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 UZH Susanne Stigen Pescia, 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 Lugano 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 in italiano (Portfolio europeo delle lingue)
Self-assessment Grid in English (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 Tandem Language-learning Programme
The free of charge USI Tandem language-learning 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
Intensive courses prior to the semester start
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 teaching | 4 – 14 September 2023 | 08:30 – 14:30 |
| Beginners Level A1.2, in-person teaching | 4 – 14 September 2023 | 08:30 – 14:30 |
| Elementary Level A2.1, in-person teaching | 4 – 14 September 2023 | 08:30 – 14:30 |
| Upper Elementary Level A2.2, in-person teaching | 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
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.
SEMESTER-TIME COURSES – AUTUMN SEMESTER
The free of charge Italian language courses are optional and therefore held in the morning, 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 language courses and decide which program you prefer, morning, noon or evening.
Levels are activated only if the 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:
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
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.
COURSES SPRING SEMESTER 2024
INTENSIVE COURSES OFFERED PRIOR TO THE SEMESTER START – SPRING 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 teaching | 5 – 16 February 2024 | 08:30 – 14:30 |
| Beginners Level A1.2, in-person teaching | 5 – 16 February 2024 | 08:30 – 14:30 |
| Elementary Level A2.1, in-person teaching | 5 – 16 February 2024 | 08:30 – 14:30 |
| Upper Elementary Level A2.2, in-person teaching | 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
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.
SEMESTER-TIME COURSES – SPRING SEMESTER
The free of charge Italian language courses are optional and therefore held in the morning, 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 language courses and decide which program you prefer, morning, noon or evening.
Levels are activated only if the 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:
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.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
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.