BSc in International Politics and Government Requirements

Exchange Program 2026-27

Students enrolled in the BSc in International Politics and Government (BIG) are required to join the Exchange Program during their 3rd year of their Bachelor Degree.
The application opens once a year, during 2nd year of the study cycle.

Academic Requirements

To be eligible for the Exchange Program students must:

  • Enrollment: be regularly enrolled in the 2nd year of the BSc in International Politics and Government
  • Credits: have 40% of 1st-year credits registered on their transcript.

Please note that:

  • The calculation of GPA and credits is based on Bocconi exams taken by the end of the winter exams session: 3rd February 2026 for the AY 2026/27 selection. Make sure all your grades are registered in your Study Plan before the Exchange Program application closes, as only those exams will be considered for the rankings;

  • If you would like to convert the English certificate to have the exam passed in your Bocconi career and counting for the Exchange program score, it is essential to do it in advance, and in any cases before February 3rd 2026. For further instructions and timeline, please visit the Bocconi Language Center's website;

  • Exams which are not part of the 2nd year study plan - 1st semester - are not included as the exams must be taken in the ordinary exam session;

  • Courses subdivided in modules will be considered as separated courses for the minimum academic requirements and exchange score calculation;

  • Some destinations might require a specific minimum GPA. When necessary, the details can be found on the Brochure;

  • If the applicant moves from a bachelor's degree course to another one, exams which are not part of the 1st year and 2nd year - 1st semester - of the NEW study plan are not included.

Language Requirements

The enrollment in the BSc in International Politics and Government is sufficient to fulfill the minimum language requirements for English.
In addition to the minimum requirements for the Exchange program, some partner universities have additional language requirements. You can check them in our destination brochure.
Please read carefully both sections below:

To be eligible for the Exchange Program it is always required to have a minimum level of English, French, German, Spanish according to the institutions you are applying for.

Level B2 for English proved automatically through enrollment in the BSc in International Politics and Government in English.

Level B1 or higher for French, German and Spanish, proved by one of the options listed below:

  • Citizenship
  • International Certification
  • University Language Exam
  • Enrollment in the Bocconi Second Language Course
  • Secondary School Diploma - Please contact the Study Abroad office providing any document which can be useful to evaluate your case.

How to fulfill the Minimum Language Requirements for French, German, or Spanish:

Citizenship Citizens from a country where French, German or Spanish is the first language, can certify their minimum language proficiency by submitting their passport at the time of application to the program at Punto Blu.
Bocconi Language Exam Applicants with the exam already registered in their Bocconi career do not have to submit any international certification at the time of application to the program unless the university they are applying to has additional requirements.
International Certifications for Other Languages
  • Certificates must be recognized by Bocconi Language Center with an equal or higher level of B1 and must submitted at the time of application. For the minimum scores accepted, please refer to the Bocconi Language Center tables;
  • For Spanish, the SIELE GLOBAL certificate at B1 level in all its components is accepted, in on-site or remote mode;
  • Certificates must be awarded no more than 3 years prior the Exchange Program application deadline.
Enrollment in Bocconi Second Language Course
  • When the language of selection is French, German or Spanish, BSc in International Politics and Government applicants can temporarily meet the requirement if enrolled in the Bocconi course of the required language;
  • the final exam must be passed and registered before departure;
  • selected students who do not pass the language exam by the deadline, will no longer be eligible to leave for the exchange and will be automatically excluded from the program.

 

 

 

To apply for destinations with the additional language requirements all Bocconi students, even native speakers, must submit an international certificate to be uploaded on Punto Blu at the time of application (e.g. a British student must submit TOEFL or IELTS for the University of Pennsylvania).

For the language additional requirement, please note that:

  • Applicants will need to satisfy both minimum and additional requirements;
  • FCE, CAE, CPE, TOEFL My Best Scores, and IELTS General Training are not accepted;
  • TOEFL and IELTS Academic certificates must be issued no more than 2 years before the departure date;
  • All other certificates must be issued no more than 3 years before the departure date;
  • The Bocconi Study Abroad Office accepts IELTS Online, TOEFL Home Edition, and IELTS One Skill Retake to meet additional language requirements. However, many institutions may require the standard in-person version. Therefore, we strongly recommend choosing the most widely accepted format, as it cannot be excluded that some partner institutions may request the standard certificate to be submitted within a short timeframe after the Bocconi selection and during the Host School application process;
  • For students applying for a destination with limited slots per semester, the certificate needs to be valid at the beginning of the latest semester available (e.g. if you are interested in a destination where the latest departure date is in April 2026, your IELTS/TOEFL must have been obtained no earlier than April 2024).