Extending the duration of studies: part-time student status

If you are enrolled in a degree programme, you can extend the duration of studies without exceeding the anticipated duration of studies ("andare fuori corso").

You can make this request from the first year of enrollment, or during the years that follow: the university credits (CFU) to be taken in each academic year are spread out over two years.

If you extend the duration of studies from the first year of enrollment, credits are distributed as follows:

• for first cycle degree programmes the 180 credits required are spread out over 6 years rather than 3;
• for second cycle or advanced degree programmes the 120 credits required are spread out over 4 years rather than 2;
• for single-cycle degree programmes in Law and Primary Education Sciences, the 300 credits required are spread out over 10 years rather than 5.

In all three cases, 60 credits are assigned for each two-year period.

If you are already a part-time student, or wish to apply to become one, check whether the system of the degree programme you are enrolled in has changed and when the corresponding years of the degree programme will be discontinued, as you may find yourself unable to continue your studies on a part-time basis. Find out more

Who can request part-time student status and for which degree programmes

You can request part-time student status only if you are enrolled in one of the following types of degree programmes:

• first cycle degree programme
• second cycle degree programme
• single-cycle degree programme in Law
• single-cycle degree programme in Primary Education Sciences

You cannot request an extension if you are enrolled:

• in one of the following single-cycle degree programmes regulated by European legislation:
  • Medicina e chirurgia
  • Medicine and Surgery
  • Dentistry and Dental Prosthesis
  • Architecture
  • Veterinary Medicine
  • Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Technologies
  • Farmacia
  • Pharmacy
• an international degree programme that was established through specific agreements with partner institutions abroad.

How and when to apply

To apply for the 2025/26 academic year, you must have paid the enrollment or registration fee.
You can apply from 24 July to 27 November 2025. To apply, log onto Studenti Online, go to the “Part-time Studies[4] ” section, complete the application and pay the €16 stamp duty.
If you enrol in another degree programme at the University of Bologna, you will have to submit a new application.

Tuition fees

If you have part-time student status:

• and you submitted an ISEE (equivalent financial situation index), you must pay the amount calculated based on your financial situation and your satisfaction of study requirements. The payable amount is at most 50% of the maximum tuition fees for the chosen degree programme; the study requirements are reduced by 50% compared to those for full-time students, and are evaluated based on the previous academic year;
• and you did not submit an ISEE, you must pay 50% of the maximum tuition fees for the chosen degree programme.

All of the information regarding the calculation and payment of fees can be found on the Fees and Exemptions page.

Conditions and guidelines for changing your part-time status

Once applied, your part-time student status is valid for the entire degree programme, starting from the year of application. Once you go beyond the established graduation schedule for part-time students, your student status will automatically return to full-time.

It is possible to return to full-time status before the end of your degree programme under certain conditions.

To change your part-time student status, you are required to pay the remaining balance of the tuition fees for the entire academic year in which you are enrolled. This amount is calculated by subtracting the amount paid from the total fees for the same enrollment period for full-time students.

You can request a change in your part-time student status:

1. if you have finished the two-year period for the current course year, by submitting the form for withdrawal from part-time student status [.docx 105 KB] to the Student Administration Office;
2. if you are enrolled in the final year of your degree programme (third year for first cycle degree programmes, second year for second cycle degree programmes, fifth year for single-cycle degree programmes), you can graduate before the end of the two-year period for the current course year by submitting the form for withdrawal from part-time student status [.docx 105 KB] to the Student Administration Office;
3. if you wish to change to a different degree programme, you can do so even if you have not yet finished the two-year period. You must submit a separate request for the new degree programme if you wish to remain a part-time student;
4.  if during the first year in which you applied for part-time student status you have already obtained all the ECTS credit envisaged in your study plan for your year of enrolment, you may withdraw from part-time student status by submitting the form for withdrawal from part-time student status [.docx 105 KB] to the Student Administration Office.

   Your application for withdrawal must be submitted by the late payment enrolment deadline for the following academic year and not after the end of the first academic year as a part-time student;

5. if the programme year in which you should enrol as a part-time student has been discontinued because there has been a change in the system, you can submit the form for withdrawal from part-time student status [.docx 105 KB] to the Student Administration Office and return to full-time student status. You will continue your studies in the programme you are currently enrolled in.

   Your application for withdrawal from part-time student status must be submitted prior to matriculation for the new academic year.

Please remember that if you opt for the withdrawal options under points 4 and 5:

• you may no longer submit a new application for part-time student status during the same university career;
• if you have been awarded an ER.GO (Regional Authority for the Right to Higher Education) study grant, you will not be entitled to the applicable amount for full-time students. To receive the study grant for the year following your withdrawal from part-time student status, you must meet the merit requirements for full-time student status.

Non-EU citizens who reside abroad

If you are a citizen from a non-EU country and you reside abroad, or you have a permit of stay for university studies, you must contact the International Desk to receive information regarding the ability to renew your permit of stay as a part-time student.