Dear Non-EU prospective student who got an admission letter from our academic admission committee:
The procedure to start the VISA issuing process takes place online through the government-run Universitaly website (https://www.universitaly.it/index.php/students/stranieri). The present page contains important instructions for you to start the VISA procedure and enroll in our University and our LMCE course. You may also refer to the following instructions page of our University. Here is a PDF with the main steps about the Universitaly website:
instructions_UniversitalyDETAILED INSTRUCTIONS FOR OUR ADMITTED STUDENTS
1) You must first register to the University of Parma platform (called ESSE3) in order to create a personal account at: https://www.idem.unipr.it/start/registra (on the top-right menu select English). PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT THE NAME AND SURNAME YOU ENTER DO MATCH THOSE IN YOUR PASSPORT. Detailed instructions are found here.
This way you will get your University of Parma ID number (we will also call it ESSE3_ID_number. It is the “Username UniPR” you can read in your “User Data” screenshot in ESSE3). This will be required at the next step B.
2) STARTING VISA ISSUING PROCESS
Now you have to Pre-enroll through the Universitaly portal. The portal accepts applications for the new academic year typically starting from mid March (Mind: pay attention to which academic year you are applying, since the page of the previous academic year is normally still active). The Pre-enrollment procedure applies to all Non-EU applicants living outside Italy who need a study visa type-D to enter Italy for enrollment in an Italian University. To do that, you must:
2.1) register to the Universitaly platform in order to create a personal account at: https://www.universitaly.it/index.php/registration/firststep. MAKE SURE THAT THE NAME AND SURNAME YOU ENTER DO MATCH THOSE IN YOUR PASSPORT.
2.2) now pre-enroll. Log-in into your Universitaly account: https://www.universitaly.it/index.php/ click on right banner “International Students -> pre-enrol now” and then click “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 YOU RECEIVED BY EMAIL FROM OUR PRE-ADMISSION COMMITTEE (AS A STAND-ALONE PDF FILE, i.e. not packed together with other documents. Failure to upload this letter will block the whole process)
The final recipient of the Universitaly pre-enrollment documentation is not the University you apply for (which is just required to VALIDATE your application), but the Consulate/Embassy that will issue your VISA. Hence you normally upload here the same documents that you uploaded on the LMCE online application website.
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 should apply early enough to get your VISA, in any case no later than November 30. Delays of over 6 months are unfortunately normal for visa issuing, so you should apply as early as you can, possibly by March, when the Universitaly website opens up the new academic year applications.
When you complete your pre-enrollment application through Universitaly, our UNIPR administrative staff looks for YOUR PRE-ACCEPTANCE LETTER to immediately VALIDATE your application. If no pre-acceptance letter is uploaded, your Universitaly pre-enrollment gets stuck.
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“.
Please note that to apply for a student VISA the Italian regulations require you to have since at least 3 months on your/your family’s bank account a minimum of 10387 euros. All VISA applications declaring below the minimum are automatically rejected. Our experience shows that most rejections are due to insufficient evidence of financial means of support. A solution that guarantees protection against such rejections is to proceed through a “notarized affidavit”. More information about obtaining (or failing to obtain) a VISA can be found at our VISA info page.
Please strictly follow the above online procedure, since for embassies it is the online VALIDATION by our University through Universitaly that gives them the “green light” to start processing your VISA request.
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 be also submitted to Universitaly).
NOTICE: the Universitaly pre-enrolment procedure does NOT guarantee you to obtain a VISA for study purposes and it does not imply any rights to the subsequent university matriculation, which will only be finalized once all the needed academic and administrative documents (ORIGINALS) have been positively evaluated and approved by our Secretarial offices, who will keep them in store for the whole duration of your Parma master course.
3) After validation, you now have to contact your selected Embassy/Consulate where you will have to schedule an in-person interview to finalize your VISA issuing (please make sure you adequately prepare yourself for the interview, as explained HERE). For information about the documents and forms to take with you at the interview and needed by the Embassy/Consulate to issue your VISA, please consult the governmental website https://vistoperitalia.esteri.it/home/en and the web pages of your selected Embassy/Consulate.
4) while waiting for your VISA:
While waiting at your home before physically getting to 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
Most of you will likely be entitled to university tax reductions. For that you have to apply early on the ERGO website (both if you apply for a scholarship or if you just apply for tax discounts: the procedure is the same) and upload the required OFFICIAL financial documentation of your family income. Please pay great attention to get the correct government-official financial documentation.
Info at: https://communication-eng.unipr.it/index.php/scholarships/
6) MARTICULATING WITH THE UNIVERSITY 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, look for “3. Enrollment”. Matriculation will be finalized by going in person at the “Segreteria Studenti” on Campus after your arrival in Parma.
7) UPON YOUR ARRIVAL IN ITALY
When you physically get to Parma, you will need to complete your paperwork to get a “stay permit” (PERMESSO DI SOGGIORNO), get the TAX CODE CARD and other things, as explained in the section: “Practical Information for Foreign Students” . Be aware that finding lodging is one of the most challenging problems in Italy (there are very very limited university housing places available, so 98% of you must rely on private renting downtown), so start the search as early as possible and allow yourself plenty of time to search around once you get here.
Some tips for accommodation search are given here: https://communication-eng.unipr.it/index.php/accommodation-and-other-benefits/.
8) BEGINNING OF CLASSES
Classes will start soon after mid September. Be aware that attending classes from the very first lecture is a necessary requirement. We normally hold mixed in-presence and on-line classes on Microsoft Teams for the first semester only, to the benefit of those who are still waiting for their VISA at home. Instructions to attend online classes are found here.
Please plan your next steps (interview at the Embassy, application for VISA, traveling plans, etc.) duly on time to reach Parma if possible by August, so as to have plenty of time to look for an apartment, and complete the bureaucratic steps (matriculating, getting permesso di soggiorno, etc).