Dual Career Project

The University of Bologna, together with CUSB - Centro Universitario Sportivo Bologna (Bologna University Sports Center), offers the “Dual Career” program - “Student-Athlete” status to help you balance your university studies and competitive sports career.

The Dual Career Status “Student-Athlete” program was created to help you balance your athletic career with your academic commitments. It offers you the opportunity to achieve high levels of education and solid professional prospects even after the end of your athletic career.
Sports and education can coexist harmoniously, and you will have the support you need to excel in both areas.

Who can apply

To be recognized as a student-athlete, you must:

• be enrolled in a degree program at the University of Bologna;
• be a member of a national sports federation (FSN) of CONI or CIP;
• meet at least one of the following requirements:

1. have been selected for the Summer or Winter Olympic/Paralympic Games preparation programs in the 12 months prior to submitting your application;
2. have been selected at least once for the CONI/CIP FSN national teams in the 12 months prior to submitting your application;
3. for individual sports, be ranked in the top 32 of the CONI/CIP FSN national or youth rankings at the time of application;
4. for team sports, participate in the top league organized by the relevant FSN at the time of application; for team sports related to FSNs that have activated a professional sector (FIGC and FIP), participation in the league immediately below the top category is also considered valid;
5. be a medal winner at National University Championships and European University Championships (EUSA) in the 12 months prior to submitting the application.

To confirm your status as a student-athlete, you must participate in the call for applications in subsequent academic years, and the Commission will verify annually that you meet the requirements.

What student-athlete status entails

If you are recognized as a student-athlete:

• You can request and agree with your professors on ad hoc exam dates in case of concurrent sporting commitments (competitions, training sessions, and related travel), and you can also take exams online using the platforms used by the University (Skype, Microsoft Teams, Zoom), in accordance with the examination procedures;
• You can be assisted by an academic tutor who will help you choose your course of study and any internships or work placements, also with a view to your professional career after your sporting career. As regards study programs, courses, exam dates, and contact with the offices, you can count on the course tutor (student tutor or other tutor).
• you can request a change to your study plan towards the end of your university career if you need to better balance your studies with your sporting commitments or if you want to make choices that are more consistent with your course of study;
• At the end of your studies, you will be issued with a Diploma Supplement, which certifies the specific nature of your student-athlete career.
• You can request that, during the graduation ceremony, the Commission proclaim a formula that also recognizes your status as a student-athlete on the Dual Career path. To request this, write to studenteatleta@unibo.it when you submit your graduation application.
• The possibility of using ER.GO's accommodation service free of charge (with a security deposit to be determined), subject to availability, for a maximum period of 10 consecutive days. Requests for accommodation must be sent to studenteatleta@unibo.it at least 15 days before the date of arrival at the residence.
• You can access the University's sports facilities (swimming pools and weight rooms) free of charge, according to the schedules and regulations that will be provided to you. To access the facilities, you must first submit a request to CUS Bologna by writing to cusb.studenteatleta@unibo.it.
• You can take advantage of a psychological support service, which includes, if necessary, counseling sessions with a sports psychologist. Requests should be sent to cusb.studenteatleta@unibo.it.
• You can take advantage of a guidance and support service for the administrative management of your university career by contacting the dedicated office at the Student Services Area - ASES, studenteatleta@unibo.it, via email.
• You can renew your Student-Athlete status for the academic year 2025/26 (having already obtained it for the academic year 2024/25) even if you have not met some of the requirements indicated in the call for applications, as a result of a serious injury that has significantly limited your sporting activity in the 12 months prior to the renewal application. In this case, you must attach a suitable medical certificate issued by the National Health Service, a private center affiliated with the National Health Service, or a private specialist, accompanied by a document of conformity issued by the National Health Service.

Please note: attendance at exclusively online classes is not required; for courses where attendance is not mandatory, you can ask if recordings of the classes are available; furthermore, you are not entitled to any reductions in the teaching program.

In view of these benefits, the University may ask you to:

• participate in national and international university competitions recognized by FederCUSI, EUSA, and FISU, in agreement with the Cusb-Unibo Sports Management. Participation is mandatory, under penalty of exclusion from the Dual Career program for the following academic year, except in the following cases:
  - concurrent official sporting commitments with one's club;
  - national commitments of the relevant Federation;
  - health reasons documented by appropriate medical certification issued by the National Health Service, a private affiliated center, or a private specialist accompanied by a document of conformity issued by the National Health Service.
  To apply for competitions, you must send your sports resume to cusb.cnu@unibo.it. We also invite you to share your sports results so that we can share and promote them in the best possible way.
• You will be asked to lend your image to university sports promotion activities and Alma Mater-Cusb teams by attending agreed and scheduled celebratory events.

How to apply

The call for applications for admission to the Dual Career program for the 2025/2026 academic year will open at 12:00 p.m. on September 2, 2025, and applications can be submitted through the Studenti Online application until 12:00 p.m. on October 30, 2025.

Within 60 days of submitting your application, we will notify you of the outcome via email to your institutional email address.

The status achieved will be visible to teachers on the AlmaEsami online service.