FAQ - While you're on exchange

Book an appointment with the Erasmus and International Home Office at the University of Parma.
During the appointment, we will check your documents, officially register you as a mobility student and give you information about your stay.
Book your appointment via the dedicated page.

Yes, you can attend free Italian language courses organised by the Department of Humanities, Social Sciences and Cultural Industries (DUSIC).

The courses are designed for international students and offer different levels, from beginner to advanced.

For more information on enrolment, levels and the calendar, please visit the page dedicated to Italian courses.

The first thing you should do is talk to your course tutors. Sometimes they can provide materials in English or suggest ways to help you follow the course more easily.

However, we recommend that you enrol on the Italian language courses offered by the university, as these will help you to follow the lessons and make the most of your stay.

If the course is still too difficult, you can modify your Learning Agreement to choose an activity that is more suited to your language level.

A great way to meet other international students is to participate in activities organised by ESN ASSI Parma (Erasmus Student Network).

They organise cultural events, trips, aperitifs, language tandems and much more, designed specifically to encourage students from all over the world to meet.

Find out more on their official page.

Yes, you can amend your Learning Agreement once per semester if necessary, for example if a course is no longer available or there are timetable clashes.

Any changes must be agreed with your coordinator at your home university and then approved by them and your coordinator at the University of Parma.

Please note that changes must be signed by both universities to be valid.

Once the modified Learning Agreement has been signed by both universities, you must send it to the Erasmus Office in Parma by email.

For more information, please refer to the page dedicated to changes to the Learning Agreement.

Changes to the Learning Agreement must be made by the following deadlines:

– 31st October for the first semester,

– 31st March for the second semester.

These dates are mandatory and cannot be extended: we advise you to organise yourself in good time and to speak to your coordinator immediately if you need to make any changes.

First of all, check that you have sent the updated copy of the Learning Agreement (form ‘During the Mobility’) to the Erasmus Office in Parma.

If you have already done so, please note that it can sometimes take a few days for the changes to appear on ESSE3.

We therefore recommend that you wait a few days and check again.

In general, you can change the duration of your mobility, but this request must be handled by your home university.

You must fill in a specific form, which you can find on our forms page, and send it to your university for approval.

The University of Parma will take care of the administrative part once your university confirms the change. Remember to also send the form to the Erasmus Office in Parma by e-mail.

Exams at the University of Parma follow Italian rules, so here's what you need to know:

• There are several exam sessions throughout the year during which you can take the same exam.
• Exams can be oral, written or mixed, depending on the course.
• Grades are expressed in thirtieths; to pass, you must obtain at least 18/30.
• After taking the exam, you can accept the grade or reject it and retake the exam at a later date.
• You must register for the exam on ESSE3 before taking it, otherwise you will not be able to participate.
• Some courses may require attendance, i.e. participation in lectures during the course.
• In some cases, there are exemptions (reduced tests) or partial exams during the course.

For detailed information, consult the course page or ask the lecturer.

Some courses consist of different modules (e.g. Module A and Module B), each of which has its own examination.

If you have only taken one of these modules, on ESSE3 you can:
– register for the partial examination session to take the examination for the module you have taken;
Or you can register directly for the overall examination session, which covers the entire course.

In any case, marks can only be recorded in the full examination session. If you take the partial examination, you will still need to register for an official examination session for the full course and write 'partial examination recording' in the notes. 'Partial examination recording'.

This will enable the lecturer to record your mark correctly on ESSE3.

In Italy, exam marks are expressed in thirtieths, and you must obtain at least 18/30 to pass.

The University of Parma uses the Egracons system to convert marks, but each department may have its own specific table.

Furthermore, the conversion may vary depending on the rules of your home university.

We therefore recommend that you also ask your university how Italian marks are translated into their system.