Applying at UNIPR as exchange student

After receiving the nomination from the home university, the Erasmus and International Home staff contacts the students to give them instructions for registering in the university database. The registration process consists of 3 steps:

1. creating a personal UNIPR ID (institutional e-mail address);
2. filling up the online application (selection the home University and the correct Exchange Programme and entering personal details);
3. sending to incomingATunipr.it the required documents based on your status (please check if you need additional documents here below).

Studying in Parma requires the knowledge of Italian or English language (if taking courses taught in English). Each department requires a specific level: check the information sheet of the department of interest.

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

Independently from the Exchange Programme your mobility period is part (ERASMUS+, Overworld or any other), non-EU citizens and nationals may need a visa to enter Italy and, once in Italy, they must apply for a residence permit for their stay in Parma as exchange students. To find out if you need a Visa, you are invited to enter this link and take the survey to obtain a quick answer on what you need to enter Italy.

Visa exceptions are possible in the following cases:

• Non-EU citizens already in possession of a long-term residence permit for the Schengen Area issued by an EU Country. Please contact the Italian Consulate or Embassy at your country of residence. In this case, you will be required to make the presence declaration.
• Non-EU citizens exempt from Visa obligations and whose stay in Italy is shorter than 90 days.

In case of doubts, it is strongly advised to first check with your relevant Italian Embassy/Consulate whether a visa is required to enter Italy. Only if you are still unable to obtain information, you can contact incoming@unipr.it.

In order to know at which Italian Consulate/Embassy you will have to apply for your Visa, check  http://vistoperitalia.esteri.it/home/en#BMTitolo 

In order to start your Visa process, please fill in the spreadsheet available here with all the required data and send it back to incoming@unipr.it  jointly with a clear PDF copy of your passport.

Please write in the heading of the e-mail: “Visa letter request”

After receiving your file and passport copy, we will send an official acceptance letter to you (via e-mail) and to the competent Italian Consulate/Embassy indicated by you in the form. Please note that it could take us around 2-3 weeks to complete this procedure.

Upon your arrival in Italy, you will have to apply for the Italian Residence Permit (compulsory for stays that exceed a period of 90 days).

If you are required to apply for a Visa, please remember that you must also submit your pre-application request through the Universitaly portal (Ministry of Higher Education and Ministry of Foreign Affairs joint platform for non-EU nationals).

Any further case or doubt can be cleared off by visiting the Foreign Affairs portal available here.

In case you are required to fill the Universitaly pre-application, please follow the Registration guide to Universitaly for exchange students.

When filling out your pre-application, you will need to provide the following documents:

• Copy of passport
• Learning Agreement 
• Proof of student grant or status (emitted by your university)

Once the Universitaly pre-application has been submitted, please inform our offices immediately. We will check your application and approve it if everything is correct. Please note that we can only approve your Universitaly pre-application once your Learning Agreement is signed by all three parties. 

After authorising your pre-application, both you and the competent Italian Embassy/Consulate will receive the Academic Eligibility that will confirm that you have been accepted as exchange student. At this point, you can book an appointment with the competent Italian Embassy/Consulate to apply for a visa.

Should the competent Italian Embassy/Consulate ask you for additional documents or information, please contact us via email at incoming@unipr.it.

Once in Parma, non-EU exchange students must apply for a Residence Permit within 8 days from entering the Schengen area.

All the detailed information is available in the Exchange student handbook.

Exchange students who want to attend courses and activities at the Department of Medicine and Surgery must complete their registration by sending the following additional documents to smedprev@unipr.it:

• Vaccination certificate - issued by the personal physician (see attached instructions below);

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

Students participating in double degree programs are required to add the following documents to the attachments requested during registration:

• Certificate of enrollment at your home university
• High school diploma for students participating in first-cycle double degree programs (Bachelor level);
• Diploma Supplement for students participating in second-cycle double degree programs (Master level);
• Updated Transcript of Records issued by the student's home university.

The Learning Agreement for Studies (LAS) is the document that defines your study plan during your mobility period at the University of Parma. The LAS contains both the courses you intend to attend in Parma and the courses that will be recognized by your home university at the end of the mobility period.

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

1. mobile student;
2. coordinator of the university of origin;
3. departmental coordinator of the University of Parma.

ERASMUS+ exchange students can use the Erasmus App (OLA - Online Learning Agreement). Further information can be found here.