University of Pisa Summer - Winter Schools & Foundation Course
Foundation Course in Sciences (FCS)
Pisa, Italy
Foundation Year
DURATION
1 year
LANGUAGES
English, Italian
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2026
TUITION FEES
EUR 5,000 / per year
STUDY FORMAT
Distance Learning, On-Campus, Blended
Key Summary
About: The Foundation Course in Sciences (FCS) offers a comprehensive introduction to scientific concepts and methodologies.
This one-year program is designed to prepare students for further studies in various scientific disciplines.
Through a blend of theoretical learning and practical applications, students will develop a solid foundation in key areas such as biology, chemistry, and physics, ensuring they are well-equipped for their academic journey.
Career Outcomes: Graduates of the FCS often pursue advanced studies in fields like medicine, environmental science, or engineering.
With a solid grounding in sciences, students may find career opportunities as laboratory technicians, research assistants, or educators in scientific disciplines.
This course opens pathways to various roles that contribute to innovation and improvement in health, technology, and environmental sustainability.
The Foundation Course Science (FCS) is made of 60 credits (CFC) and the duration is one year divided in two semesters.
Lessons are taught in English and there are 24 CFC of Italian language from the A1 to the B2 level.
Mandatory modules consist of 51 CFC and students can choose the remaining 9 CFC among several optional modules.
The FCS prepares students interested in scientific courses such as Medicine, Dentistry, Health Sciences, Computer Science, Economics, Engineering, Math, Natural Sciences, Pharmacy and Physics. The program’s modules are based on last year’s curricula of scientific subjects as given at Italian scientific high schools.
Students who have gaps in Math may attend a preparatory class (Math0) in September with dedicated tutors before the beginning of the regular class (Basic Mathematical Language)
Academic Coordinator: Prof. Marco Polini
Mandatory modules
Basic Mathematical Language (6 CFC)
Physics (9 CFC)
Chemistry (6 CFC)
Biology (6 CFC)
Italian Language and Culture (24 CFC)
Elective modules
First semester (6 CFC)
Principles of Economics and Management (3CFC) / Ecology for Agriculture (3CFC) / Introduction to philosophical thought (3 CFC)/ Italian History (3 CFC), Introduction to Film History (3 CFC)
Second semester (3 CFC)
Goesciences (3 CFC) / Logic and Reasoning (3 CFC) / Italian literature II B (3 CFC)/ Advanced Math (3 CFC)/ Introduction to European Law (3 CFC)
What is the foundation course?
The Foundation Course is a study program composed of two fields of study: Humanities (Foundation Course in Humanities-FCH) and Sciences (Foundation Course in Science-FCS), taught in English and primarily aimed at candidates who do not possess the minimum schooling requirements outlined in current legislation for enrolment at Italian universities.
Attendance of the Foundation Course is mandatory and students must accumulate all the credits provided by the course in order to obtain the final qualification.
The modules available within the Foundation Course are taught in English and a certificate of knowledge of the English language at a B2 level is required.
FAQ
- What other options do you have for this program?
Humanities, Native Italians, Free Choice modules.
- Can I pay for this program in installments?
Yes
- What is the admission process for this program?
To apply for one of the Foundation Course programs go to foundationcourse.unipi.it
The application period is from 12/05/2025 to 8/06/2025
The applications are open for students interested to the Foundation Course Humanities, Science, Native Italians and the Foundation Course single modules.
There are 70 spots for Humanities and 70 spots for Science.
Spots for the Foundation Course for Native Italians and the Foundation Course single modules are counted separately.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THOSE WHO APPLY FOR THE SINGLE MODULES WILL NOT OBTAIN THE FOUNDATION COURSE FINAL CERTIFICATE BUT ONLY A TRANSCRIPT WITH THE SUBJECTS PASSED.
If there will be more applicants than the available spots we will accept the first 140 students (equally divided from Science and Humanities) in chronological order with respect to the submission date of their application.
Please note that the following documents must be uploaded by 8/06/2025, otherwise the application will be rejected:
- Passport
- Secondary school leaving certificate obtained after at least 11 years of school + transcript of records of the last school year.
If you have not obtained your Secondary School Qualification yet, it is enough a school enrollment certificate along with the transcript of records (original and officially translated in English or Italian). - English language certificate (B2 level at least) or proof of one full year of school in English.
The international english certificates accepted are: IELTS (minimum 5.5), TOEFL IBT (minimum 72) , Cambridge english qualification (minimum 160), Duolingo (minimum 100) Info about IELTS here, Info about TOEFL IBT here, Info about Cambridge english qualifications here, info about Duolingo here
Application steps:
- Candidates who have correctly submitted the application will be asked to pay the application fee within five days.
- By 16/06 all the candidates who have paid the application fee will be assessed.
- By 20/06 eligible candidates will be conditionally accepted and not eligible candidates will be rejected.
Candidates will be considered eligible if they are within the first 70 of Humanities or the first 70 ones of Science (in chronological order starting from when they have submitted the application), if they have correctly uploaded all the documents required and if they have (or will obtain) a final secondary school qualification after at least 11 years of school. For info about some qualifications that are not accepted please go here. - By 29/06 eligible (conditionally accepted) candidates will have to pay the first fee (1016 euros), to fill, sign and upload the Responsibility Agreement and to register to the Alice portal. Those who will correctly carry out the three steps above within the due time will be considered accepted to the program, otherwise they will be rejected.
- By 07/07 all the accepted candidates will receive the acceptance letter and, if non-EU students, they will be asked to apply for a Study D Visa through the Universitaly portal.
If we will not be able to give all the 140 spots available (divided equally between Science and Humanities) we will go through the ranking until we will reach the expected number.
Other important dates:
By 31/12 Final secondary school certificate submission
By 28/02/2026 Declaration of Value/ CIMEA certificates submission.
- What documents are required to apply to this program?
If you want to apply for the Foundation Course the following documents are required
- Passport
- Final secondary school leaving qualification obtained after at least 11 years of school + transcript of records of the last school year. For US e UK based qualifications see here
If you have not obtained your final secondary school qualification yet, it is enough a school enrollment certificate along with your transcript of records (original and officially translated in English or Italian). The deadline to submit the final qualification is 30/09/2025. - English language certificate (B2 level at least) or proof of one full year of school in English.
The international english certificates accepted are: IELTS (minimum 5.5), TOEFL IBT (minimum 72) , Cambridge english qualification (minimum 160), Duolingo (minimum 100). Info about IELTS here, Info about TOEFL IBT here, Info about Cambridge english qualifications here, info about Duolingo here - Declaration of Value (DoV) or CIMEA Statement of Comparability and Statement of Verification of your Secondary School Certificate. Deadline to obtain the documents is 28/02/2026.
Please note that if you have obtained your final secondary school qualification in one of the countries under the Lisbon Recognition Convention you can submit the Statement of Correspondence, as an alternative to the Declaration of Value or the Statement of Comparability . Please note that the Statement of Verification is in any case required.
You can download the Statement of Correspondence from the ARDI database: please select the country in which your academic title has been issued, choose upper secondary school education and choose the level of your academic title (in your case EQF 4). After this click on “search”, then on “>” and finally select “click here to download the PDF version of the document”.
Students obtaining the GCE/IGCE with 1 A-level from Pearson Edexcel or Cambridge do not have to submit neither the DoV nor the CIMEA certificates.
Info about the Declaration of Value here
Info about the CIMEA certificates here
Send us an email to find out more
Structure of the foundation course
The academic year is structured in two terms for which attendance is obligatory.
Each term lasts for 12 weeks and corresponds to the already existing academic semesters.
The terms are organized in the following way:
- 1 week of orientation (which happens once the students arrive)
- 9 weeks of classes
- 1 week of exam preparation (winter break)
- 1 week for exams
Once a student has finished the FC program, s/he will receive a certificate that will allow the student to request enrolment in a Bachelor’s or long single-cycle degree program at the University of Pisa.
Once a student has obtained the FC certificate, should the student be interested in pursuing a degree program at another Italian university, it will be the student’s responsibility to contact the University of interest in order to request information about the procedure and timetable for a pre-evaluation and possible enrolment. According to ministerial decree n. 7696 of March 23rd, 2016, the Italian legal system foresees that each university has full autonomy regarding the admission criteria requested from students interested in studying at their university.
Suitable candidates for the foundation course
The Foundation Course (FC) is a pre-university program for students without the minimum school requirements to apply for an undergraduate degree in an Italian university.
Indeed, for the university enrollment a secondary school leaving certificate obtained after 12 years of school is normally required.
The program is primarily designed for students with:
- A secondary school qualification obtained after 11 years of school
- An American high school diploma without 3 Aps or 1 year of college
- International General Certificate of Education/ General Certificate of Education without 3 A-levels
In order to apply for the Foundation Course your Secondary School Certificate must give you the right to apply for the university in the country to which your school system belongs.