Italy: Free language courses for refugees enrolled in or working at universities

Rome: The Italian “Dante Alighieri Society”, in cooperation with Italy’s Ministry of Education, launched an offer of free online Italian courses to university students, teachers and researchers who are holders of international or special protection.

The aim of the offer is to facilitate the learning and mastering of the Italian language, which is useful for academic courses and in fostering students’ and teachers’ academic integration. Specifically, free Italian courses are planned for third country nationals (TCNs) who have international or special protection status and have recently enrolled at or been employed by Italian universities.

The achievement of language skills will be certified by the internationally-recognised PLIDA exam: members will be given the opportunity to take the B1 or B2 level Italian language certification free of charge in the PLIDA exam sessions scheduled for November 2024.

Applications for the online courses must be submitted by 31 March 2024. The courses will begin on 6 May 2024.

The Dante Alighieri Society (Società Dante Alighieri) is an organisation founded in 1889 which was later established as a non-profit association. It connects 134 000 people worldwide via its network spanning more than 80 countries, powered by Italians and foreigners alike. The institution provides language courses for students and teachers following the Dante.global method, offers exams to certify linguistic competence in Italian, carries out training and continuous professional development activities for teachers, and promotes thousands of cultural initiatives.