Information on interrupting studies: from withdrawal to suspension, to the time limit for taking exams.
Suspending studies
- Suspension
If you are a student of this University and you intend to continue your studies in another course at a different level at the Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, before registering on the new course you must interrupt your current studies by presenting a request to your present student registry office.
If at a later date you decide to resume the studies you interrupted you will not have to pay the recognition fee.
If on the other hand you suspend your studies to follow a course abroad, which is not part of an international university cooperation project or agreement, or if you go to an Italian military school, then when you resume your studies at the University of Bologna you will have to pay the recognition fee.
- Recognition
If you have not renewed your registration for at least one academic year and you decide to continue your studies, you must make a request to rejoin the university and for every year of interruption you will have to pay a recognition fee which is set by the Academic Bodies.
Payment of the recognition fee for an academic year instead of the full registration fee must be paid for requests made from 1 January of the following academic year. The years of interruption are in any case taken into account when determining the time limit for taking exams.
In both cases (Suspension and Recognition), during the years of interruption you cannot carry out any activity related to the interrupted course.
Withdrawing from studies
Withdrawing from studies is a formal procedure by which you opt to unilaterally interrupt your relationship with the University.
It is important to remember that it is an irrevocable procedure. It entails the loss of student status and of all exams taken which will no longer be valid for the University.
To withdraw you need to present the withdrawal form with a stamp duty of €14.62 to the Student Registry office.
Time limit for taking exams
Time limit for taking exams is a procedure which becomes effective in cases of inertia or students who are excessively slow in their studies, but unlike Withdrawal it is not irrevocable and it does not entail the loss of all studies carried out.
If you have passed the time limit you can still obtain certificates for the exams taken. Terms and conditions vary according to old or new course regulations.
For courses under the new regulation, if you are enrolled on a first cycle degree course you lose your student status if you do not obtain at least 30 credits within the five calendar years that follow your enrolment year. In any case you lose your student status if you do not obtain all the credits required by the degree course regulation within the following six calendar years, with the exception of credits for the final exam.
If you are enrolled on a second cycle degree course you lose your student status if you do not obtain at least 30 credits within the five calendar years following your enrolment on the second cycle degree course. In any case you lose your student status if you do not obtain all the credits required by the degree course regulation within the following three calendar years, with the exception of credits for the final exam
If you are enrolled on a second cycle degree course governed by European regulations you lose your student status if you do not obtain at least 30 credits within the five calendar years following your enrolment on the second cycle degree course. In any case you lose your student status if you do not obtain all the credits required by the degree course regulation within the following nine calendar years, with the exception of credits for the final exam
If are working at the same time, the same terms remain valid with the addition of two calendar years.
For courses belonging to the old regulation you lose your student status if you do not sit an exam for eight consecutive academic years following the year of the last exam taken or the last enrolment year if more advantageous.
This provision is not applied if you only have the final exam to take.
If for whatever reason you have changed from the old course regulation to the new one, the transfer interrupts the time limit procedure.
To register the fact that you have passed the time limit for taking exams you need to hand in a special declaration to your student registry office.
The Time Limit for taking exams, unlike Withdrawal, does not invalidate the studies carried out.
In fact if you exceeded the time limit yet intend to enrol once again on a course at the Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, you have the right to ask the course Committee to evaluate the credits you have acquired for possible total or partial recognition. In other words it is possible to enrol on a course under the new regulations at our university by requesting an evaluation of previous studies, with the objective of shortening the course. The Committee for the course on which you enrol shall decide at its own discretion.