Brescia
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
No recordings
In the upcoming academic year 2025/26, the teaching activities of Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (lectures, exams, both oral and written, final examinations) will take place on campus.
The School of Banking, Finance and Insurance Sciences has planned that lectures will not be recorded.
The VPI (Foundation Knowledge Assessment Test) is a compulsory test for all enrolled students in the first year of undergraduate and integrated degree programmes. It takes place online and is aimed at ascertaining that you have the basic knowledge necessary to successfully attend the degree programme you have chosen.
You can view the date of your VPI in the "Online Secretariat" - "Appointments" section of iCatt and change it, if necessary, up to 8 days before the originally scheduled date.
You will receive the convocation and operational information on the VPI organisation by e-mail at your @icatt.it address.
If you are absent from the test or you fail, you will automatically be assigned additional courses known as OFAs (Additional Training Obligations) which you must complete by the end of the first year of your degree programme so that you do not have to repeat the year if you continue your studies.
The academic bodies determine the content of the VPI and define the OFAs for each degree programme.
You will be able to view any OFAs you have been allocated in the 'Courses' section of your iCatt page and, below, the OFA calendars organised for the Faculty's courses
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.
Calendar
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.
Go to timetables
Freshmen timetables
Go to timetables
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.
Go to the guides
Campus Guide
Classrooms, maps and services of the Brescia campus
Download here
Notices from Student services centre
Go to the notices
Discounted season tickets on urban transport, dedicated concessions for students
Brescia Trasporti - Public Transportation of Brescia
All students enrolled at a university based in Brescia can purchase annual season tickets at half price to travel by metro and bus within the city (Zone 1) or the entire urban area (city + 14 hinterland municipalities: Zone 1+2).
An annual season ticket for Zone 1 costs €140 instead of €275, and an annual season ticket for Zone 1+2 costs €215 instead of €425.
Since the needs of university students are very different, each student can choose the date when their season ticket becomes valid: the season ticket can be purchased with validity from 1 September, 1 October, 1 November or 1 December.
The additional concessions offered in access to public transport in the urban area (quarterly, six-monthly, nonsemi-monthly scalar passes for non-systematic use) remain confirmed.
Discover all the facilities dedicated to university students.
More information on Brescia Mobility
Arriva Italia - Suburban Mobility
Thanks to an agreement with Arriva Italia, students of Università Cattolica at Brescia campus can benefit from a 50% discount on the purchase of an annual integrated season ticket, which allows travel from the starting location served by the suburban lines to the city of Brescia, including use of city buses and the subway (Zone 1).
For more information, check on Arriva.
Bicimia
And for those who appreciate two-wheelers, a special discount is confirmed again this year for the use of Bicimia, the bike sharing service with 94 stations throughout the city: no deposit of €25 is required, but only the payment of a €5 credit for the use of the service, which is free of charge for the first 45 minutes of use.
For those arriving by their own means to the Via Garzetta location, parking is available at a bargain price in the P1 Unibs parking lot (Via Branze, corner Viale Europa). Parking is allowed h24, including Sundays and holidays.
To use Parking Lot P1, please fill out the form.
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.
