The University for Foreigners of Siena will launched also for the a.y. 2026/2027 the one-year preparatory educational program named “Foundation Year”.
Such a preparatory course aims at representing an ideal bridge in order to facilitate students with different educational backgrounds who wish to enroll in Italian Universities and Academies. Thanks to this program, international students will have the opportunity to improve their language and communicative competence, as well as to familiarize with pedagogical and study methods traditionally belonging to European contexts.
WHO ARE THE TARGET STUDENTS?
- International students with an educational background of less than 12 years who aim at enrolling in Bachelor Degree courses within an Italian University;
- All the students who need to integrate and enrich their own study program with the purpose of joining Italian universities.
HOW TO APPLY
Students are required to:
1. Fill and send to the University of Foreigners of Siena (foundationyear@unistrasi.it) a Declaration of Interest in the “Foundation Year”, together with the Declaration of Legal Value of their last degree and a copy of their Passport.
2. If the application is declared eligible, students will be emailed an admission letter.
3. Admitted students must register on the Universitaly platform and apply for the pre-enrollment (read our guidelines). Once obtained it, they must present the admission letter of our program and the validation from Universitaly to the Italian Representation in their country in order to obtain the study Visa.
The University for Foreigners of Siena reserves the right to verify the language and educational level of students with an incoming test that might be carried out before admission to the program.
The Program will be activated with a minimum of 10 students, until full capacity.
STUDY PROGRAM
The Foundation Year aims at offering students a solid preparation in Linguistics, Pedagogy, Philology and Literature, History and Art Studies. Taking into consideration learners’ prospective studies, specific study programs based on macro-disciplinary contents might be additionally planned and implemented:
STUDENTS OF HUMANITIES
STUDENTS OF SCIENTIFIC DISCIPLINES
STUDENTS OF ECONOMICS DISCIPLINES
STUDENTS OF MUSICAL DISCIPLINES
SPECIAL COURSES ORGANIZED IN COOPERATION WITH OTHER PARTNER INSTITUTIONS
STUDENTS OF FOOD SCIENCES AND CULTURES (in cooperation with the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo)
STUDENTS OF DANCE AND CLASSICAL BALLET (in cooperation with Balletto di Siena)
STUDENTS OF DANCE AND CONTEMPORARY ART (in cooperation with Balletto di Siena)
FOUNDATION CREDITS
At the end of the Foundation Year students will obtain 60 Foundation Credits aiming at integrating their study program and allowing them to join the Degree courses. Such ECTS credits, however, will not allow students to reduce the total number of credits they will have to obtain during their Degree courses.
COURSE TIMETABLE
October 5th 2026 – May 28th 2027
EXAMS SCHEDULE
every month for the Italian language courses
May - June - July 2027 (for the disciplines)
ATTENDANCE
Class attendance of all Foundation Year courses is mandatory. Students will attend all courses in person in Siena.
BASIC LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS FOR INCOMING STUDENTS AND LANGUAGE LEVEL FOR OUTGOING STUDENTS
OPTION A: Students can join the Foundation Year with a A1, A2, B1 - level (CEFR) incoming language competence in Italian.
At the end of the Foundation Year at least an outgoing B1 - level (CEFR) competence in Italian will be assured for those who entry with an A1 and A2 level, and an outgoing B2 - level (CEFR) for those who entry with a B1 level.
OPTION B: Students who already have a competence of B2 in Italian (certified by November 30th 2026) can join the Foundation Year with a reduction of the program. They will be exempted from the language course and their program will start on February (instead than October).
It is possible to opt for Option B until November 30th of each year.
OPTION C: Students with the status of refugees, asylum seekers or temporary protection can apply for the Foundation Year at a reduced rate.
WARNING: Due to the different options, any change (regarding the preferred option and study program) shall not be permitted following the issue of the visa.
UNDERAGE STUDENTS
Students who are underage at the time of application may be admitted, if they reach the age of majority by May 31 of the year when the program ends.
In order to complete the application, they must submit a signed declaration of consent for the admission to the program, and appoint a legal guardian who resides in Italy for the duration of the Foundation Year until they reach the age of majority. Under no circumstances the legal guardian may be University’s legal representative or an employee of the University for Foreigners of Siena.
FEES
In order to join the Foundation Year the following tuition fees are required:
OPTION A: € 5.800,00 per student
OPTION B: € 2.300,00 per student
OPTION C: € 1.000,00 per student.
The fees include a revenue stamp of € 16,00. At the end of the program students can get an official transcript by paying a revenue stamp of € 16,00
The “Foundation Year” ends by December 16, 2027.
SPECIAL FEES FOR STUDENTS OF FOOD SCIENCES AND CULTURES
In order to join in the program “FOOD SCIENCES AND CULTURES” the following tuitions fees are required:
1st fee (to be paid directly to the University for Foreigners of Siena) for the activities which are planned in Siena: Italian language and culture courses, writing workshop, CILS certification, final exam.
€ 4,000.00 per student for options A and B
€ 2,000.00 for option C.
2nd fee (to be paid directly directly to the University of Gastronomic Sciences of Pollenzo) for the disciplinary courses planned in Pollenzo, the extracurricular activities managed by the University of Gastronomic Sciences both in Siena and Pollenzo (such as tastings and educational visits), and for housing services in Siena and Pollenzo for a total of 9 months.
€ 17,200.00 per student for options A and B
€ 12,000.00 for option C.
APPLICATION CONDITIONS
At the time of registration, a fee of € 1,000.00 (non-refundable) is required in order to obtain the acceptance letter. The balance is due upon arrival in Siena, following the mandatory and binding Placement Test aiming to define the entry language level and the consequent registration fee due, and in any case by 31 October 2025.
In case of rejection of the visa, the non-refundable fee of € 1,000.00 will be used in order to get 8 credits of Italian language (equivalent to 160 hours of on-line Italian course delivered during the period October - March).
The University for Foreigners of Siena reserves the right to assess students’ linguistic and cultural proficiency through an orientation test prior to acceptance.
The program will be activated with a minimum of 10 students, until full capacity.
APPLICATION THROUGH RECOGNIZED AGENTS OR PARTNERS
In case of registration through partners or specialized agencies, a discount may be granted to the contact person upon signature of a specific agreement.
The discount will be granted to the contact person by May of each year, following to the accountability checks and the arrival of the students at the University for Foreigners of Siena.
For further enquiries:
Prof. Carla Bagna (Rector’s Delegate for International Relations): bagna@unistrasi.it
foundationyear@unistrasi.it
The University for Foreigners of Siena will launched also for the a.y. 2026/2027 the one-year preparatory educational program named “Foundation Year”.
Such a preparatory course aims at representing an ideal bridge in order to facilitate students with different educational backgrounds who wish to enroll in Italian Universities and Academies. Thanks to this program, international students will have the opportunity to improve their language and communicative competence, as well as to familiarize with pedagogical and study methods traditionally belonging to European contexts.
WHO ARE THE TARGET STUDENTS?
- International students with an educational background of less than 12 years who aim at enrolling in Bachelor Degree courses within an Italian University;
- All the students who need to integrate and enrich their own study program with the purpose of joining Italian universities.
HOW TO APPLY
Students are required to:
1. Fill and send to the University of Foreigners of Siena (foundationyear@unistrasi.it) a Declaration of Interest in the “Foundation Year”, together with the Declaration of Legal Value of their last degree and a copy of their Passport.
2. If the application is declared eligible, students will be emailed an admission letter.
3. Admitted students must register on the Universitaly platform and apply for the pre-enrollment (read our guidelines). Once obtained it, they must present the admission letter of our program and the validation from Universitaly to the Italian Representation in their country in order to obtain the study Visa.
The University for Foreigners of Siena reserves the right to verify the language and educational level of students with an incoming test that might be carried out before admission to the program.
The Program will be activated with a minimum of 10 students, until full capacity.
STUDY PROGRAM
The Foundation Year aims at offering students a solid preparation in Linguistics, Pedagogy, Philology and Literature, History and Art Studies. Taking into consideration learners’ prospective studies, specific study programs based on macro-disciplinary contents might be additionally planned and implemented:
STUDENTS OF HUMANITIES
STUDENTS OF SCIENTIFIC DISCIPLINES
STUDENTS OF ECONOMICS DISCIPLINES
STUDENTS OF MUSICAL DISCIPLINES
SPECIAL COURSES ORGANIZED IN COOPERATION WITH OTHER PARTNER INSTITUTIONS
STUDENTS OF FOOD SCIENCES AND CULTURES (in cooperation with the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo)
STUDENTS OF DANCE AND CLASSICAL BALLET (in cooperation with Balletto di Siena)
STUDENTS OF DANCE AND CONTEMPORARY ART (in cooperation with Balletto di Siena)
FOUNDATION CREDITS
At the end of the Foundation Year students will obtain 60 Foundation Credits aiming at integrating their study program and allowing them to join the Degree courses. Such ECTS credits, however, will not allow students to reduce the total number of credits they will have to obtain during their Degree courses.
COURSE TIMETABLE
October 5th 2026 – May 28th 2027
EXAMS SCHEDULE
every month for the Italian language courses
May - June - July 2027 (for the disciplines)
ATTENDANCE
Class attendance of all Foundation Year courses is mandatory. Students will attend all courses in person in Siena.
BASIC LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS FOR INCOMING STUDENTS AND LANGUAGE LEVEL FOR OUTGOING STUDENTS
OPTION A: Students can join the Foundation Year with a A1, A2, B1 - level (CEFR) incoming language competence in Italian.
At the end of the Foundation Year at least an outgoing B1 - level (CEFR) competence in Italian will be assured for those who entry with an A1 and A2 level, and an outgoing B2 - level (CEFR) for those who entry with a B1 level.
OPTION B: Students who already have a competence of B2 in Italian (certified by November 30th 2026) can join the Foundation Year with a reduction of the program. They will be exempted from the language course and their program will start on February (instead than October).
It is possible to opt for Option B until November 30th of each year.
OPTION C: Students with the status of refugees, asylum seekers or temporary protection can apply for the Foundation Year at a reduced rate.
WARNING: Due to the different options, any change (regarding the preferred option and study program) shall not be permitted following the issue of the visa.
UNDERAGE STUDENTS
Students who are underage at the time of application may be admitted, if they reach the age of majority by May 31 of the year when the program ends.
In order to complete the application, they must submit a signed declaration of consent for the admission to the program, and appoint a legal guardian who resides in Italy for the duration of the Foundation Year until they reach the age of majority. Under no circumstances the legal guardian may be University’s legal representative or an employee of the University for Foreigners of Siena.
FEES
In order to join the Foundation Year the following tuition fees are required:
OPTION A: € 5.800,00 per student
OPTION B: € 2.300,00 per student
OPTION C: € 1.000,00 per student.
The fees include a revenue stamp of € 16,00. At the end of the program students can get an official transcript by paying a revenue stamp of € 16,00
The “Foundation Year” ends by December 16, 2027.
SPECIAL FEES FOR STUDENTS OF FOOD SCIENCES AND CULTURES
In order to join in the program “FOOD SCIENCES AND CULTURES” the following tuitions fees are required:
1st fee (to be paid directly to the University for Foreigners of Siena) for the activities which are planned in Siena: Italian language and culture courses, writing workshop, CILS certification, final exam.
€ 4,000.00 per student for options A and B
€ 2,000.00 for option C.
2nd fee (to be paid directly directly to the University of Gastronomic Sciences of Pollenzo) for the disciplinary courses planned in Pollenzo, the extracurricular activities managed by the University of Gastronomic Sciences both in Siena and Pollenzo (such as tastings and educational visits), and for housing services in Siena and Pollenzo for a total of 9 months.
€ 17,200.00 per student for options A and B
€ 12,000.00 for option C.
APPLICATION CONDITIONS
At the time of registration, a fee of € 1,000.00 (non-refundable) is required in order to obtain the acceptance letter. The balance is due upon arrival in Siena, following the mandatory and binding Placement Test aiming to define the entry language level and the consequent registration fee due, and in any case by 31 October 2025.
In case of rejection of the visa, the non-refundable fee of € 1,000.00 will be used in order to get 8 credits of Italian language (equivalent to 160 hours of on-line Italian course delivered during the period October - March).
The University for Foreigners of Siena reserves the right to assess students’ linguistic and cultural proficiency through an orientation test prior to acceptance.
The program will be activated with a minimum of 10 students, until full capacity.
APPLICATION THROUGH RECOGNIZED AGENTS OR PARTNERS
In case of registration through partners or specialized agencies, a discount may be granted to the contact person upon signature of a specific agreement.
The discount will be granted to the contact person by May of each year, following to the accountability checks and the arrival of the students at the University for Foreigners of Siena.
For further enquiries:
Prof. Carla Bagna (Rector’s Delegate for International Relations): bagna@unistrasi.it
foundationyear@unistrasi.it