Early Bird Application

Application: 03/03 - 06/05/2025 (by noon local time)
Language exams (online): 17/03/2025 (registration: to be defined) and 16 - 17 and 22 - 23/04/2025 (registration: to be defined)
Portfolio evaluation: to be defined
Interview (online): to be defined
Publication of ranking lists: by 27/05/2025
Payment of the 1st instalment of the tuition fees: by 05/06/2025 (by noon local time)
Enrolment: from 11/07 - 14/10/2025 (by noon local time) 

Late Application (only for EU citizens)

Application: 28/05 - 03/07/2025 (by noon local time)
Language exams (online): 23 - 27/06/2025 (registration: to be defined)
Portfolio evaluation: to be defined
Interview (online): to be defined
Publication of ranking lists: by 24/07/2025
Payment of the 1st instalment of the tuition fees: by 05/08/2025 (by noon local time)
Enrolment: from publication of the ranking list until 14/10/2025 (by noon local time) 

Preparatory courses and Freshers Days

Intensive language courses: 01 - 19/09/2025 (Monday to Friday, 6 h/day)
Freshers Days: 29 - 30/09/2025

1st semester

Classes: 29/09 - 23/12/2025
Holidays: 24/12/2025 - 06/01/2026
Classes: 07 - 24/01/2026
Exams: 26/01 - 03/03/2026

2nd semester

Classes: 02/03 - 02/04/2026
Holidays: 03 - 06/04/2026
Classes: 07/04 - 13/06/2026
Exams: 15/06 - 11/07/2026

Autumn session

Exams: 24/08 - 26/09/2026

EU citizens and citizens given parity of treatment
Early Bird Application: 15
Late Application: 10

Non-EU citizens (living abroad)
Early Bird Application: 10

The programme will only be offered if a minimum of 12 newly enrolled students is reached.

In order to gain admission to this programme you need one of the following qualifications:

1. a bachelor degree (*) in one of the following Italian degree classes or an equivalent qualification gained abroad:

M.D. 270/04:

• L-4 Disegno industriale
• L-17 Scienze dell’Architettura
• L-21 Scienze della pianificazione territoriale, urbanistica, paesaggistica e ambientale

M.D. 509/99:

• 42 Disegno industriale
• 04 Scienze dell’architettura e dell’ingegneria edile
• 07 Urbanistica e scienza della pianificazione territoriale, urbanistica, paesaggistica e ambientale

 (*) Italian citizen who have obtained their degree abroad must also have a secondary school leaving qualification.

or

2. a Diploma Accademico di primo livello of the “Accademie di Belle Arti” (DA1)

• DAPL03 Scuola di decorazione
• DAPL04 Scuola di grafica
• DAPL05 Scuola di scenografia
• DAPL06 Scuola di progettazione artistica per l’impresa
• DAPL08 Scuola di nuove tecnologie dell’arte - of the “Istituti Superiori per le Industrie Artistiche”
• DIPL01 Scuola di progettazione grafica ed editoriale
• DIPL02 Scuola di Design

or:

3. If you have another Italian degree, you need 10 credit points in the following scientific disciplinary sectors or in equivalent subjects – listed above under a) and b) - of the “Accademia di Belle Arti” (“Diploma Accademico di primo livello DA1”) or of the “Istituti Superiori per le Industrie Artistiche”:

• ICAR/13 - Industrial Design
• ICAR/14 - Architectural and Urban Composition
• ICAR/15 - Landscape Design
• ICAR/16 - Interior and Decorative Architecture
• ICAR/17 - Representation of Architecture
• ICAR/21 - Urban design and landscape
• L-ART/06 - Cinema, photography and television
• ING-INF/05 - Information processing systems
• INF-01 - Informatics

or

4. a bachelor degree, university diploma or equivalent degree of another class or study qualifications earned abroad can be valued as adequate if, during your study career and before the beginning of the admission procedure, you have gained 10 credit points in the following fields: Design, Architecture and Spatial Planning, Landscape architecture, Interior Design, Cinema, Photography or Informatics.

A commission checks the validity and equivalence of the credit points.

If you have not yet graduated at the time of application:

You can apply, but you will be admitted conditionally, and need to submit your diploma by the enrolment deadline. 

If you graduate after the enrolment deadline:

You cannot enrol and you will lose your place, which will be offered to the subsequent applicant in the ranking list. In this case you should not pay the tuition fees to secure your admission. You will be able to submit a late enrolment request and, only if there still are available places, you can enrol by 13 December 2024. 

To be admitted you must fulfil the language requirements indicated in the section “Language requirements”.

According to national regulations, simultaneous enrolment in a maximum of 2 programmes is possible (however, the two programmes must not belong to the same class, e.g., LM-12/LM-12 and must differ for at least 2/3 of the course contents).

The official teaching language is English. Therefore, the following language requirements apply, otherwise you will be excluded from the admission procedure:

Entry level (to gain admission)
English: B2

The levels of the Common European Framework of Reference apply.

You can demonstrate your language proficiency in the application portal (in the section “upload language certificates” and/or “enrol for language exams”) after you have created an application in the section “create/manage applications”.

• In case your final certificate has been awarded by an Italian public institution, you need to submit a self-declaration. 
• In case your final certificate has been awarded by a foreign public institution, you need to upload diploma scanned copy of the original.

You can demonstrate language proficiency through:

1. the main teaching language in your final high school year, if English (recognised as C1)  Foreign qualifications: If the main teaching language is not clearly stated on your hign school diploma, please also upload a letter/document issued by your high school stating the medium of instruction.
2. a bachelor or master degree in English (recognised as C1). unibz graduates must upload the language certificates obtained and/or declare that they have passed language exams at the unibz Language Centre (B2, B2+ or C1). Foreign qualifications: If the teaching language is not clearly stated on your University degree, please also upload a letter/document issued by your University stating the medium of instruction during your studies.
3. a recognised language certificate (see the list of recognised certificates) If you cannot upload the certificates, you can send them by e-mail as PDF files or deliver them in person to the Language Centre by the application deadline (see “Deadlines” section).
4. language exams organised by the unibz Language Centre. You can register for these exams online through the application portal (in the section “enrol for language exams”) after you have filled out your application in the section “create/manage applications”. The registration periods are indicated in the "Deadlines" section. If you start your application outside a language exams registration period, you must return to the portal during one of the periods indicated above in order to register for an exam. Information regarding the structure of the language proficiency exams, their duration, their administration, and typical processing time for the publication of the results can be found on the following webpage.

For information on studying in three languages also visit the following page.

Your application must be submitted online through the Application Portal. The deadlines are indicated in the “Deadlines” section.

• You need to create an account and upload a valid ID card or passport (front/back). Please note: if your document is invalid, incomplete or unreadable, you will be excluded from the admission procedure;
• Fill in the online form and upload the attachments listed under “Admission procedure”;
• If you gained your qualification abroad, you must also upload the diploma of your qualification: if you are not yet in possession of the diploma, you’ll need to upload it upon enrolment;
• Complete and submit the online application by the deadline. Once the application has been sent, it cannot be modified. Filled-in forms which have not been sent correctly will not be taken into consideration.

Please note: Mendacious declarations will be criminally prosecuted and will result in the automatic exclusion from the ranking list.

EU-Citizens and equivalent

You might apply for more than one study programme. If you are excluded in the first session, you might apply again in the second one.

Considered as equivalent are:

1. Citizens from Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, San Marino and the Vatican City State;
2. Non-EU citizens with a valid permit to stay in Italy (see article 39, paragraph 5 of decree no. 286 of 25.07.1998: "permesso di soggiorno" (residence permit) for work, family reasons, political or humanitarian asylum, religious reasons). In this case, you apply directly to the University as described above and must submit a copy of your valid permit to stay. A permit to stay for study reasons or a visa for tourism is not. If the permit has expired, you must attach a renewal request. Please note that if you do not upload the permit in the application portal, you will be automatically considered a non-EU citizen living abroad and therefore subject to the admission procedure through the Italian authorities in your country of origin.

Non-EU-Citizens (living outside of Italy)

Only one application period is offered. After the deadline it is not possible to apply anymore. Application fee: € 50.

Once the ranking list has been published, if you have gained admission, secure it by paying the first instalment and then start your visa application on the Universitaly portal. The application on Universitaly is mandatory, otherwise you will not be allowed to enrol. On Universitaly you can apply for one study programme only.

The admission procedure includes two stages:

Stage 1: Evaluation of the documents

The first step is an evaluation of the documents that must be uploaded by the respective application deadline.

Selection criteria of stage 1:

• Portfolio: max 20 points
• outline of a project proposal: max 20 points
• In order to be eligible for the second stage, you must have obtained at least 20 points.

The following documents need to be uploaded in the application portal:

1. academic background:

• if graduated in Italy: diploma supplement or substitute-declaration (following the Italian D.P.R. no. 445/2000) of the degree awarded, final grade, exams passed with corresponding grade, the dates in which the exams were passed, the credit points, the subject areas, and the teaching hours;
• if graduated abroad: diploma supplement or final degree certificate issued by the foreign university (to be translated into English if in a language other than Italian, German or English) detailing the final mark, exams passed as well as corresponding grades, the dates in which the exams were passed, the credit points, and the teaching hours. A description of the contents of single courses is recommended; it is advisable to attach a declaration of value or similar document by the university with the indication of the lowest grade needed in order to achieve the degree as well as the highest mark obtainable;
• if not graduated yet: please upload the list of your passed exams (see the section entitled “Confirmation of Study Place and Enrolment”).

2. curriculum vitae in English (pdf);

3. outline of a project proposal (pdf), on which you would want to work for a semester. In max. two A4 pages, the main points must be explained and visualized concisely and appealingly. You may include text, images, graphics, etc. The required language is English;

The project outline should describe and contain:

• Ecological and social relevance and potential transformation
• Creative thinking (we appreciate unconventional ideas and approaches)
• Framing and quality of the visual storytelling (we want to understand quickly the essentials, and still get an idea of the profound thinking behind)
• Tangible project idea(s) (we do not expect perfect solutions, but concrete proposals)

4. portfolio in English (pdf) max file size 20 MB

It can contain also non-design projects in relevant fields (activism, social work, culture, volunteering, etc.)

• The works in the portfolio should show:
• the ecological and social relevance and potential transformation
• Innovative and creative thinking
• Formal design qualities (aesthetics, functionality, details)
• Framing and quality of the (visual) storytelling

Based on the documents received, the commission will decide, after judging the attitude and experience, which applicants will be admitted to the second stage of the admission process.

Stage 2: Interview

Max. 20 points

The second stage consists in an online interview designed to have a dialogue to get a deeper understanding on the candidate's ideas, experiences, motivations and points of view.

In the interview we will discuss:

• Experience in the field of the study programme:
• Inter- and transdisciplinary experiences
• Innovative and creative thinking
• Ability to work in a team
• Ability to discuss and to reflect critically

Candidates must achieve a minimum score of 30/60 total points to be eligible for the enrolment.

Priority criteria 

In the event of equal total points, priority shall be given in the following order: 

• score obtained for the draft project proposal 
• score obtained for the interview 
• score obtained for the portfolio 

Only in case of equal scores, the youngest candidate will be chosen.

Ranking lists

The Admission Committee will only evaluate the documents uploaded in the portal by the application deadline. The ranking lists with the admitted students will be published here: https://www.unibz.it/en/applicants/ranking-lists/ and are only valid for the respective academic year.

If you have been admitted to more than one study programme, you can secure your admission for a maximum of 2 programmes by paying the designated rate twice. By confirming your place, you renounce admission to the other programmes.

1. Choose the study programme and pay the fees (to secure your admission) in the application portal.

The deadlines are indicated in the “Deadlines” section.

If you do not meet this deadline, you will automatically be excluded and the next applicant in the ranking list will be admitted.

For EU citizens and citizens given parity of treatment only: any remaining places of the early bird application, will be offered in the late application.

Please note that you do not gain full student status by only paying the tuition fees. This status will only be acquired upon enrolment. If you have secured your admission, there will be no refund of the tuition fees unless you do not pass your Bachelor final exam or, in the event of non-EU applicants living abroad, you do not receive the documents necessary for enrolment from the Italian authorities in your country.

2. Enrol online in the application portal.

The deadlines are indicated in the “Deadlines” section.

Enrolment is recommended as early as possible, so you have the possibility to upload incomplete documents before the deadline.

If you do not meet the enrolment deadline, you will be excluded and the next applicant in the ranking list will be admitted.

Admission with reservation:

If you do not have the required academic qualification, you will be given a conditional offer for a study place and you must submit your qualification upon enrolment. If you achieve your qualification after the enrolment deadline, you cannot enrol, and you will lose your place which will be offered to the subsequent applicant in the ranking list. Advice: If you achieve your qualification after the enrolment deadline, you should not pay the tuition fees to confirm the study place. You will be able to submit a late enrolment request and, only if there are study places still available, you can enrol by 13 December 2024.

If you have gained your qualification abroad, you must upload:

• the diploma of your qualification
• the official translation of your diploma into Italian (not necessary if the diploma has been issued in German or English)
• the Diploma supplement, where it must be indicated: that you have achieved at least 180 credit points (ECTS) and that the qualification gives access to a master programme

If you have gained your qualification abroad in one of the Countries that are signatory to the Lisbon Convention you must also upload:

• the Statement of Correspondence of your qualification, to be downloaded from the ARDI - Automatic Recognition Database – Italy

If you have gained your qualification abroad in a country that is not a signatory to the Lisbon Convention, you must also upload:

• the Statement of Comparability and Verification of your qualification, issued by the Italian Information Centre on Academic Mobility and Equivalence (CIMEA)

unibz performs the necessary checks on your foreign qualification and in case of doubt reserves the right to request additional documents.

Please note that if you do not possess a valid admission qualification, you can be excluded with Rector’s decree even after enrolment.

If you are a non-EU citizen living abroad:

If you are eligible for admission (check the ranking lists) and have also applied on Universitaly, the Italian Authorities in your own country will issue you the entry visa for studies/university.

This will allow you to arrive in Italy to enrol for the study programme that you have applied for, after passing the admission procedure.

According to Italian law, within 8 working days of your arrival in Italy, you must have applied for the residence permit: as soon as you arrive, get in touch with the Advisory Service and you will be given the necessary information for starting the procedure.

Once you will obtain your residence permit (permesso di soggiorno), you have to hand it in at the Student Office personally or via e-mail.

Students intending to transfer from another Italian University to unibz must submit to the Student Office - at the beginning of the academic year - a copy of the transfer application presented at the university of provenance.

Fees amount to € 1200

• 1st instalment (€ 600): includes the revenue stamp of € 16.
• 2nd instalment (€ 600): must be paid by March of the following year

Delayed payment of the second instalment will result in a fine being levied. If you have not paid the tuition fees, you will be unable to take exams and will not be able to transfer to other universities or other study programmes.

If you drop out of a programme, interrupt your studies or are excluded from studies, you are not entitled to reimbursement of the fees.

Exemption from the tuition fees (and the provincial tax) is granted to:

• Students with a disability recognized under article 3, paragraph 1, of Law No 104/1992, or with a disability up to or exceeding 66%: the disability certificate, issued by the health authorities, must be handed in at the beginning of the academic year.
• Foreign students who have been granted a scholarship from the Italian government.

Students who benefit from a scholarship granted by the Autonomous Province of Bozen-Bolzano are entitled to receive a refund of the tuition fees.

Credit points from previous university studies can only be recognised after enrolment if the exams taken at the university of provenance are equivalent in content to those offered at unibz. You can fill out the application after enrolment.