To ensure the opportunity to all the international students to apply for its Degree programmes, the University of Siena can also offer a Foundation Year.

A Foundation Year acts as a bridge between your current qualifications and 1st level Italian University courses (Bachelor) entry requirements or as a means to fill a gap in the educational background of an international student coming from a country where the higher education system requires a shorter period of education than that provided by the «Bologna Process» implemented in the European Union.

Moreover, the FY program provides the students with adequate preparation in the comprehension of Italian language and offer a deep academic preparation for entry into an Italian University. In particular, thanks to this program, international students will have the opportunity to improve their written and spoken Italian language, their communicative skills, and they will be able to familiarize with the Italian and European Union’s criteria of academic teaching and learning.... [-]

This program allows students who are 17 or older and who have completed less than 12 years of formal education to earn up to an additional 60 credits in undergraduate courses in order to qualify for admission in our undergraduate degree programs. Refer to the undergraduate admission requirements for further details.

Duration

Depending on the number of credits attempted per quarter, the course selection and the course planning, full-time students may, for example, earn a Bachelor degree in either 3 academic years of 3 quarters each, for a total of 9 quarters of 20 credits each; or in 4 academic years of 3 quarters each, for a total of 12 quarters of 15 credits each. Earning credits during the summer quarter will speed up the studies. The additional requirements can be met in 1 academic year of 3 quarters of 20 credits each, or in 1 academic year of 4 quarters of 15 credits each.... [-]

What is the Foundation Year?

The Foundation Year is a ten-month, full immersion preparatory course in Italian for international students willing to enroll in a BA taught in Italian at #UNIPAVIA.

The Foundation Year aimed at students who do not meet the minimum requirement – 12 years of schooling – to access the Italian higher education system.

The course will run from October 2018 and will last until July 2019, for 40 weeks.

The Foundation Year at the University of Pavia includes:

from October 2018 until July 2019, a 24 credits Italian language and culture course up to level B2 of Common European Framework for Proficiency. Three levels: beginner, lower intermediate and upper intermediate; once a month, a historical, artistic and gastronomic tour in Lombardy, the region of Pavia; from January 2019 until July 2019, one of the following tracks for 36 credits (area studies): Studi Umanistici Economia e Scienze Sociali Scienze ... [-]