This following glossary is for international students. It contains the most frequent and useful terms, which are typical of the Italian university system.
The academic year is equivalent to a school year, which means that it is a 12-months-long period, during which lectures, exams, and graduations take place. It starts on 1st October and it ends on 30th September of the following year, with the possibility of an additional exam session (up to March of the following year).
It is possible to take exams during exam sessions, which take place after the conclusion of term time. It is necessary to register to exams by using a special computerized procedure on Esse3, which is the University computerized and informative system.
Students with low income or outstanding students have the right to apply for scholarships. Ardiss provides scholarships, which are destined to students who have a particular status of registration, merit, income and wealth. It consists of a sum of money, which may vary, depending on the condition of the student. This means that it may vary whether the student lives in the city, commutes or lives outside the city. The scholarship may also vary according to the economic situation of the student’s family. The economic situation is certified by the ISEE certification and it can be used to obtain special benefits to study at university.
The students who will receive the scholarship will obtain the right to university fee exemption, for the same academic year. In order to participate to the scholarship award it is necessary to follow the rules and meet the deadlines set by the Ardiss, which you can find on the University website.
Degree division distinguishes among a variety of equal university courses, which share the same educational goals and issues degrees with the same legal validity. Degree division is crucial in order to verify the conditions of access to Master degree courses or to contests.
A credit is the unit of measure of the amount of work that is necessary in order to pass exams. Each credit corresponds to 25 hours of work which include lesson attendance, individual study, and possible practice.
The department is the structure that manages and promotes educational and university research activities.
The website elearning.uniud.it provides materials dedicated to students by using credentials of the Esse3 university system.
EduRoam (Education Roaming) is a service that offers a secure wireless access to the Internet. Roaming users who visit an institute that joined this initiative are able to use the local wireless internet (WLAN) by entering the same credentials (username and password) which they use in their university, with no further formalities in the host institute.
Many cities have joined the Eduroam Wi-Fi connection in order to allow students to surf easily the Internet. EduRoam is now widely spread and used in more than 70 world countries.
This European Union mobility programme allows university students to spend a study period and/or a training period in European countries, giving a financial contribution and the possibility to attend courses and take exams in a foreign university with no further charges. The University evaluates and accredits education activities carried out during the Erasmus experience, both in terms of course credits and marks. Besides study mobility, the Erasmus+ Traineeship programme funds mobility scholarships for full-time training activities abroad, which is accredited as integral part of training and educational programmes.
An exam is a compulsory test, which can be written or oral. The highest mark consists of 30/30 points, also with honours, but the minimum is at least 18/30 points. The exams may be compulsory or optional. Exams are compulsory when they are in the study plan, thus students cannot replace them and must pass them in order to conclude their educational path. Optional exams are part of the educational path, and thus they represent a contribution to reaching the amount of course credits necessary for graduation. However, optional exams are subject to fixed rules in your study plan.
Esse3 is the computerized system of education management, which offers students and professors a reserved area dedicated to the administration of course enrolment, exam registration and academic career certificates.
It is the first registration at the University and it corresponds to the assignation to students of their university identification number.
It is also called First Cycle Degree and it has a duration of 3 years. It is necessary to cumulate 180 course credits in order to graduate.
It is a degree that does not consist of 3+2 years, but it has a duration of 5 or 6 years with, respectively, 300 or 360 course credits.
It is also called Second Cycle Degree. It has a duration of 2 years and it requires the achievement of 120 course credits. The access is granted only after a Bachelor Degree.
It is the official document that the University adopts every year, in order to define modalities and terms for admission test, as well as modalities and terms of enrolment, registration, and transfers from one course to the other.
It consists of booklets and documents which professors make available for students on the dedicated online platform.
It is the identification number that is associated to each student as soon as he or she enrols in the University. This number provides the access the Esse3 computerized system as well.
Students may have access to many canteens, run by Ardiss and by other authorized organizations. The price of a complete menu is the same for everyone, but it may be changed according to tax brackets and Ardiss fixed procedures, which are available on the University website.
It might not be possible for some students to conclude their educational path within the regular timescale because of job or family reasons. This is why there is the possibility to enrol as part-time student and thus attend university for a longer time period, long as twice the regular timescale, with no out-of-prescribed-time fees and while benefitting of subsidy.
It contains the exams, which it is necessary to pass in order to complete the chosen educational path.
It contains the detailed information about every course, teaching materials, exam arrangements and possible preparatory exams.
Exams can be preparatory when they must be passed before taking other exams. Generally, they are introductory exams, containing basic information that allow to take more specific and complex exams. Usually, the information contained in each preparatory exam is described in the course details section.
Students can participate to academic life and to the development of the University because their student representatives work for them, for they promote ideas and projects that may contribute to improve teaching and services. Student representatives are active members of the main University organisations.
The administrative office manages students’ study plan and their academic career.
Every academic year is composed of two semesters, and every semester corresponds to the period of time in which students attend lectures and take examinations.
They correspond to the period of time in which examinations take place, according to the schedule presented in each degree course.
It is the identification card that represents students’ electronic record book. The card is necessary in order to have access to canteen services and in order to access and take exams. Students must take care of it, and whether it gets stolen, damaged or lost, it will be possible to buy a duplicated copy.
It is the official communication channel between the University and students. This is why it is crucial to use only the Spes mailbox, when emailing the University, and to check regularly your mailbox. Emails written from a different mailbox might not receive any response.
It is the tariff quota to pay for what the University spends in order to guarantee the education of its students. It is compulsory to pay the amount in three tranches, and the failure to pay within the given deadlines entails an extra payment (€50 for the first thirty days, and €100 afterwards). Students disposing of the necessary merit points and income status may obtain reductions or waivers.
During university career it is expected form students not only to attend lectures and to pass exams, but also to complete a period if internship. Internship may be curricular – which means that it is in the study plan – voluntary or after graduation.
Students may turn to various tutor services, which the university makes available. Besides the figure of informative tutors, there are educational tutors as well, whose aim is to support students and help them study basic subjects during their first year.