Undergraduate programs in Italian: Requirements

Exchange Program 2026-27

Bocconi undergraduate students have the chance to join the Exchange Program during the 3rd year of their bachelor's degree. 
The application opens once a year, during the 2nd year of the study cycle.  

 

Academic Requirements

To be eligible for the Exchange Program all students need to meet the following academic requirements: 

  • GPA: minimum 22/30 average weighted on credits, the average is not rounded.

  • Credits: at least 60% of 1st year credits registered

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 entered in your Study Plan before the Exchange Program application opens;

  • 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

Minimum language requirements are sufficient to apply for all the destinations that do not state further requirements other than the language of selection inside the destination brochure. 
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 or Portuguese according to the institutions you are applying for.

Level B2 or higher for English, proved by one of the options listed below:

  • International Certification
  • University Language Exam

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

Level A2 or higher for Portuguese, proved by one of the options listed before or by the enrollment to the Bocconi Language Center course.

How to fulfill the Minimum Language Requirements:

Citizenship Citizens from a country where French, Germany, Portuguese 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 Bocconi exam already registered in their study plan do not need to submit any certificate at the time of application unless the university they are applying to has additional requirements.
International Certifications for English
  • TOEFL/IELTS: must be awarded no more than 2 years prior the Exchange Program application deadline;
  • IELTS Indicator and TOEFL Essentials are not accepted;
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 certifications and scores accepted, please visit the Language Center website;
  • For Spanish, SIELE GLOBAL 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, undergraduate applicants can temporarily meet the requirement if enrolled in the Bocconi course of the required language;
  • Sub iudice students must have the final exam passed and registered by the day of the last scheduled exam within the July session;
  • 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.
Portuguese Language Students who do not meet the Portuguese language requirement must attend and complete the Portuguese Language course provided by Bocconi Language Center.
Alternatively, students can present a CIPLE or CELPE-Bras A2 language certificate directly to our office. The certificate must be presented and submitted by July.

 

 

 

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).