Application as an exchange student

Once the University of Parma has received confirmation of your selection from your home university, the Erasmus and International Home staff will send you detailed instructions on how to apply.

The application process consists of three steps:

1. create a UNIPR account (enter your personal details);
2. complete the online application form selecting your home university and the correct exchange programme, and providing all required mobility details;
3. send the required documents to the Erasmus Office by email; depending on the type of mobility, additional documents may be required, as described below.

Deadlines for the online application:

• 1st semester and full academic year:
  • registration opens: May 15
  • registration closes: June 15.
• 2nd semester:
  • registration opens: November 10
  • registration closes: November 30.

To study at the University of Parma, you must have a sufficient knowledge of Italian or English (if you plan to attend courses taught in English). Each Department may require a specific level of language proficiency — please refer to the Departmental Information Sheet for details.

For more details, please read the Exchange Student Handbook and the Application procedure for incoming exchange students carefully.

Before arrival

Regardless of the exchange programme you are taking part in (Erasmus+, Overworld or any other), non-EU citizens may need a visa to enter Italy.
If your stay exceeds 90 days, you will also need to apply for a residence permit once you arrive in Parma.

To check whether you need a visa, please visit the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs portal and complete the online questionnaire to receive a quick answer about the entry requirements for Italy.

You may be exempt from a visa in the following cases:

• Non-EU citizens already holding a long-term residence permit for the Schengen Area issued by an EU country. Please confirm this with the Italian Embassy or Consulate in your country of residence. In this case, you must make a declaration of presence once in Italy.
• Non-EU citizens exempt from visa requirements whose stay in Italy does not exceed 90 days.

If you are unsure whether you need a visa, you are strongly advised to check first with the Italian Embassy or Consulate in your home country.
Only if you cannot obtain clear information should you contact us at incoming@unipr.it

To find out which Italian Embassy or Consulate is responsible for issuing your visa, please visit:
https://vistoperitalia.esteri.it/?lang=en_US 

Once you have been officially selected and confirmed by your home university (not before), you will need an invitation letter to start your visa application.
To obtain this letter, please fill in the Excel file available here with all the requested information and send it by e-mail to incoming@unipr.it , together with a copy of your passport.

Please write in the subject line: “Letter Request for visa”

After receiving both your file and your passport copy, we will send an official acceptance letter by e-mail to both you and the relevant Italian Embassy/Consulate.
Please note that this procedure may take approximately 2–3 weeks. Once you receive the letter, you can book an appointment with the Embassy/Consulate to apply for your visa.

If you are required to apply for a visa, you must also submit your pre-application through the Universitaly portal, a joint platform of the Italian Ministry of Higher Education and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for non-EU citizens.

For any specific case or doubt, please refer to the Ministry portal for updated information.

If you are asked to complete your application on Universitaly, follow the Step-by-step Guide for Exchange Students available here.

During the pre-application process, you will need to upload the following documents:

• Copy of your passport
• Learning Agreement
• Proof of scholarship or student status (issued by your home university)

Once you have submitted your pre-application on Universitaly, please inform our office immediately.
We will review and approve your application if everything is correct.
Please note that we can approve your Universitaly pre-application only after receiving a Learning Agreement signed at least by your home university.

After your pre-application has been approved, both you and the relevant Italian Embassy/Consulate will receive the Academic Eligibility, confirming that you have been accepted as an exchange student.

If the Italian Embassy/Consulate requests any additional documents or information, please contact us at incoming@unipr.it.

Upon arrival in Italy

When you arrive in Italy, you must apply for an Italian residence permit (Permesso di Soggiorno) if your stay exceeds 90 days.

Once in Parma, all non-EU exchange students must apply for the residence permit within 8 days of entering the Schengen Area.

Detailed instructions are available in the Exchange Student Guide.

Exchange students who wish to attend courses and activities at the Department of Medicine and Surgery are required to complete their application by providing the following:

1. An updated Transcript of Academic Records, issued by the Registrar’s Office of their home university;
2. The following documents, to be sent by e-mail to smedprev@unipr.it:
   1. Vaccination certificate, issued by your general practitioner (see the form attached below).

Upon arrival in Parma, Medicine and Surgery students will be contacted by the Preventive Medicine Service to schedule an appointment and receive the authorization required to access hospital wards.

Students taking part in a Double Degree programme are required to upload, in addition to the documents requested during the application phase, the following:

• Certificate of enrolment issued by their home university;
• High school diploma, for students enrolled in a first-cycle Double Degree programme (Bachelor’s degree);
• Diploma Supplement, for students enrolled in a second-cycle Double Degree programme (Master’s degree or Single-cycle Master’s degree);
• Updated Transcript of Records, issued by the home university.

The Learning Agreement for Study (LAS) is the document that defines your study plan during your exchange period at the University of Parma.
The LAS includes both the courses you plan to attend at Parma and the courses that will be recognized by your home university upon completion of the mobility period.

To be approved, the Learning Agreement must be signed in the following order:

1. Exchange student
2. Home university coordinator
3. Departmental coordinator at the University of Parma

A dedicated page with further information on the Learning Agreement for Study is available. 

An extract of the academic calendar of each Department is available at the corresponding website.

For an overview of all Departments, please see the excel file below