Italy: Bocconi University

Please visit Global Academic Procedures for detailed credit and other academic information.

Bocconi has a large international student population and a thriving exchange program. The university offers majors in Finance, Management, Economics, and Management for Arts, Culture and Communication. UNC students generally enroll in five courses and transfer 15 credit hours towards the Undergraduate Business major. While at Bocconi, you will be an “Attending Student.” You will be required to follow all academic policies for Attending Students.

All courses can be taken in English, and no prior study of Italian language is expected. Bocconi does offer a four-level (beginning to advanced) Italian Crash Course if you are interested in learning some Italian language before the official program start date. We highly recommend this intensive language course (no credit, 60 hours of language instruction). If you enroll in the Italian Crash Course you will pay an additional fee directly to Bocconi.

To receive business elective credit, you must take business administration (not economics) courses.

Internships may be available for the summer after a spring semester exchange. Career Services at Bocconi will assist exchange students interested in applying for summer internship opportunities. Semester internships are not available.

Courses taken at the Bocconi will transfer back to UNC Pass (Bocconi grade of 21 and above)/Fail (Bocconi grade below 21). Pass grades do not affect your UNC GPA. Fail grades transfer back to UNC as Fs, which will affect your UNC GPA. Though transfer credit for this program is Pass/Fail, future employers and graduate schools will also look at the Bocconi transcript, so grades are important.

You will transfer back .6 UNC credits for every 1 ECTS credit, and are expected to take between 20-30 ECTS credits If you earn a grade of 21 or above in all courses, you will receive a total of 12-18 UNC credits for your semester abroad. For students looking to study at Bocconi in the Fall of 2024 and beyond, view the ‘Credit Hour Conversions’ accordion on the ‘Academics Procedures‘ page for more information on credit hour conversion from Bocconi to UNC as the above guidance is for the Academic Year 2023-2024, and the credit hour conversion is slightly shifting starting Fall 2024. 

This program also fulfills the Experiential Education requirement or the High Impact Experience requirement (if you are under the new IDEAs curriculum). Full-time enrollment in this program is defined as a minimum of 12 credit hours.

Important: Bocconi-affiliated housing is very limited and not guaranteed. If you would like to apply to live in a residence hall, you must submit your application as soon as it is available (post-acceptance). You may list the Arcobaleno residence (see more information below) as your preference, but listing additional dormitories on your application is also strongly encouraged. Housing is allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Most visiting exchange students apply to stay in the Arcobaleno residence, located 30 minutes by tram from Bocconi. The residence offers single rooms in double-occupancy apartments. All rooms are furnished with a bed, a desk and a wardrobe and have a refrigerator, air conditioning and internet access. Blankets, sheets and towels are also provided. There is a shared common kitchen and laundry facility in the building. UNC students often choose to live in the dorm for convenience and to meet other international students. A few students prefer to find an apartment in Milan independently. Bocconi will share recommendations for external housing options with students directly.

We suggest you create your global program budget using our budget worksheet (xlsx) to help you think about your costs on this program:

• Populate the figures from the tables below into the left side costs of attendance
• Input your financial resources on the right

Your customized budget sheet can help determine your current financial status, and help you understand what additional funding you may need to help make this an affordable program option.

*Cashier Billed Expenses are those charges billed directly to your UNC ConnectCarolina account.

Funding your global program

The Undergraduate Business Program offers scholarships to support our students who wish to participate on a global program. Please visit the Scholarships and Financial Aid page to learn more.

Do you have a valid passport? If yes, check your passport’s expiration date to ensure that your passport is valid at least 6 months after your program’s scheduled end date. If not, you’ll need to submit a passport renewal application.

Do you need to apply for a passport (first time or renew)? If yes, we recommend that you get started on your passport application right away as you’ll need time to collect documents like your birth certificate to include as part of your application. For complete instructions click here.

Will I need immigration documents? If you are accepted into this program you will need to travel to an Italian consulate/embassy in the United States to obtain a visa permitting you to study in Italy. For this appointment, you will need your passport in hand along with other documentation from our office and the host university office. It is each student’s responsibility to research if they need a visa, and if so, what type. Visit Bocconi’s webpage on student visas for more information.