Admission

Candidates holding one of the following educational qualifications have direct access to the Bachelor’s programmes of the Università della Svizzera italiana (USI):

• Maturità federale and Maturità cantonale recognised by the appropriate Federal Commission;
• Maturità commerciale cantonale (Scuola cantonale di commercio, Bellinzona);
• Final diploma from a university of applied sciences or diploma of a technical college recognised by the appropriate federal authorities: in these cases, where the field of study selected is the same as the previous one, the single Faculties may recommend admitting candidates to an advanced level of the programme and exempt them from particular examinations or from the internship period.
• School-leaving certificates issued by Swiss schools abroad are equally accepted.

Applicants in possession of foreign secondary education and/or of a foreign university diploma considered to be equivalent are eligible to the undergraduate programme. As a rule, reference is made to the guidelines of the University Admissions Commission of the Rectors’ Conference of the Swiss Universities (swissuniversities). Where equivalence cannot be unequivocally defined, candidates may be invited to attend an interview or to sit a test, and supplementary, pre-university courses may be prescribed.

Italian diplomas
Secondary education (or high school) diplomas conferred by the following types of schools are considered equivalent:

• Classical Gymnasium (or Lyceum);
• Scientific Lyceum;
• Language Lyceum;
• Social sciences (or Humanities) Lyceum.

The following secondary education diplomas are also considered equivalent:

• Arts Lyceum limited to the Bachelor programmes in Architecture and in Italian language, literature and culture;
• High school degree in Administration, Finance and Marketing, conferred by a vocational high school (or trade school in economics), limited to the Bachelor programmes in Economics, Communication and Informatics;
• High school degree in Informatics and Telecommunications, conferred by a vocational-technical high school, limited to the Bachelor in Informatics.

All other secondary education diplomas conferred by high schools or vocational high schools are not deemed equivalent. Exceptions can be taken into consideration for similar subject areas of study and upon fulfilment of the guidelines of the Admissions Commission at swissuniversities (formerly CRUS, or Rector's Conference of the Swiss Universities).

With concerns to degrees conferred before implementing the current set of rules and regulations, the convergence tables for secondary education programmes, as foreseen by the previous regulatory system for the high school and vocational high school system, shall apply. However, diplomas conferred by teacher training schools, professional art schools and all other four-year secondary education schools will not be acknowledged.

Other countries

As to qualifications awarded in other countries:

• The “European Baccalaureate” is accepted as an equivalent qualification, provided that the final diploma includes six subjects complying with the subject requirements established in the guidelines issued by swissuniversities.
• The "International Baccalaureat" is accepted as an equivalent qualification only if the final average grade is above a specific score threshold and include 6 subjects, with at least 3 at Higher Level, one of which must be mathematics or another natural sciences subject. For details on the accepted subjects and the minimum final score, please refer to the appropriate guidelines issued by swissuniversities
• A US High School final diploma is not recognised as equivalent to the required certificate of secondary education. US applicants seeking admission to USI must submit evidence of passing 6 (six) APT (Advanced placement tests) with a minimum mark of 3. Please refer to the appropriate guidelines issued by swissuniversities.
• For foreign students, a good command of Italian is required for the Bachelor in Communication (B2 level of the international language certificate's frames).

Candidates aged 25 or more, although not in possession of the required certificate of secondary education, may be admitted if their previous training and work experience (appropriately documented in their application file) is considered to be sufficient and relevant.

Following documents are required in order to submit an application:

• Copy of a personal identity document (ID or passport),
• Copies of academic qualifications (bachelor's degree, license, master's degree, high school diploma/school attendance certificate),
• School transcript (only for candidates who obtain a high school diploma abroad),
• Study plan (only for candidates who obtain a high school diploma abroad),
• Certificate of Bachelor's/Master's exams (transcript),
• Curriculum vitae,
• Candidate's motivational letter,
• Certificate of employment,
• Italian/English language certificate (as specified in the Admission section of the program),
• Certified translation of diplomas not issued in Italian, German, French, English, or Spanish,
• Copy of the residence permit for foreign candidates already residing in Switzerland,
• Certified translation of diplomas not issued in Italian, German, French, English, or Spanish,
• Any additional documentation required by the form.

Following cases are exempted from the application fee payment:

• candidates with previous degree studies completed in countries signatories of the Lisbon Convention*
• candidates of the Bachelor and Master programmes offered by the Faculty of Theology (affiliated to USI).

For those who are not exempted (see above), at the time of submission of the application form, a registration fee of CHF 100.- is required (application fee waiver is not possible).
The registration fee is non-refundable in the event of withdrawal by the student or rejection. In case of enrolment, the fee will be deducted from the first semester's tuition fees.

Mature student Bachelor applicants (“on dossier”)

The application fee for mature students (“on dossier”) is CHF 100.-, counting for the higher administrative costs of processing more complex files.
Exemptions are not provided.
Applicants by portfolio for the Bachelor in Architecture are invited to pay CHF 200.-.
Payment is not required for candidates of the Bachelor and Master programmes offered by the Faculty of Theology (affiliated to USI).

Payment methods

The payment through Saferpay is requested before submitting the application.
The application fee is non-refundable in the event of withdrawal by the student or rejection. In the event of enrolment, the fee will be deducted from the first semester's tuition fees.

*What is the Lisbon Convention?

The Lisbon Convention regulates the recognition of university degrees between signatory countries and considerably simplifies the administration of admission procedures.
For this reason, candidates whose previous degree studies were completed in countries inside this Convention (see list below), are exempted from the application fee.

Students with a Maturità federale and Maturità cantonale recognised by the Swiss Federal Commission are granted direct access to the Bachelor’s programme.
For the 2026–27 academic year, 190 places are available for the Bachelor in Scienze economiche (Italian-language programme). Once this limit has been reached, a waiting list will be activated on a first-come, first-served basis.