Dear international prospective student who received an admission letter from our academic admission committee:
This page guides you through enrolling at the University of Parma. It covers registering on the Universitaly portal, starting your visa application, and completing your final matriculation. You may also refer to the following instructions page of our University.
1) Register on ESSE3
First, you must create a personal account on the University of Parma platform (called ESSE3) by visiting https://www.idem.unipr.it/start/registra (select the English flag on the top-right menu). Detailed instructions are found here.
Note: Please ensure that your first name and surname match the exact spelling on your passport.
Once registered, you will receive your University of Parma ID number (referred to as your ESSE3 ID). This is the “Username UniPR” displayed in the “User Data” section of your ESSE3 dashboard. You will need this ID for the next step.
2) Start the Visa Application Process
Next, you must complete your pre-enrollment through the Universitaly portal. The portal typically opens for applications for the new academic year in spring. Some instructions about the registration are reported in this pdf.
Note: Please double-check that you are applying for the correct academic year, as the application page for the previous year may still be active.
The Pre-enrollment procedure applies to all Non-EU applicants residing outside Italy who require a Type-D study visato to enter Italy. To proceed, please follow these steps
2.1) Register on the Universitaly: create a personal account at: https://www.universitaly.it/index.php/registration/firststep. Ensure your name and surname match your passport exactly.
2.2) Submit the Pre-enrollment Application. Log into your Universitaly account:(https://www.universitaly.it/index.php/) click on the “International Students -> pre-enrol now” banner, and select “Go to Application”.
STEP A: your personal data are filled in automatically from your Universitaly account. Select the upcoming academic year STEP B: Visa Application ---------------- select your country select your Embassy/Consulate Course Information ------------------ Institution: select "Università" Institution Name: select "Università degli studi di Parma" Tick English Language Course type: select "Laurea Magistrale" Course name: select "Communication Engineering" ID account at the chosen University / AFAM / Institute: enter here your University of Parma ID (ESSE3_ID_number) from point 1. STEP C: QUALIFICATIONS please upload here the following documents (=qualifications): * passport * Bachelor's degree * transcript of academic records * a copy of the pre-acceptance letter received by email from our Pre-admission committee.
Note: the pre-acceptance letter must be uploaded as a standalone PDF file (do not merge or pack it with other documents). Please note: Failure to upload this specific letter will block your entire application process.
Note: The final recipient of the Universitaly pre-enrollment documentation is not the University itself, but the Consulate/Embassy responsible for issuing your VISA. The University’s role is strictly limited to validating your application data. Consequently, you should upload the exact same academic and personal documents to the portal that you previously submitted during your initial admission application.
More detailed step-by-step instructions for UNIVERSITALY pre-enrollment are found here at point “2. Pre-enrollment on the Universitaly portal (see pdf instructions)”.
Deadline: you must submit your VISA application as early as possible to ensure it is issued on time, and strictly no later than November 30. Please be aware that administrative delays of over six months are unfortunately common during the visa issuing process. Therefore, we strongly advise you to apply immediately once the Universitaly portal opens for new academic year applications.
After university validation, your selected Embassy/Consulate will receive through Universitaly all your documents to start the VISA process. You will be informed of validation by a statement in the Universitaly portal that says “Forwarded to Consulate on date-xxxx“.
Note: Italian regulations require you to have a minimum of €10,387 in your personal or family bank account for at least three consecutive months prior to your application. Any visa application declaring funds below this strict threshold will be automatically rejected. Our experience shows that the vast majority of visa rejections are due to insufficient evidence of financial support. To secure your application against this type of rejection, we strongly recommend proceeding through a “notarized affidavit” of financial support. For comprehensive details regarding visa approval and common rejection factors, please visit our official VISA Info Page.
Note: Please follow the online procedure strictly. For Italian Embassies and Consulates, the official online validation by our University through the Universitaly portal serves as the mandatory authorization to initiate your visa processing.
To secure a VISA, several certifications are required, such as a declaration that the medium of instruction was English, the DOV/CIMEA equivalence, proof of payment of university fees, and proof of accommodation. You can find here a Director’s Statement letter to upload on Universitaly along with your Bachelor, etc (all the documents you already submitted to us for pre-acceptance must also be submitted to Universitaly).
Note: the Universitaly pre-enrolment procedure does not guarantee the issuance of a study visa. Furthermore, it does not imply any right to subsequent university matriculation. Your enrollment will be finalized exclusively after our Student Secretariat offices have thoroughly evaluated and approved all required original academic and administrative documents. Please be aware that the University will retain these original documents for the entire duration of your Master’s course in Parma.
3) Apply for VISA
Once your application has been validated, you must contact your selected Italian Embassy or Consulate to schedule an in-person interview to finalize your visa issuance.
Note: We strongly advise you to prepare thoroughly for this interview by consulting the guidance provided here. To learn more about the specific forms and documentation required by the Embassy or Consulate for your appointment, please check the official government portal at https://vistoperitalia.esteri.it/home/en as well as the dedicated website of your chosen diplomatic mission.
4) Preparatory Courses and Welcome Resources
While waiting at home before your arrival in Parma, you are strongly encouraged to take the video prep-courses we offer to our new students (please also watch the “welcome lecture” video to better understand how our course is organized and what we expect from you) as this will allow you to start your official classes with the best background. Prep-courses are found at: http://communication-eng.unipr.it/index.php/pre-course/ Please send email to alberto.bononi@unipr.it to get ID and password to access those videos. There you will also find “Other Background Knowledge Sources” to further your study. If, after watching videos and extra sources, you still have specific questions, please email the instructor of the course you have questions about, as follows:
Intro to Communication Engineering (gianluigi.ferrari@unipr.it) Mathematical Methods for Engineers (paolo.serena@unipr.it) Fourier Transform (armando.vannucci@unipr.it) Stochastic Processes (armando.vannucci@unipr.it) Probability Theory (alberto.bononi@unipr.it) Signals and Systems (alessandro.ugolini@unipr.it) Digital Communications (paolo.serena@unipr.it)
5) Tax reduction and ERGO scholarship application
International students may be eligible for substantial university tuition fee reductions. To secure these discounts or to apply for a scholarship, you must submit an early application through the official ER.GO portal, as the application procedure is identical for both benefits. During this process, you will be required to upload official, government-certified financial documentation detailing your family income and assets. Please pay meticulous attention to acquiring the correct official documents, as ER.GO strictly rejects non-compliant paperwork.
Info at: https://communication-eng.unipr.it/index.php/scholarships/
6) Matriculating with the Unviersity of Parma
Once you get your study VISA you can finally matriculate through your ESSE3 account at the University of Parma Website. Do it before Nov 30 to avoid paying overcharges. Instructions are found here.
7) Upon your arrival in Italy
Upon your physical arrival in Parma, you must promptly complete several administrative steps to regularize your stay. This includes applying for your official residence permit (Permesso di Soggiorno) and obtaining your Italian tax code (Codice fiscale), as detailed in our practical guidelines for international students: “Practical Information for Foreign Students” .
Please note that finding accommodation is a challenging aspects of moving to Italy. The University of Parma has very limited residential facilities, meaning that many international students must secure housing independently on the private rental market. Due to high demand and limited availability, we strongly recommend that you begin your housing search as early as possible. Private room listings generally peak around July, which corresponds with the standard annual contract renewal period.
Some tips for accommodation search are given at the Accommodation webpage.
8) Beginning of Classes and Timeline Planning
Official classes are scheduled to begin shortly after mid-September. Please be aware that attending your courses from the very first lecture is a fundamental academic requirement. To accommodate students who may still be awaiting visa issuance at home, the university typically offers a blended learning format (combining in-presence lectures with online sessions via Microsoft Teams) exclusively for the first semester. Comprehensive instructions on how to access and attend these online classes can be found here.
To ensure a smooth transition, you are strongly advised to organize your upcoming schedule—including your embassy interview, visa application, and travel arrangements—well in advance. We highly recommend planning your arrival in Parma by August. This timeline will grant you sufficient time to secure private accommodation and finalize all necessary administrative procedures, such as official university matriculation and the application for your residence permit (matriculating, permesso di soggiorno, etc).