The Dual Career Status 'Student-Athlete' programme is designed to help you balance your sporting career with your academic commitments. It offers you the opportunity to achieve a high level of education and solid career prospects even after your sporting career is over.
Sport and education can coexist harmoniously and you will have the support you need to enable you to excel in both.
Who can benefit
These measures are intended for those who have a 'student athlete' status, which you can apply for if you meet the following requirements:
- you are studying for a First cycle, Single cycle or Second cycle degree and have enrolled for the academic year 2024/25
- you are a member of a national sports federation (FSN) of CONI or CIP;
- you meet at least one of the following requirements:
- you were called up to prepare for the Summer or Winter Olympics/Paralympics in the 12 months prior to submitting your application;
- you have been called up to the CONI/CIP national FSN teams at least once in the 12 months prior to submitting your application;
- for individual sports, if you are in the top 32 of the CONI/CIP FSN national overall or youth rankings of the at the time of application;
- for team sports, if at the time you submit your application you are participating in the top championship organised by the relevant National Sports Federations; for team sports associated with National Sports Federations that have a professional division (FIGC and FIP), participation in the championship immediately below the top division is also valid;
- you won a medal in the National University Championships and European University Championships (EUSA) in the 12 months prior to application.
In order to maintain your status as a student-athlete in subsequent academic years, you must participate in the call for applications and the Committee will review your compliance with the requirements on an annual basis.
What you can count on
If you gain student-athlete status, the following benefits are available:
- you can arrange ad hoc exam dates with teachers when exam dates clash with sports schedules (competitions, training sessions and relevant transfers), or even request to take exams online using the platforms adopted by the University (Skype, Microsoft Teams, Zoom).
How to proceed: You must contact the course teacher at least 14 days before the exam date and provide all the necessary details. You will be given an alternative date or time, or solutions will be suggested that are compatible with what each study course can offer you. Please note that the final decision regarding the request is at the discretion of the teacher.- you can receive support from dedicated tutors: an academic tutor will help you choose your curriculum, internships and work placements, also with a view to your professional future after your sporting career; a degree programme tutor will help you to keep up to date with study programmes, course units and exam dates, as well as lasing with the administrative offices.
How to proceed: to request the names of the tutors who will assist you, write to studenteatleta@unibo.it- you can ask to change your study plan towards the end of your university career if you need to better balance your studies and sporting commitments, or if you want to make choices that are more in line with your curriculum.
How to proceed: for further information about how to do this, please contact studenteatleta@unibo.it- you can ask the Committee to proclaim a formula that recognises your dual-career student-athlete status during the graduation ceremony.
How to proceed: to apply, write
to studenteatleta@unibo.it when submitting your graduation application;- if places are available, you can stay free of charge in one of the student residences
managed by ER.GO, for a maximum of 10 consecutive days.
How to proceed: send your accommodation request to studenteatleta@unibo.it indicating the period you are interested in at least 15 days before your arrival at the residence. ER.GO will check availability and will reply providing all the information required for the stay. The stay is free of charge, but you will need to pay a deposit that will have to be defined.- you have free access to the University’s sports facilities (swimming pools and weight rooms), subject to the times and rules indicated.
How to proceed: To have access to the facilities you must first apply to CUS Bologna by writing to cusb.studenteatleta@unibo.it;- a psychological support service is available. If necessary, you can arrange counselling sessions with a sports psychologist.
How to proceed: send an e-mail requesting the service to cusb.studenteatleta@unibo.it;- a guidance and administrative support service is available to you throughout your university career.
How to proceed: send an e-mail to the dedicated office at the Student Services Area - ASES, studenteatleta@unibo.it;At the end of your degree programme, you will be given a Diploma Supplement certifying the specific nature of your dual career as a student-athlete.
In view of these benefits, the University may ask you to:
- participate in national and international university competitions approved by CUSI, EUSA and FISU, in agreement with the CUSB-Unibo Sports Directorate. Participation is compulsory on pain of exclusion from the Dual Career pathway for the following academic year, with the exception of:
- concurrent official sporting commitments with your club
- national level commitments of the relevant federation
- health reasons documented by a valid medical certificate issued by the Italian National Health Service, an authorised private medical centre or a private specialist accompanied by a document of conformity issued by the Italian National Health Service.
To apply for competitions, please send your sports CV to cusb.cnu@unibo.it, also inform us of your sporting achievements so that we can share them and make the most of them.- lend your image to the University’s and the Alma Mater-CUSB team’s sports promotion activities and take part in agreed and scheduled celebratory events.
How to apply
To obtain 'student athlete' status, you must apply for the Dual Career programme a.y. 2024/25.
Read the call for applications and apply via Studenti Online by 31 October 2024.
You will be notified of the outcome by e-mail to your institutional mailbox within 60 days of submitting your application.
The status achieved will be visible to the teachers on the AlmaEsami online service.
Once you have obtained the status, it is valid for the whole academic year and you can renew it even if you have not met some of the requirements set out in the call for applications because of a serious injury that significantly limited your sporting activities in the 12 months preceding the renewal application. In this case, you must enclose the medical certificate issued by the Italian National Health Service, an authorised private medical centre or a private specialist together with a document of conformity issued by the Italian National Health Service.