The Exchange Student Programme is designed for international students who wish to spend a period at the University of Pisa to attend courses or participate in a traineeship programme, based on a non-Erasmus inter-university or inter-departmental agreement.
Students interested in mobility within the Erasmus+/Erasmus programme should instead consult the dedicated pages and portal .
In order to attend courses in Italian, it is recommended to have at least a B1 level of language proficiency, unless otherwise stipulated in the agreements.
Who can participate
To participate in the programme, you must be a student enrolled at a foreign university with which the University of Pisa has a bilateral agreement.
Period of stay at the University of Pisa
The period of stay of exchange students at the University of Pisa must refer to that provided for in the relevant agreement.
Deadlines
Submitting an application is always possible but, in order to attend the courses, it is important to remember that the academic calendar is divided into two semesters:
First semester – September to February
Second semester – February to July
To enable the Department to process the letter of acceptance to the programme within the necessary technical timeframe, it is advisable to submit the application:
- by 31 May to attend courses in the first semester or in the entire academic year
- by 31 October to attend courses in the second semester
Application procedure for the exchange programme
Prior to departure
Contact the International Office of your relevant foreign university to check for any agreements with the University of Pisa or the Department of interest.
If it is possible to activate mobility, choose the courses you want to take from those available in the educational offer of the University of Pisa.
To apply, you must send your application to exchange@unipi.it:
When your application request is accepted, you will receive anacceptance letter from the academic staff of the department of the University of Pisa with which your university has an agreement.
Non-EU citizens residing abroad, in non-Schengen countries, after receiving the acceptance letter and before applying for a visa, must pre-register on the UniversItaly portal, managed by the Ministry of University and Research.
To pre-register:
- sign up
- choose the University of Pisa for the exchange period
- upload the acceptance letter
- choose the Italian diplomatic mission (Embassy or Consulate) where you will apply for the visa.
Do not indicate your tax code if you do not already have one, and the ID of the chosen university.
When your application is validated by the University, you will receive a notification from the portal and you will find the Summary in PDF at the bottom of your UniversItaly page.
Only then you can apply for a visa at the Embassy, attaching the previously printed Summary
For any further information, please contact the Italian Embassy in your country of residence.
To obtain the tax code, you can contact the Italian Embassy or Consulate in your country of residence before arriving in Italy (highly recommended).
The tax code is essential for accessing services provided by public organisations (e.g. enrolling in University and in the National Health Service), signing contracts (e.g. employment or rental contracts), opening a current account, but also for buying a phone card.
Arrival in Italy
Non-EU citizens residing in non-Schengen countries, participating in an exchange programme exceeding 90 days, and those holding a type D visa, must apply for a residence permit within 8 working days of their arrival in Italy.
All information is available on the dedicated web pages for international students reception.
Non-EU citizens residing in Schengen countries, holding a valid visa and/or residence permit of the Schengen country they come from and having an acceptance letter as exchange students, within 8 days of their arrival in Italy must go to the Questura di Pisa, Via Lalli 3, and fill in the declaration of presence.
Procedure for enrolling at the University of Pisa as an exchange student
Register online on the Alice Portal, entering your personal data, and send the following documentation to WIS! (wis@unipi.it):
- copy of your identity document – passport for non-EU citizens
- acceptance letter from the host department
- residence permit or a copy of the post office receipt proving the submission of the release request (only for non-EU citizens who are in Italy).
After finalising your enrolment, and only if you are in Italy, you will receive your Student Card by post: indicate the address where you will receive the documentation on your personal profile on the Alice portal.
Rights, obligations and services
Exchange students:
- are entitled to take exams and obtain credits without paying university fees. At the end of the study period, they will receive a certificate for the work carried out
- must independently arrange their stay in Pisa (food, accommodation, healthcare, etc.);
- have access to the same services as the students enrolled at the University of Pisa (enrolment in language courses at the University Language Centre, access to university libraries, IT services and university canteens)
- after arriving in Pisa, they can find a welcome and support service at the Welcome Office of the University of Pisa.
