A key strength of the teaching and curricula of the undergraduate and master’s degree courses at the University for Foreigners of Perugia, in line with its international outlook, is the teaching of both European and non-European foreign languages.
In addition to the curricular courses required by each degree program, the departments offer students the opportunity to deepen their linguistic knowledge and communication skills by attending language classes taught by native-speaker collaborators and linguistic experts.
Starting from the academic year 2025-2026, an Academic Italian Language Course (Levels I and II) has been introduced to offer international students the opportunity to improve their proficiency in the language of study.
Foreign languages and language assistantships in bachelor's and master's degree courses: guidelines
The study plans for bachelor's and master's degree courses include foreign language courses which, like other courses, last one semester and are held in the second semester (March-May each year). These courses are structured as follows:
Foreign language course (9 ECTS)
| First part | Second part |
|---|---|
| module taught by the course professor (6 ECTS) | language practice (3 ECTS) |
The professor's module lasts 40 hours and is complemented by a 20-hour language practice session, taught during the course schedule by native speakers. This part delves into linguistic and grammatical aspects relevant to the level set by the educational objectives of the course, using the reference texts for the exam.
The language practice sessions cannot be attended separately from the main course module and therefore do not by themselves entitle students to ECTS credits. Credits for foreign language courses are awarded through a final examination jointly administered by the course professor and the language lecturer.
Expected competence levels upon completion of the curricular course
For bachelor's degrees:
- English: level B2 of the CEFR
- Spanish: level A2 of the CEFR
- Chinese: Elementary 1 (for example, equivalent to A1 of the CEFR)
- Japanese: Elementary 1 (for example, equivalent to A1 of the CEFR)
- Arabic: Elementary 1 (for example, equivalent to A1 of the CEFR)
For master's degrees:
- English: level C1 of the CEFR
- Spanish: level B2 of the CEFR
- Chinese: Elementary 2 (for example, equivalent to A2 of the CEFR)
- Japanese: Elementary 2 (for example, equivalent to A2 of the CEFR)
- Arabic: Elementary 2 (for example, equivalent to A2 of the CEFR)
The University for Foreigners of Perugia offers its students the opportunity to complete part of the individual study hours required to reach the language proficiency level needed for the main language course (as indicated in point 1 above) in the classroom, with native speaker instructors.
This is a preparatory support, which does not require attendance but is designed to provide students with constant and qualified help to achieve language skills that are not only suitable academically (to pass the exam), but, above all, are truly applicable in the professional field.
This support is structured as follows:
Preparatory language courses (60 hours), held in the semester prior (first semester) to the main foreign language course (second semester); these are particularly aimed at students who do not meet the prerequisites required by the foreign language course programs.
Preparatory language courses are held in specially reserved time slots, so as not to overlap with class schedules, and are structured to prepare students for the main foreign language course. To this end, they do not include a final exam with a grade or evaluation, but the instructor may assess at the end of the course the level of proficiency achieved by the students and their suitability and language competence to undertake the main course in the second semester.
For these reasons, attending and passing any final evaluations in this type of preparatory course does not entitle students to the recognition of ECTS credits.
The Bachelor's degree program in ComIP and the Master's degree program in ItAS provide, in addition to the foreign language courses included in the study plans (hereafter referred to as “courses”) and the related preparatory language classes as training support for students without CFU recognition, the activation in the relevant study plan of language classes organized as institutional educational activities, which are an integral part of the educational ordinance and therefore carry an allocation of 3 CFUs. These language classes, included in the study plans, are offered to enhance the student’s language proficiency beyond the regular courses. In fact, the student will be able to follow a consistent language training path.
The language classes included in the study plans are scheduled in time slots specifically set aside to avoid overlapping with class hours. The language classes in the study plans last for one semester, with a total of 40 hours (4 hours per week).
The University for Foreigners of Perugia offers its students the opportunity to attend French language lectorates. This lectorate is activated to meet the educational needs of students involved in internationalization projects, double degrees and/or exchange agreements with French universities, or simply to acquire additional language skills that can be used in a professional context.
The French language lectorate can be accredited for 3 ECTS credits among the elective credits chosen by the student, or, in the study plans of previous systems (ComIP), under the entry “Foreign language lectorates.”
The University for Foreigners of Perugia offers its international students the opportunity to attend classes in academic Italian. These classes are offered in the first and second semesters to meet the educational needs of international students enrolled in Bachelor's and Master's degree programs. Each class lasts 60 hours per semester (Level I and II) and attendance is not mandatory, except for students who have shown deficiencies in the entry interviews; for other non-Italian-speaking students, attendance is nevertheless strongly recommended.
Each class (I and II) entitles students to 3 credits (CFU), which can be chosen as elective credits. For more information, please refer to the Program.
