Early Bird Application

Application: 03/03 - 06/05/2025 (by noon local time)
Language exams (online): 17/03/2025 (registration: 03 – 09/03/2025) and 16 - 17 and 22 - 23/04/2025 (registration: 24/03 – 08/04/2025)
Admission exam: 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 - 05/08/2025 (by noon local time) 

Late Application (only for EU citizens)

Application: 28/05 - 09/07/2025 (by noon local time)
Language exams (online): 23 - 27/06/2025 (registration: 28/05 – 15/06/2025)
Admission exam: to be defined
Publication of ranking lists: by 29/07/2025
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 05/08/2025 (by noon local time) 

Additional Application Session (only for EU citizens)

The faculty can open additional application sessions for single study programmes in August and in September if there are available places. More information on additional sessions will be published in due course. 

Preparatory courses and Freshers Days

Intensive language courses: 01 - 19/09/2025 (Monday to Friday, 6 h/day)
Freshers Days:  30/09- 01/10/2025

1st semester

Classes: 29/09 - 23/12/2025
Holidays: 24/12/2025 - 06/01/2026
Classes: 07/01 - 24/01/2026
Exams: 26/01 - 21/02/2026

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: 20
Late Application: 10

Non-EU citizens (living abroad)
Early Bird Application: 4

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

To gain admission to the programme you need one of the following qualifications:

• a secondary school leaving certificate (Italian system)
• equivalent qualification obtained abroad.

Foreign school leaving certificates are considered equivalent if obtained after 12 years of education. In this case, you furthermore must have attended at least the last two years in the foreign school system (e.g. Irish Leaving Certificate: it is not enough to attend one year and obtain the foreign certificate).
The Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research has set specific admission requirements for holders of certain certificates (e.g. American high school diplomas, British and Greek certificates). For more information: apply@unibz.it (Advisory Service).

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., L-18/L-18 and must differ for at least 2/3 of the course contents).

The official teaching languages are German, Italian and English. Therefore, the following language requirements apply, otherwise you will be excluded from the admission procedure:

Entry level (to gain admission)
1st language: B2
2nd language: B2
3rd language: no level required 

From the 2nd semester of the first year
3rd language: a B1 level in the third language is a minimum requirement for taking the curricular examinations in that specific language.

Exit level (to graduate)
1st language: C1
2nd language: C1
3rd language: B2

The levels of the Common European Framework of Reference apply.

Your first language is the language in which you have the highest level of proficiency (B2 or C1). Your third language is instead the language in which you are weaker (or in which you are an absolute beginner).

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”. The certification is mandatory for the first and second language, for the third language it is recommended (from B1 onwards).

• 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 German, Italian or English (recognised as C1) (Ladin upper secondary schools: recognised as B2 in German and Italian). 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 Italian, German or 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.

Please note that you can only register for B2 level exams.

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

Secondary schools in a foreign country/Bi- or multilingual schools

If the foreign language proficiency levels (for German, Italian, or English) are explicitly indicated on the diploma of graduation according to the Common European Framework of Reference (i.e., B1, B2 or C1), and if all four language abilities (reading, listening, speaking, writing) have been assessed, then the indicated levels will be accepted as a proof of proficiency for the second and/or third language.

Please upload your school-leaving certificate to the application portal in the section “upload language certificates” under the respective language. The Language Centre will decide on its recognition.

Third language/Intensive language courses in September

If you have already acquired a language certificate in the third teaching language, please upload it to the portal. If you are not able to certify your language competence in the third language and you are admitted to unibz, you will have to take a placement test. You will receive further information about the test by e-mail. Based on the result of the placement test, you will be assigned to a certain learning path so that you will be able to reach level B2 as soon as possible.

If you are an absolute beginner in the third language, or if you have a level below B2, you may attend a three-week intensive language course during the pre-semester session in September in order to start the learning path.

The dates of the extensive courses are indicated in the “Deadlines” section. Beginner courses (A1) will be offered exclusively during the pre-semester intensive course session in September will no longer be offered during the academic year. Therefore, absolute beginners should start their learning path for the third language by attending the intensive courses in September.

There will be extensive courses (4 hours per week) during the semesters and intensive courses (8 hours per week) during the time between semesters.

The language courses offered by the Language Centre are free of charge and aim to help the students reach the following target levels in the third language:

• B1 level by the end of the 1st year;
• B2 level by the end of the 2nd year.

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 sufficient. 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. The fee is an administration fee and is non-refundable.

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 is based on the following criteria:

1. cover letter (maximum 6.000 characters) regarding the motivation for choosing the study programme and admission interview to asses knowledge and understanding of current social issues and communication skills (max. 80 points in total).
   The interview will take place in Brixen-Bressanone (see Section “Deadlines”). Location and time will be published on the website of the study programme. You can choose whether to attend the admission colloquium in English, German or Italian.
2. Evaluation of the High School curriculum (max. 10 points): this will be based on the marks in German, Italian, English and Mathematics of the penultimate year of secondary school;
3. any experience you may have had working in the field of social work (max. 10 points).
    

In the event of equal scores, the younger applicant will have priority.

In the application portal, you shall:

• upload the cover letter;
• Insert, using self-declaration, your final grades for the subjects in German, Italian, English and Mathematics of your penultimate year of secondary school*. Please note: Mendacious declarations will be penalised by criminal penalties and will result in the automatic exclusion from the ranking list.
  Final grades of the third last year and penultimate year of secondary school* must be self-declared in the online application form.
  In the event that self-declared years were concluded abroad, a copy of the respective school report cards must be uploaded in the portal;
• Upload the official translation of your school report cards into Italian, German or English if needed;

(*) If you omit to indicate the final grades of the penultimate year of secondary school, the Admission Committee assigns you a final grade equal to the passing grade of the school year you have not provided a certificate for.
If you have attended a school whose system differs substantially from the Italian system and you do not have the reports with the final grades of the third last and/or penultimate year of study of your secondary school, the Admission Committee reserves the right to evaluate the possible final reports of the secondary school that refer to years different from the penultimate or third last. If applicants are already in possession of a university degree, the Admission Committee will consider the average grades of the university exams. 

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 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. 

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 secondary school 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.

If you have gained your secondary school qualification in Austria or Germany or if you have a European Baccalaureate, you must upload the secondary school diploma.

If you have gained your secondary school qualification abroad in one of the Countries that are signatories to the Lisbon Convention (except Austria and Germany) or if you have a Diploma of the International Baccalaureate, you must upload:

• the secondary school diploma
• the official translation of the secondary school diploma into Italian (not necessary if the diploma has been issued in German or English)
• the Statement of Correspondence of your secondary school diploma, to be downloaded from the ARDI - Automatic Recognition Database - Italy

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

the secondary school diploma
• the official translation of the secondary school diploma into Italian (not necessary if the diploma has been issued in German or English)
• the Statement of comparability and verification of your secondary school diploma, 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:

Once 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 to enrol for the study programme that you have applied for.

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 have to 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.

The Faculty organises appointments for the preliminary evaluation (Italian and German) of previous university careers.