Discovering Ca' Foscari 
as an international student

The International Office's Outreach and Recruitment Unit team helps international students to explore if Ca' Foscari could be the right place to carry out a bachelor’s or master’s degree or attend the preparatory Foundation Year programme.
If you are one of these students, here below is a wide range of events, tools and materials that will familiarise you with the university and its student experience.

Contacts

Outreach and Recruitment Unit
 prospective.students@unive.it

Why Ca' Foscari

To explain why 1,500 new international students from around the world just like you choose to come to our university each year, we put together a list of the top ten reasons to choose Ca’ Foscari.
Where we are located is, of course, one of these, since Venice is such a unique – and uniquely stimulating – place to learn.

Our study offer – which spans a wide range of fields and includes dozens of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees taught in English – is likely going to be what matters to you the most. But we also know that the cost of a university education is a common concern, so it helps that the heavily subsidised tuition fees of most of our bachelor's and master's degree programmes are usually less than 2,550 euros a year. We have also earmarked funds for financial aid for high-achieving international students.

Events

International Open Days

Every February we hold our International Open Days, a series of online live webinars presenting our English-taught bachelor’s and master’s degrees as well as our Foundation Year. This event gives you the chance to meet professors, students and staff, giving you a clearer sense of the academic experience at Ca’ Foscari. The event is also popular because it introduces you to our university services and opportunities.

International university fairs

When possible, we try to speak directly with prospective students by participating in international university fairs organised around the globe. If you would appreciate meeting a member of our staff or one of our international representatives, we would be pleased to do so, either face to face at an in-person fair or remotely during at online event. Check the lists below to see if we will be participating in an international university fair dedicated to students in your part of the world.

Country City Date(s) In-person
or virtual event
France Paris 3/02/2024 In-person
Serbia Belgrade 3/02/2024 In-person
Macedonia Skopje 4/02/2024 In-person
Greece Athens 27/02/2024 In-person
Croatia Zagreb 9/03/2024 In-person
Romania Bucharest 16-17/03/2024 In-person
Country City Start date In-person
or virtual event
Serbia 22/09/2023 Virtual
Romania Bucharest 30/09/2023 - 01/10/2023 In-person
Bulgaria Sofia 14/10/2023 In-person
Brazil São Paulo 21/10/2023 In-person
Serbia Belgrade 22/10/2023 In-person
Georgia Tbilisi 22/10/2023 In-person
Colombia Medellín 24/10/2023 In-person
Colombia Cali 26/10/2023 In-person
Colombia Bogotá 28/10/2023 In-person
China Guangzhou 24/10/2023 In-person
China Chengdu 26/10/2023 In-person
Montenegro In-personodgorica 24/10/2023 In-person
Bosnia and Herzegovina Sarajevo 26/10/2023 In-person
Morocco Rabat 28/10/2023 In-person
Morocco Casablanca 29/10/2023 In-person
Macedonia Skopje 28/10/2023 In-person
Turkey Istanbul 25/11/2023 In-person
Serbia Belgrade 25/11/2023 In-person
Serbia Novi Sad 26/11/2023 In-person

For details about one or more of these events, please write to us at  prospective.students@unive.it.

Student voices

Understandably, the people prospective students often want to talk with or hear from most are current students. If that sounds like you, then there are a couple of ways of getting their perspective:

International representatives

Being a university that prioritises internationalisation, we have developed a rich network of representatives in countries around the globe. If you are in China, Russia or Azerbaijan, you can contact our own Ca’ Foscari staff at one of our international offices in:

In addition, we have partnered with university representatives in over 50 countries around the globe who are capable of helping you get to know our university in your own language and, eventually, assisting you with the application process.

If the map above indicates the presence of a representative in your country or region and you would like to speak with them, please write to us at  prospective.students@unive.it.

Online resources

Here is a collection of digital resources that are available around the clock to help you learn more about Ca’ Foscari:

Italian university system and Ca' Foscari's study offer

The Italian university system is structured according to the guidelines of the European Higher Education Area. As a result, it comprises three phases, or cycles, of study. The first involves the completion of a bachelor’s degree; the second involves the completion of either a master’s degree programme or a professional master's programme; and the third involves completing a research-based doctoral degree programme.

This degree involves three years of full-time study and leads to a basic degree. It involves the acquisition of 180 university credits (also known in the European system as European Transfer Credit System credits) and the final title of 'Dottore'.

This degree requires the possession of a bachelor's degree and consists of two years of more specialised study, leading to the acquisition of a postgraduate degree. This kind of qualification provides students with an additional 120 ECTS credits. At the end of their university career, graduates will thus have obtained 300 university credits (180 + 120) and the title of 'Dottore Magistrale'.

Students wishing to deepen their knowledge of specific subjects can enrol a professional master's programme, which can be a first-level or second-level programme. These programmes usually involve one year of full-time study but do not correspond to the English meaning of ‘master's degrees’ because they are of a different nature, providing students with professional knowledge and expertise of a technical-operational or planning nature. As a result, they are often designed for professionals wishing to enhance their skills or retrain. To access a first-level programme, students must have a bachelor's degree; to access a second-level programme, students need a master's degree.

These programmes last three or four years. Doctoral applicants must possess a second-cycle or postgraduate qualification to be considered for admission.

For each learning activity, students gain a certain number of university credits known as CFU (in Italian: crediti formativi universitari [CFU]) and a qualitative evaluation in the form of a grade.
Ca' Foscari University complies with the European Credit Transfer System, so 1 CFU = 1 ECTS credit. In addition, it employs an ECTS mark conversion scale based on a statistical distribution mechanism of marks for any single educational area. One CFU is perceived as consisting of 25 hours of coursework and independent study, and one full academic year involves the completion of 60 CFU.
The evaluation of coursework usually takes the form of an exam, which can be oral, written or both, although other forms of evaluation do exist. Exams are graded on a 30-point scale. The minimum passing mark is 18/30, while the best grade possible is 30/30 with honours.

Ca' Foscari's study offer

Bachelor's degree programmes

Duration: 3 years; Final qualification: Dottore

Master's degree programmes

Duration: 2 years

Final qualification: Dottore magistrale

1st-level professional master's programmes

Duration: 1 year

Course for professional training

Doctoral programmes

Duration: 3 years

Final qualification: Dottore di ricerca

2nd-level professional master's programmes

Duration: 1 year

Course for advanced professional training

Last update: 08/03/2024