FAQ Vocational Programs

1) What's the difference between an Advanced Course and a Vocational Program?
Both are postgraduate higher education courses aimed at developing specific professional skills.
Vocational Programs, which are structurally more complex, have a duration of no less than one year and lead to the award of a Professional Programme.
Advanced Courses may have a more limited duration (CFUs acquired of less than 60) and do not entitle students to the award of any degree. At the end of the course, students receive a certificate of attendance.

2) What's the difference between I level and II level Vocational Programs?
Both are higher education programmes, with a minimum duration of one year.
The level I Vocational Program is a 2 cycle course within the Italian university system, while the level II Vocational Program is a 3 cycle course. The difference lies in the entry requirements:

• a three-year degree (or equivalent) is required to enter a level I course
• a Master's degree (or equivalent) is required to enroll in a level II course.

However, each admission notice may limit access to the Program to certain qualifications and/or require additional requirements.

3) When are notices of admission to Vocational Programs published?
Notices of admission to Vocational Programs are usually published in two groups: the first group in September, the second group in November. Vocational Programs for international students may be published before these deadlines, ususally between January and June of the previous academic year.

4) Are Vocational Programs released in a given academic year also offered for subsequent years?
It depends: some Vocational Programs are offered on a regular basis, others every other year, others for a limited number of years (sometimes only for one edition).

5) How do I gain access to a Vocational Program?
Programs allow access to a limited number of students; if the number of applicants exceeds the maximum number of places available (indicated in the relevant Attachment of the Call for Admission), they will be subject to selection.

6) I hold a foreign qualification, can I apply to a Vocational Program?
You can apply for admission if the academic qualification you obtained abroad is comparable in duration and content to the Italian academic qualification required for access to the Programs.
Enrolment, however, remains subject to the validation of the qualification, for admission purposes only, by the Academic Board as well as the passing of any selection scheduled by the Program in the case of enrolments beyond the maximum allowed number.

International applicants residing abroad must respect the 'Procedures for foreign students’ access to university courses in Italy', which can be consulted on the website of the Ministry of Education, University and Research.

If the candidates are VISA applicants, they must also complete the registration on the Universitaly portal as described in the relevant webpage.
Non-EU citizens, when enrolling, must present a copy of a valid residence permit.

Candidates with a foreign academic qualification, once they have completed the online application process and presented the Admission form, must upload, within the deadlines established in Attachments to this Call for Admission, the scan of the following documents:

a) Academic qualification required for admission issued in English/Spanish/French or officially translated in Italian 

• LEGALIZED by the Italian embassy/consulate in your country (the legalization of documents is NOT required for Belgium, Denmark, United Kingdom, Ireland, France and Germany)
• OR APOSTILLED (the apostille is only available for the signatory countries to the Hague Convention)
• OR ACCOMPANIED by CIMEA Statement of Verification.

PLEASE NOTE: it is not mandatory to have the legalization/apostille/Statement of Verification, if not available yet, during the online application; but it will be necessary to have it within the enrollment deadline.

b) Transcript of records (list of and relevant marks) issued in English/Spanish/French or officially translated in Italian

c) IF your title HAS NOT been obtained in one of the Countries that are signatories to the Lisbon Recognition Convention

• DECLARATION OF VALUE (DoV) issued by the Italian embassy/consulate
• OR CIMEA Statement of Comparability
• OR DIPLOMA SUPPLEMENT(if the foreign qualification is issued by an european university).

     IF your title HAS been obtained in one of the Countries that are signatories to the Lisbon Recognition Convention

• Statement of Correspondence which can be downloaded from the Automatic Recognition Database (ARDI)

PLEASE NOTE: it is not mandatory to have the DoV/Statement of Comparability/Diploma Supplement/Statement of Correspondance, if not available yet, during the online application; but it will be necessary to have it within the enrollment deadline.

When completing the enrolment procedure, original versions of the required documentation must be presented.

Italian citizens holding an academic title obtained abroad, which has not already been declared equivalent to an Italian degree, must follow the same above-cited procedure.

7) Where can I find the Study Plan of a Vocational Program?
The Study Plan can be found in the appropriate Attachment of the Call for Admission for each course.
For further information, please contact the relevant Organizational Secretary.

8) Is an internship planned during a Vocational Program?
The Vocational Program necessarily includes an internship period aimed at graduation. Internships are carried out exclusively at companies that have an agreement with the University.

9) Is participation in the Program compulsory?
Students attendance to the various training activities is structured as follows:

• internship activities, practical and laboratory exercises: compulsory
• attendance teaching activities: compulsory for at least 75% of the total number of hours.

The training period may not be suspended.
Transfers to similar Vocational Programs at other universities are not allowed.

10) When does my Vocational Program start?
Generally, Vocational Programs start early in the year, but some Programs start earlier, in October or November. For information on the class schedule, contact the relevant Organizational Secretary.

11) How long does a Vocational Program last?
A Vocational Program has a normal duration of one academic year (equivalent to 60 ECTS). Some may also have a two-year duration (equivalent to 120 ECTS) with a preliminary test at the transition from year 1 to year 2.
For more details, please refer to the specific Attachment of the relevant Call for Admission.

12) How much does a Vocational Program costs? Can I request that the instalments of the enrollment fee are rescheduled differently?
Each Program provides for a specific fee to be paid in a single instalment upon enrollment or in several instalments with certain deadlines (for costs and payment methods, please refer to the specific Attachment of the relevant Call for Admission.)

It's not possible to request the modification of instalments already set in terms of due dates and amount.

13) Are income-related scholarships or financial benefits provided by the University of Pavia upon presentation of the ISEE?
The University of Pavia doesn't provide income-related scholarships/bonuses.

14) Are there grants or financial incentives?
Within each Vocational Program it's possible to award scholarships or grants (provided by external sponsors) to cover/repay all or part of the registration fee.
Information on admission requirements and award criteria are made public through the specific Attachment of the relevant Call for Admission and/or on the relevant Organizational Secretary website.
 

15) I'm enrolled in a Vocational Program: can I apply to another degree course of UNIPAVIA or other university?
Yes, at certain conditions. Please check the relevant webpage for further informations.

16) What services does the University offer to students of Vocational Programs?
For informations about this topic, please check the relevant webpage.

17) I want to drop out from the Program, after enrollment. What should I do?
You must submit an irrevocable request to the Post Laurea Office, as described on the relevant webpage.
There will be no refund of fees paid, except in the cases provided for in the Fees Regulation a.y. 2024/2025.

18) I completed the Vocational Program: when will the parchment be available?
The official graduation parchment can be issued within a period of two years from the end of the Vocational Program.
For more information on how to collect and the availability of parchments, please check the relevant webpage.

19) I need a certificate: who should I contact?
Certificates can only be produced to the private or public sector abroad, whereas in dealings with public administrations in Italy, only self-certification is permitted.
For more information, please check the relevant webpage.

1) What are the things I need to know for my university life?
Take a look at Campus where we have listed the most important things you should know during your study.

2) How can I apply for an Ateneo card?
The card must be requested by completing the appropriate questionnaire (menu item Questionnaires > General Questionnaires) available in your Reserved Area. Subsequently, Banca Popolare di Sondrio will send an email with instructions to schedule an appointment for collection.

Once you receive the email, you can visit us at the welcome office and pick it up.

3) How can I use my Ateneo card as a bank account?
After the collection of the Ateneo card, you need to activate it first to be able to use it. For this reason, to activate it as a credit card, email pavia.succursale@popso.it with the required documents attached. The full list of the documents requested and the exact procedure can be found here.

4) What is a Smart card and how can I apply for a Smart card?
The Smart Card allows students to access controlled-entry libraries and to use drinking water dispensers. 
You'll have to request your Smart Card, writing to master.ateneo@unipv.it.
After receiving an e-mail. notifying that the card is available, collect your card at the Post Graduated Office, in Via A. Ferrata 5, during the opening hours > Tuesday: 10:00-12:00 / 14.00 -16.00.

5) I lost my Ateneo Card! My Ateneo Card is robbed! What should I do?
In order to ask for your new Ateneo card, you need to request a new one writing to master.ateneo@unipv.it.

6) I lost my Smart Card! My Smart Card is robbed! What should I do?
In order to ask for your new Smart card, you need to request a new one by sending a request to tessere@unipv.it.

7) Does the University have a psychological support service?
Yes, a Psychological Counselling Service is active. This free service (in Italian and English) is for students, teachers and technical-administrative staff. The talks will take place via the Zoom video call platform with the necessary guarantees to protect privacy. To access, simply book according to the indications published on the related page.

8) Is there a library inside the University of Pavia?
Of course, and more than one! The University of Pavia has 9 libraries to serve its various faculties. The Library System of the Pavia University has activated online access to several e-books and e-journals. The list of the e-journals and e-books with reserved or free online access is available in Link Up (the specific service dedicated to the online resources) and in the Pavia Union Catalogue (OPAC) and the Italian union Catalogue of Serials (ACNP). More detailed information at this page.
To be admitted to the University Libraries, the user must apply to the library of his interest, using the Affluences App (if the library is reached by this service, also available in the web version https://www.affluences.com) or by sending an e-mail to the addresses listed in the extraordinary plan Phase 3.1. For the duration of the health emergency, the local and interlibrary loan will continue to be provided in ‘contactless’ mode and possibly even at home. Read more here.

9) Is there any university canteen or café inside the campus?
Yes! Check the Eating on Campus page.