Rome
I would like to warmly welcome you to the great family of Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, a university that has believed in young people for over a century. Father Gemelli, our founder, consistently reaffirmed this conviction in his addresses. I would like to recall, in particular, the following passage from his speech at the opening of the 1951/52 Academic Year: “I am convinced – and this is the educational approach I follow – that we must have confidence in young people; we must help them, guide them and understand them.”
This confidence commits us to providing you with a university experience that will guide you toward the future, contributing to your professional, cultural and personal formation. To this end, our academic offering – characterised by high quality, also on an international scale – aims to ‘cultivate a broad, long-term vision’. Our degree programmes are defined not only by the rigour of their content but also by their innovative nature, to ensure they keep pace with the constant changes in society and the labour market. At the same time, they place particular emphasis on interdisciplinary integration. In all of this, our priority is the care and support of every newly enrolled student and the enhancement of their experience in beautiful, welcoming, functional, and technologically advanced spaces. This year, our historic campuses have been joined by the newly opened Polo San Francesco in Milan: occupying an area that once housed a Napoleonic barracks, itself built on the site of a 14th-century Franciscan convent, the new campus is now available to students. This represents an investment in the future – your future.
Every day in your educational journey, all of us faculty members are called upon to teach each of you technical expertise, cutting-edge topics and methods, while remaining faithful to a century-old tradition committed to fostering ethical values, developing critical thinking and nurturing the interpersonal dimension. But also, and above all, we are dedicated to promoting the integral development of the person, to enable you to realise your talents. Attention to the person, partnership between generations, and a commitment to innovation grounded in our roots constitute the fundamental components of an identity that Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore intends both to preserve and renew.
In particular, this is at the heart of Università Cattolica’s 2026–2028 Strategic Plan (www.unicatt.it/ateneo/universita-cattolica/piano-strategico.html), whose guiding principles are: enhancing our identity as a non-profit Catholic university; fostering full integration between the roles of educational community and research university, always placing students at the heart of university life; and ensuring that our University is a place where knowledge is experienced, not merely transmitted. One of the most original aspects of the Strategic Plan is the method through which it was developed, based on the active and open collaboration of the entire university community and, in particular, on co-design and listening to students. This collaborative engagement has not ended and will continue throughout all subsequent phases of the Plan until its completion.
A distinctive feature of our understanding of the educational community lies in the contribution that each member makes to the life of the University as we walk together. I therefore encourage all newly enrolled students to participate in university activities, also in service to others, by volunteering as tutors, representatives in governing bodies, and as members of joint professors-students committees, review panels, and student associations. I invite you to embark upon this journey with growing and enthusiastic involvement, making the most of the many opportunities that Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore offers – from internships to international experiences and volunteering opportunities – all of which are designed to enrich your personal and cultural development. The University is indeed a place for study, but also a place to engage with the real world, build lasting relationships, and imagine something that does not yet exist, but whose urgency and importance are, at the same time, clearly felt.
To strengthen my connection with all of you even further, I intend to set up regular opportunities to meet with students who wish to engage in dialogue and discussion, thereby fostering a relationship that can identify and respond to your needs and proposals. This Guide, which brings together all key information, is an initial resource to help you get to know and appreciate the University and your chosen Faculty. Course syllabi, along with a wide range of other news and announcements about the University’s initiatives, can be found at https://studenticattolica.unicatt.it/
I wish every student an enthusiastic and rewarding university experience, and I encourage all of you not to be daunted by the commitment and hard work required to achieve the milestones ahead.
As I thank you for choosing Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, I invite you to take pride in being part of this great family and in helping to write its history.
Elena Beccalli
The VPI (Foundation Knowledge Assessment Test) is a compulsory test for all students enrolled in the 1st year of graduate and post-graduate degree programmes. The test aims to verify that you possess the basic knowledge to be able to profitably attend your chosen degree programme.
If you have taken the TIEC, you are not required to take the VPI separately as it is incorporated within the test.
If you do not pass the VPI, you will automatically be assigned additional courses, called OFAs (Additional Educational Obligations), which you must necessarily pass within the 1st year of your degree programme to avoid repeating the year in case you continue your studies. The Academic Bodies determine the content of the VPI and define the OFAs for each degree programme
Have you taken the TIEC?
If you scored 7 or above in the math area of the TIEC, you have passed the VPI. You will have regular access to the exam session and will not have to take any OFA courses.
If you scored below 7 in the math area – and anyway at least equal to 4 - you will be automatically assigned OFAs (Additional Educational Obligations).
This implies that:
1) You will need to attend at least 70 percent of the 12-hour Math pre-course. Click "Calendario corsi OFA" in the freshman kit to see the timetable.
2) You will have to pass a Final Verification (VF OFA). See details in the flowchart attached here
The VF OFA is a prerequisite to the Mathematics and Introductory Microeconomics exams.
If you do not pass the VF OFA within the editions scheduled for your registration year, you will be enrolled as a repeat student and will not be eligible for the second year. If you fail to pass the VF OFA (you will have at least 3 attempts), you can contact the group tutor who will offer the right advice and support you in a methodological remedial path.
Do you have a foreign degree?
Are you a transfer student from another degree programme or University, or a student who matriculated before 2020-21, or is your OFA marked as passed?
If you are a transfer student from another degree programme or University, or a student enrolled before 2020-21, or with an OFA marked as passed, you will have to pass a Preliminary Math Test.
Remember:
Additional training obligation (OFA) of Mathematics - Courses calendar
Your journey as a first-year student starts with the Welcome Day.
Take part in your Faculty's Welcome Day on campus and find out all the information you need for your first year as a university student.
We will help you find out:
You will also meet your Group Tutor: a young graduate from the same degree programme as you, whose task is to welcome you and accompany you in this new experience.
In this section you will find all the information you need to build your timetable for classes and find out how to access the University.
Academic calendars
The academic calendar indicates class days, exam sessions and holiday periods.
Class timetables
Enter the name of your degree programme, you will find all the lectures associated with it and you will be able to view the time and room of each lecture.
Faculty Guides
In the Faculty Guide, you will find detailed information on the study plan, compulsory and elective courses, any prerequisite and the list of professors/lecturers in charge of the individual courses.
Campus Guide
Classrooms, maps and services of the Milan campus
As a UniCatt student you have 3 fundamental tools at your disposal, to be used from matriculation to the conclusion of your studies: iCatt Personal Page, Mail @iCatt.it and iCatt App.
