ACADEMIC YEAR 2023 – 2024
The optional free of charge Italian Language courses are open to fully matriculated USI students or USI professionals only. Members of other Higher Institutions should investigate independent Italian Language schools.
Offered courses at Università della Svizzera italiana
Scroll down this page to discover all courses offered during the Academic year. Be aware of the fact that levels will only be activated if a minimum number of enrollments is reached.
Italian language Lecturers
MA USI Lara Faccio, MA USI Pamela Trincado
FAQ and Information sheet
Before enrolling for any course take the time to read the Frequently Asked Questions and the “Information sheet” for more specific information regarding the attendance policy and the course load. Please select the orange titles below.
Brochure Italian Language courses Academy of Architecture, Mendrisio Campus
Self-assessment grid for language skills and placement test
1.The self-assessment grid illustrates the levels of proficiency described in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). It is useful to measure personal knowledge in connection with language acquisition. Assess your current skills level by using the grid below.
Griglia per l’autovalutazione (Portfolio europeo delle lingue)
Self-assessment Grid (European Language Portfolio)
2. Use the placement test A1.1-A2.2 to determine your current language skills and find out which CEFR level will help you to achieve your goal.
3. For description and prerequisites, select the orange title of each course in the boxes below.
Assessment test, first class hour
All higher level courses require knowledge of material covered in other courses. A definitive decision about admission can consequently be taken only after the entrance test organised the first day.
Registration
For the good organization of the programme, register only if seriously interested. Online enrollment is, in general, possible up to one week before the starting date of the course but a course may be full at an earlier time.
Withdrawal
For the course planning, accurate data on the number of participants is very important. Withdrawals must be notified to italiancourses@usi.ch as soon as possible since other students may be waiting for a place to become free. If you don’t attend the first class meeting and at least 20% of the total hours of the chosen level, you will automatically be dropped from the course and prevented from attending Italian language courses in the following semester, unless there are free places at disposal.
USI Language-learning Tandem programme
The free of charge USI language-learning tandem programme is open to USI students and USI professionals interested in practising a foreign language with a native speaker. When learning in tandem, two speakers of different native languages work together to learn the language of their partner in a mutual exchange.
How to register? Access the eTandem platform with your edu-ID credentials. Once you have registered, you will see all the USI available announcements. Choose the profile that corresponds to your language-learning goals and contact the person via email. If the published tandem partnerships don’t match your own requirements, you publish your own announcement by using the online form.
COURSES AUTUMN SEMESTER 2023
INTENSIVE COURSES OFFERED PRIOR TO THE SEMESTER START – AUTUMN SEMESTER
For description and prerequisites, select the orange title of the intensive course you want to apply for in the boxes below:
| Absolute Beginners Level A1.1, in-person learning | Mendrisio Campus, 4 – 14 September 2023 | 09:00- 15:30 |
| Beginners Level A1.2, in-person learning | Mendrisio Campus, 4 – 14 September 2023 | 09:00 – 15:30 |
| Elementary Level A2.1, in-person learning | Mendrisio Campus, 4 – 14 September 2023 | 09:00 – 15:30 |
| Upper Elementary Level A2.2, in-person learning | Not offered |
Select the orange title “Enrol in the intensive courses” in the box below to enrol in one of the intensive courses:
Enrol in the intensive courses – AUTUMN SEMESTER
Online applications enroll participants automatically. A detailed informative email confirming the enrolment will however be sent few days before the beginning of each course.
SEMESTER-TIME COURSES – AUTUMN SEMESTER
The free of charge Italian language courses are optional and therefore held at lunch break or in the evening. Before you register, check the timetable of your classes to make sure that they don’t conflict with the Italian course and decide which program you prefer, noon or evening.
Levels will only be activated if a minimum number of enrollments is reached.
For description and prerequisites, select the orange title of the semestral course you want to apply for in the boxes below:
| Absolute Beginners Level A1.1 |
Online synchronous | Tuesdays 08:30 – 10:00 |
| Beginners Level A1.2, in-person learning |
Mendrisio Campus | Mondays 19:00 – 20:30 |
| Elementary Level A2.1, in-person learning |
Mendrisio Campus | Mondays 20:30 – 22:00 |
| Upper elementary Level A2.2, in-person learning |
Mendrisio Campus | Mondays 20:30 – 22:00 |
| L’italiano con l’architettura, l’arte e la letteratura, Level A2-B1, in-person learning | Mendrisio Campus | Mondays 20:30 – 22:00 |
| Intermediate Level B1.1, in-person learning |
Mendrisio Campus | Mondays 20:30 – 22:00 |
| L’italiano con l’architettura, l’arte e la letteratura, Level B1-B2, in-person learning | Mendrisio Campus | To be defined |
| Intermediate 2 Level B1.2, in-person learning |
Lugano Campus | Wednesdays 18:30 – 20:00 |
| Upper intermediate Level B2.1, in-person learning |
Lugano Campus | Tuesdays 18:30 – 20:00 |
ORAL INTERACTION COURSES, LUGANO CAMPUS
Università della Svizzera italiana offers two Oral Interaction courses, one in level A2-B1 and one in level B1-B2. Both courses are held on Lugano Campus in Via Buffi 13, Lugano. For information and enrolment please see Faculty of Communication, Economics and Informatics page.
Select the orange title “Enrol in the semester-time courses” in the box below to enrol in the semestral courses:
Enrol in the semester-time courses – AUTUMN SEMESTER
Online applications enroll participants automatically. A detailed informative email confirming the enrolment will however be sent few days before the beginning of each course.
COURSES SPRING SEMESTER 2024
INTENSIVE COURSES OFFERED PRIOR TO THE SEMESTER START – SPRING SEMESTER
Lugano Campus
In-person teaching. For description and prerequisites, select the orange title of the intensive course you want to apply for in the boxes below:
| Absolute Beginners Level A1.1, in-person learning | Lugano Campus, 5 – 16 February 2024 | 08:30 – 14:30 |
| Beginners Level A1.2, in-person learning | Lugano Campus, 5 – 16 February 2024 | 08:30 – 14:30 |
| Elementary Level A2.1, in-person learning | Lugano Campus, 5 – 16 February 2024 | 08:30 – 14:30 |
| Upper elementary Level A2.2, in-person learning | Lugano Campus, 5 – 16 February 2024 | 08:30 – 14:30 |
Select the orange title “Enrol in the intensive courses” in the box below to enrol in one of the intensive courses:
Enrol in the intensive courses – SPRING SEMESTER
Online applications enroll participants automatically. A detailed informative email confirming the enrolment will however be sent few days before the beginning of each course.
SEMESTER-TIME COURSES – SPRING SEMESTER
The free of charge Italian language courses are optional and therefore held at lunch break or in the evening. Before you register, check the timetable of your classes to make sure that they don’t conflict with the Italian course and decide which program you prefer, noon or evening.
Levels will only be activated if a minimum number of enrollments is reached.
In-person teaching. For description and prerequisites, select the orange title of the semestral course you want to apply for in the boxes below:
| Absolute Beginners Level A1.1 | Online synchronous | Tuesdays 08:30 – 10:00 |
| Beginners Level A1.2, in-person learning | Mendrisio Campus | Mondays 19:00 – 20:30 |
| Elementary Level A2.1, in-person learning | Mendrisio Campus | Mondays 20:30 – 22:00 |
| Upper Elementary Level A2.2, in-person learning | Mendrisio Campus | Mondays 19:00 – 20:30 |
| L’italiano con l’architettura, l’arte e la letteratura, Level A2-B1, in-person learning | Mendrisio Campus | Mondays 20:30 – 22:00 |
| Intermediate Level B1.1, in-person learning | Mendrisio Campus | Mondays 20:30 – 22:00 |
| Intermediate Level B1.2, in-person learning | Lugano Campus | Wednesdays 18:30 – 20:00 |
| Upper intermediate Level B2.1, in-person learning | Lugano Campus | Tuesdays 18:30 – 20:00 |
ORAL INTERACTION COURSES
Università della Svizzera italiana offers two Oral Interaction courses, one in level A2-B1 and one in level B2. Both courses are held on Lugano Campus in Via Buffi 13, Lugano. For information and enrolment please see Faculty of Communication, Economics and Informatics page.
Select the orange title “Enrol in the semester-time courses” in the box below to enrol in the semestral courses:
Enrol in the semester-time courses – SPRING SEMESTER
The online application enrolls participants automatically. A detailed informative email confirming the enrolment will however be sent few days before the beginning of each course.
CONTACT
OFFICIAL ITALIAN LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY TEST PLIDA
Università della Svizzera italiana, Lugano campus, also offers an official Italian language proficiency test twice a year (in April and October) in cooperatin with Società Dante Alighieri in Italy. The PLIDA Certificate attests competence in Italian as a foreign language according to a scale of six levels. The levels advance from A1 to C2 in progression of difficulty and correspond to the levels established by the Council of Europe.
For more information, please visit the webpage: http://www.usi.ch/en/esami_plida.htm.