Loss of student status

What loss of student status entails

The loss of student status leads to the impossibility to continue your university career.

When you lose student status

You lose student status if it has been 8 consecutive academic years since your last exam, regardless of the outcome, or since the year of your last regular enrolment, whichever is later. This period of eight academic years is now calculated from the 2020/21 academic year inclusive, even if your first enrolment (matriculation) predates that; this also applies to students who, based on the previous rules, would have lost their status on 31 March 2021.

You do not lose student status if you only have to complete the final examination, whatever degree programme you are enrolled in.

When you have lost your student status, you will not receive any communication about it.

To calculate the loss of student status, consider that:

• the academic year ends on 31 March of the year following that of enrolment;
• if you interrupt your studies, the interruption years count as years not aligned to the programme and are calculated for the purpose of loss of student status;
• years not aligned to the programme count towards the loss of student status;
• years of suspension do not count towards the loss of student status;
• the payment of tuition fees does not change the deadlines for the loss of student status.

Special cases: disability, impairment, DSA

You can ask for a special deadline to be determined before you lose your student status, regardless of your year of enrolment if:

• you have a legal disability rating of 66% or higher;
• if you are entitled to the benefits covered by Italian Law 104/1992;
• you have a specific learning disorder (DSA).

In these cases:

• fill in the deadline extension application form [.pdf 239 KB] [.pdf 239 KB], sign it and submit it to the Student Administration Office by February of the year prior to the date on which you are expected to lose student status;

• a committee will assess the application, possibly also through an interview.

What you can do if you lose your student status

If you have lost your student status and wish to start a new university career at the University of Bologna you must re-enrol. You can, however, ask the Degree Programme Board to assess the credits already acquired with a view to their potential recognition (partial or total); to do so, you will first have to pay a fee of € 100.

You will find all the relevant information on the recognition of credits at the Shortening of the degree programme page.