Enrolment in Combined Bachelor's and Master's Degree Programmes in Medicine and Surgery, Dentistry, and Veterinary Medicine with the "open semester"

From the 2025/26 academic year, the system for accessing Italian-taught degree courses will change for:

• Medicine and Surgery (LM-41)
• Dentistry (LM-46)
• Veterinary Medicine (LM-42)

An "open semester" has been introduced — a university semester with open enrolment, featuring three core learning activities, each worth 6 university credits (CFUs):

• Chemistry and Biochemical Propaedeutics
• Physics
• Biology

Go to the Universitaly website for detailed information.

The enrollment deadline for the open semester of the 2025–26 academic year has passed.

Related degree programmes ("corsi affini") at the University of Bologna

When applying on Universitaly, you will be asked to indicate at least ten degree programmes at different universities where you would be willing to continue your studies in the second semester. This is a safeguard in case you are not ranked high enough in the national merit list to access your first-choice programme, or if you decide not to enrol.

These are known as related programmes and belong to the following degree classes: Bachelor's Degree in Biotechnology (L-2), Biological Sciences (L-13), Animal Production and Management (L-38), Combined Bachelor's and Master's Degree in Pharmacy and Industrial Pharmacy (LM-13), and certain Healthcare Professions programmes, which are identified each year by ministerial decree.

Related programmes – L-2, L-13, LM-13, L-38 classes – at the University of Bologna 

• Aquaculture and Hygiene of Fish Productions – Campus of Cesenatico (Degree class: L-38 R)
• Biotechnology – Bologna Campus (Degree class: L-2 R)
• Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology – Bologna Campus (Degree class: LM-13 R)
• Pharmacy – Bologna Campus (Degree class: LM-13 R)
• Animal Production – Bologna Campus (Degree class: L-38 R)
• Biological Sciences – Bologna Campus (Degree class: L-13 R)

Related programmes in Healthcare Professions – academic year 2025-26 – at the University of Bologna 

• Professional Education (qualifying for the role of Professional Educator) – Imola Campus (Degree class: L/SNT2)
• Nursing (qualifying for the role of Nurse) – Bologna Campus (Degree class: L/SNT1)
• Nursing (qualifying for the role of Nurse) – Faenza Campus (Degree class: L/SNT1)
• Nursing (qualifying for the role of Nurse) – Rimini Campus (Degree class: L/SNT1)
• Podiatry (qualifying for the role of Podiatrist) – Bologna Campus (Degree class: L/SNT2)
• Environmental and Workplace Prevention Techniques (qualifying for the role of Prevention Technician in the Environment and Workplace) – Imola Campus (Degree class: L/SNT4)
• Neurophysiopathology Techniques (qualifying for the role of Neurophysiopathology Technician) – Bologna Campus (Degree class: L/SNT3)
• Orthopaedic Techniques (qualifying for the role of Orthopaedic Technician) – Bologna Campus (Degree class: L/SNT3)

For further details on related degree programmes, please refer to the Universitaly website and the dedicated FAQ section.

Further steps for international students

• If you hold a qualification obtained abroad, check whether it is suitable for access to higher education in Italy and find out which documents you need to prepare.  Start getting ready now, as you will need to submit your qualification along with all the required documentation by the start of lectures for the open semester. Your qualification will be assessed for admission to the open semester.
• If you are a non-EU citizen residing abroad:
• by 25 July 2025, you must complete the online pre-enrolment application for the University of Bologna to obtain a study visa for the 2025/26 academic year, as required by the Supplementary Note to the Procedures for international students for the methods of access to the single-cycle degree programmes in Medicine and Surgery, School of Dentistry, Veterinary Medicine valid for the 2025/26 academic year (in Italian) available on the Universitaly - international students website;
• by the start of the open semester lectures, you must meet the Italian language requirement.
  Read the information on how to meet the Italian language requirement.
• If you are a non-EU citizen residing in Italy, by the start of lectures for the open semester you must demonstrate that you meet the requirements for EU-equivalent status, as outlined in point 1 on the Who are international students page. This is necessary to take part in the selection process for the second semester as an EU student.

From 5 August to 5 September 2025, you must submit documentation relating to your academic qualification or its recognition.  “Open Semester a.y. 2025-26 for Medicine and Surgery, School of Dentistry, Veterinary Medicine – Foreign academic qualifications, residence permits, and required documents for recognition”, and upload the required documents. Check the list of required documents [.pdf 80 KB] based on your specific situation.

You will need to be in Italy to sit the open semester exams, which are scheduled for 20 November and 10 December 2025.

Recognition of attendance for open semester courses

Students enrolled in the degree programmes in Medicine and Surgery, Dentistry, and Veterinary Medicine, or in a related degree programme as defined by Article 8 of Ministerial Decree 418 of 30 May 2025, who have already attended one or more courses corresponding to those of the open semester, may request validation of their attendance by completing the respective online forms:

• Recognition of attendance for Chemistry and Biochemical Propaedeutics
• Recognition of attendance for Physics
• Recognition of attendance for Biology

Students must provide suitable documentation demonstrating compliance with the attendance requirements for these courses by filling in all fields in the online forms. Please note that each open semester course is assigned 75 hours of lectures.

Requests for recognition from degree programmes other than those listed above and/or those lacking complete documentation will not be accepted.

Evaluation results

Evaluation results of attendance validation requests (in Italian) [.pdf 693 KB]

Students who have obtained full validation of attendance for one or more open semester courses will be allowed to proceed directly to the respective written examinations.

Fixed fee

A fixed fee of €250 is required to enrol in the "open semester".

Full exemption from the fixed fee

You are fully exempt from the fixed fee if:

1. Your family’s 2025 ISEE (Equivalent Economic Situation Indicator) is equal to or below €22,000.
   To obtain the exemption, you must submit your 2025 ISEE or other financial documentation via the platform managed by ER.GO – Regional Authority for the Right to Higher Education by 30 October 2025 at 6:00 PM (CEST).
2. You have a disability certification with a recognised invalidity of over 66%, or a certificate issued under Law 104/1992.
   To obtain the exemption, send your certification by 30 October 2025 at 6:00 PM (CEST) to the Student Services Office for Students with Disabilities and Specific Learning Disabilities (e-mail ases.adattamentisemestreaperto@unibo.it). If you have already submitted your certification to the office in the past, there is no need to send it again. Please send an e-mail indicating the date it was originally submitted.

Students eligible for a full exemption will receive a refund in the following months. 

Partial exemption from the fixed fee

Students whose 2025 ISEE falls between €22,000.01 and €30,000 are eligible for a partial exemption, according to the following scale:

To obtain the exemption, you must submit your 2025 ISEE or other financial documentation via the platform managed by ER.GO – Regional Authority for the Right to Higher Education by 30 October 2025 at 6:00 PM (CEST).

Students eligible for an exemption will receive a refund in the following months. 

How they are organised

Lectures for the open semester will be held in Italian and will take place from 8 September to 31 October 2025.

Students may attend lectures:

• In person or online from 8 September to 3 October 2025
  you may choose to attend in person (booking required from 26 August, 2:00 PM) or online (no booking required)

• Online only, from 6 October to 31 October 2025
  no booking is required to attend online lectures.

Attendance

Attendance at lectures is compulsory.

The Ministry of University and Research has set the minimum attendance requirement at 51% for the teaching activities scheduled for each subject, to fulfil the attendance obligation and be admitted to the examinations of the open semester, except in cases of exemptions or partial waivers established by the University and duly justified.

Attendance is always recorded, both in person and online:

• for those attending online lectures, it is sufficient to connect using your institutional account; attendance will be automatically recorded by the system;
• for those attending in person, it is necessary to show the QR code received at the time of booking to the University staff at the entrance.

Lectures will not be recorded. It is recommended that students always download the materials shared by lecturers via the Zoom platform, in the dedicated section.

Teaching materials

Any teaching materials will be made available directly within the Zoom classroom used for participation.

In-person lectures: booking required

From 26 August at 14:00, you can book a place to attend in-person lectures.

Each student may book up to 3 in-person lecture days between 8 September and 3 October 2025.

The location of the lectures, which will take place in Bologna, will be communicated at the time of booking.

Book your in-person lectures

Online lectures: account activation and access to the virtual classroom

Lectures will be held via Zoom. No booking is required.

We strongly recommend logging into the Zoom virtual classroom in advance to activate your @studio.unibo.it account and check that your access works properly.

Join the virtual classroom

How to activate your account on the Zoom platform

1. Log in to the Zoom platform
2. Click 'Go to the event' in the Welcome Day  section
3. Continue with “unibo” as the company domain
4. Enter your @studio.unibo.it credentials
5. Confirm activation by clicking the link you receive via your @studio.unibo.it email. (This step is essential to access both the Welcome Day and the lectures)

For support on these operations, you can submit a request through "Virtual Helpdesk" or call +39 051 2080301 from Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 13:00 and from 14:00 to 17:00.

Learning activities programmes

Consult the learning activities programmes (in Italian):

• Chemistry and Biochemical Propaedeutics
• Biology
• Physics

Lecture timetable

The lecture timetable is the same for all programmes and is available on the websites of the following degree programmes:

• Medicina e chirurgia - Bologna 
• Medicina e chirurgia - Forlì 
• Medicina e chirurgia - Ravenna 
• Odontoiatria e protesi dentaria 
• Medicina veterinaria

If you do not wish to continue with the "open semester", you can submit an irrevocable withdrawal request. To do so, log in to Studenti Online, fill in the application form, and pay the €16 duty stamp.

The €250 fee already paid will not be refunded, unless you are entitled to a full or partial exemption, in which case you will receive a reimbursement in the coming months.

The final list of students not admitted to one or more exams of the open semester due to failure to fulfil attendance requirements is published.

Check the list of students who have not met the attendance requirements (in Italian) [.pdf 533 KB]

Check the notice (in Italian) for information on admission to the single-cycle Master’s degree programmes in Medicine and Surgery, Dentistry and Veterinary Medicine.

The notice provides detailed information on:

• the number of places available in each programme
• admission requirements
• exams: date and location of the tests, registration for sessions, conduct and grading
• rankings
• enrolment procedures
• admission to years beyond the first

Read the notice carefully and take note of all the deadlines you must meet.