the payment of the first non-refundable fee. 

Will I receive an “invitation letter” to apply for my Student Visa?

No. You will only receive our acceptance letter, which will allow you to request and apply for a Student Visa.

How much is the tuition fee for the Foundation Year Program?

The tuition fee for the Foundation Year Program for the 2026–2027 academic year is €5,000, divided into three installments:

  1. First installment: €1,000, to be paid within 10 days of receiving the payment instructions.
    Please note: the first installment is non-refundable.
  2. Second installment:  €2,000, to be paid by June 30, 2026
  3. Third installment:  €2,000, to be paid by July 31, 2026

The tuition fee includes:

  • University fees
  • Liability insurance
  • Tutoring
  • Access to University services (libraries, student discounts, and other facilities)

Are there any scholarships or discounts for Foundation Year students?

No, there are not because the Foundation Year is not a University course.

What are the refund and cancellation terms?

  1. The first installment is non-refundable under any circumstances.
  2. A refund of 75% of the amounts paid for the second and third installments will only be granted in the case of a visa refusal, provided that:
  3. The refund request is submitted by January 31, 2027.
  4. A document from an Italian embassy or consulate confirming the visa refusal is included.
  5. Refund requests submitted after this date will not be considered. In the event of a visa refusal, students will no longer be allowed to attend classes online, and their enrollment will be canceled.
  6. For students still waiting for their visa, the inability to attend online classes due to significant time zone differences will not be considered a valid reason for a refund.

 

 

Requested documents for the enrollment and the deadlines

In order to finalize your enrollment, you must send scans of the following documents to the Admission Office (admission@unipv.it):

A. Secondary School diploma issued in English/Spanish/French or officially translated into Italian and:

  1. Legalized by the Italian embassy/consulate in your country (the legalization of documents is not required for Belgium, Denmark, United Kingdom, Ireland, France and Germany);
  2. OR apostilled (the apostille is only available for the signatory countries to the Hague Convention);
  3. OR accompanied by CIMEA Statement of Verification.

B. If your qualification has NOT been obtained in one of the  Countries that are signatories to the Lisbon Recognition Convention please provide: the DOV (Declaration of Value) issued by the Italian embassy/consulate; OR CIMEA Statement of Comparability.

If your qualification has been obtained in one of the  Countries that are signatories to the Lisbon Recognition Convention please provide the Statement of Correspondence which can be downloaded from the Automatic Recognition Database (ARDI). To obtain the Statement of Correspondence, access the ARDI database, select the country where your qualification was issued, choose Upper Secondary School Education, and select the corresponding qualification level (EQF 4).

The above mentioned documents must be sent to the admission office at admission@unipv.it by 31/10/2027 for the A.Y. 2027 - 2028

Once obtained please send to the admission office a copy of entry visa/residence permit/residence card (where applicable)

How can I obtain a Student Visa?

EU citizens do not need a visa to enter Italy.

Non-EU citizens residing outside of Italy need to start the online pre-enrollment application in order to request a study visa (type D).


Detailed information is available here: “Procedures for entry, residency and enrollment of International students”.

1.SUBMIT THE PRE-ENROLLMENT APPLICATION FOR A STUDY VISA

As established by the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR), the pre-enrollment application for a study visa must be submitted online through the portal Universitaly. 

Please upload:

  • Passport
  • Photocard
  • Original Secondary School Diploma officially translated into Italian or English (N.B. Documents issued in English, Spanish or French do not need to be translated);
  • Admission letter/Conditional offer letter

Once the University has validated your pre-enrolment, both you and the relevant Italian Embassy or Consulate will receive a summary letter. Upon receipt of this letter, it will be possible to schedule an appointment with the Embassy or Consulate in order to apply for the visa.
In the meantime you can contact the relevant Embassy or Consulate to verify the required documentation and to prepare it in advance.  

! Please note that all the visa-related decisions rest solely with the Italian Embassy or Consulate.

 

Please note that you need to submit the pre-enrollment on Universitaly by 31 August 2027 for A.Y. 2027/2028

Please note that attendance is mandatory. In order to be admitted to the final exams and maintain their enrollment, all our students must reach an 85% attendance rate on each course of the Program, not cumulatively. Failure to meet the attendance requirement will result in the termination of the student's academic career, with no refund or fee reduction, and in case of the students awaiting a visa the Italian embassy or consulate will be notified, the pre-enrollment will be withdrawn.

How can I find an accommodation for my stay in Pavia?

The most common housing option is sharing a flat with other students. From your first year of university studies, you will have the opportunity to apply for a scholarship or on-campus accommodation.


Below you can find some links and contacts that may help you to find a suitable accommodation.

Privately managed residences

Residences associated to the University of Pavia, but privately administered. The admission is managed independently by each residences:

  1. UNIVERSITY RESIDENCES:
  1. PRIVATE RESIDENCES:

 

Moreover, here are some suggestions for private and temporary accommodation.

There are different ways to look for a private flat to rent:

REAL ESTATE AGENTS FOR STUDENTS :

  •  Centro Assistenza Studenti: Corso Garibaldi, 61/a – 27100 – Pavia (Pv) Tel.39.338.7880080 
  • HG Immobiliare : Via Bernardino da Feltre 37/A 27100 – Pavia (PV) Tel.+39-0382 1753541
  • Look at the students notices on the notice boards located both in the University central compound (Strada Nuova, 65) and in each Department’s buildings.

USEFUL WEBSITES:

Costs for renting a room in a private flat

Rooms can be single or double and usually cost from € 250 to € 450 per month, depending also on the area. Pavia Historic centre is usually more expensive.
Pay attention to the voice “spese” (meaning additional costs such as light, gas, heating), in particular when there are “spese condominiali” (meaning additional costs for the maintenance of the building), that can be very expensive (up to € 100 per month).

When to look for accommodation in a private flat

The best time is before September, since from September on it can be very tough to find a nice flat in terms of quality/price.

Where to look for accommodation in a private flat

Other than looking for an apartment/room in the city centre, you can widen your research for accommodation to Pavia’s hinterland. Here below you can find a list of smaller cities and towns well connected to Pavia via bus or train.

 

TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION

While searching for more convenient housing, the students may find accommodation on a temporary basis in:

Hostels

Rooms to rent


B&Bs


Hotels

 

If I successfully complete the Program, will I automatically be enrolled in a undergraduate degree program ?

No. The Foundation Year is a preparatory course. Successfully obtaining the Foundation Year certificate does not automatically guarantee enrollment in an undergraduate degree program. However:

  • You will have met the minimum requirements for admission to a university program at the University of Pavia.
  • You will not be required to take the Italian language proficiency test typically administered to international students for university entry.

You will still need to apply for the undergraduate degree program of your choice. If the program is restricted-access, you will be required to take the admission exam necessary for that specific program or major.

You will be considered an EU student.

What courses will I be eligible to take at the University of Pavia after successfully completing the Foundation Year Program?

You can find our courses offer here

Is the Foundation Year suitable for students who want to study Medicine?
Yes. Students interested in Medicine can choose the Science and Medicine Study Area.

Please note that the Science and Medicine track is not a preparatory course exclusively for Medicine, but rather a program that provides a general foundation in the sciences, including preparation for students who later wish to enter Medicine. No specific preparation for the IMAT is foreseen.

Useful links
How to enroll
Fees
Life in Pavia
Prepare for the University