The Foundation Year is an eleven-month, full immersion preparatory programme for international students wishing to enroll at the University of Parma or any Italian University or a Music Conservatory.

It addresses prospective students holding a high school diploma but who have linguistic or cultural gaps and/or less than 12 years of schooling, as required by Law to access university in Italy.

Thanks to this programme, international students will have the opportunity to:

• improve their language competence in Italian up to B2 level (needed to enroll at an Italian University) and expand their intercultural communicative skills;
• fill in any cultural and intercultural gaps to better integrate in an academic context in Italy;
• obtain a one-year certificate of attendance (for students who do not have 12 years of schooling).

By the end of the course, students will be able to sit for an international language certificate at a B2 level, which will allow them to enroll at any Italian university or take Italstudio Università test to enroll at the University of Parma.

Students can choose between two study programmes: General programme and Music programme.

Students who wish to continue studying music after the Foundation Year will be able to do so in the Italian music academy system, provided they pass the admission test.

The University of Parma’s Foundation Year is organised by the Department of Humanities, Social Sciences and Cultural Industries in collaboration with Conservatorio A. Boito in Parma, a major centre for music training at Italian and European level.