Academic Information for Outgoing Erasmus+ Students

Study plan for the semester abroad

Before departure, the student must complete and sign the Learning Agreement, which specifies the courses to be taken and the credits to be earned abroad.   
Approval of the Learning Agreement is the responsibility of the Academic Coordinator of the host institution.   
Its completion is a prerequisite for signing the Erasmus+ contract with the University.

The programme (maximum one semester) may include credits from:

  1. Mandatory courses (as per your study plan);
  2. Optional courses (elective modules);
  3. Other educational activities (free-choice activities from your curriculum).

Case 1: Mandatory Courses

An equivalence evaluation by the Department's Erasmus Commission is required.    
To request it, email CommissioneErasmus@economia.unige.it, cc-ing your Academic Coordinator, and provide:

  • The corresponding course at the host university,
  • Your reasons for the substitution,
  • The course syllabus. 

Note: No supplementary coursework is allowed.    
If the host course is worth fewer credits than the UniGe course, the Commission may:

  • Request additional courses to reach the required credit load (e.g., two 3-ECTS courses for one 6-ECTS UniGe course); or
  • Approve the single course and assign the full UniGe credit value to it.

If the host course has more credits, only the UniGe credit value will count towards the GPA.    
Any extra credit(s) will be assigned to the course where the student achieved the highest mark. (Resolution 09/01/2025).

Case 2: Optional Courses

No formal equivalence is required, but credit distributions across disciplinary areas must be respected.    
Each course must be approved by the Academic Coordinator. Credit loads must match UniGe equivalents (e.g., a 4-ECTS course must be paired with another to meet a 6- or 9-ECTS requirement).

Case 3: Other Educational Activities

Credit allocation is flexible.   
First-year exams may not be taken abroad.    
Language exams may be taken abroad only if the course includes subject-specific content in economics, management, or commerce.

Modifications may be made due to:

  • Unavailability of previously selected courses;
  • Timetable clashes;
  • Courses being cancelled or too advanced linguistically or academically.

Students may propose changes by completing the “Changes to the Learning Agreement” section, listing added and removed courses.    
This must be:

  • Emailed to the Academic Coordinator for signature;
  • Then sent to the Departmental Erasmus Office.

If the change concerns a mandatory course, the equivalence request must be re-submitted as described in Section 1.    
For optional or AAF modules, the same rules apply.    
All changes must be signed by the Academic Coordinator to be considered valid.

Grade Conversion

Grades obtained abroad — whether numerical or qualitative — are converted to the Italian 30-point scale, even when used for Other Educational Activities.  
The Department uses the Grade Conversion Table (Italy/foreign countries), subject to changes by the Board of Studies with prior notice.  
When the table assigns a range, the highest grade will be used (Student Mobility Commission, 20/01/2004, protocol 1111). If a grade does not appear in the table, an average will be calculated and possibly rounded up.  
Once converted, the grades contribute to the degree GPA, even when assigned to Other Educational Activities.

Notes:

  • For AAF exams only, students may request that grades not be included in their GPA, by emailing relazint@economia.unige.it.
  • A grade may only be refused before it appears on the Transcript of Records.
  • If a UniGe course corresponds to multiple foreign exams, all must be passed for recognition; otherwise, passed exams will be reclassified as AAF.
  • If multiple foreign courses with honours correspond to a single UniGe exam, honour is recognised only once.
  • When a host course carries more credits than the equivalent UniGe course, the extra credits are assigned to the best-performing course (Resolution 09/01/2025).

Credit Recognition:

  • For credit purposes, the foreign university’s official ECTS value is used.
  • For mandatory courses, if the foreign course is worth fewer credits, the UniGe credit value will be used, subject to equivalence approval.
Last update 4 August 2025