Marco Polo and Turandot Programs 2025-2026
The University for Foreigners of Perugia organizes Italian language and culture courses dedicated to students of the "Marco Polo" and "Turandot" programs.
The "Marco Polo" and "Turandot" programs are aimed at Chinese students who intend to attend undergraduate and master's degree courses at Italian Universities and Italian Higher Education Institutions in Art and Music (AFAM – Academies of Fine Arts and Conservatories).
The University for Foreigners of Perugia is one of the certifying institutions recognized by the Ministry of Education, University, and Research as official entities for the certification of Italian language skills. The CELI exams are currently the only Italian language certificates that meet the quality standards of ALTE (Association of Language Testers in Europe).
Course Duration
The minimum attendance period required for the Italian language courses is 10 months. Students may also choose to attend courses lasting 11 months.
When the arrival of students at the University for Foreigners of Perugia becomes possible, two days will be dedicated to welcoming, placement testing, class formation, and orientation; during these phases and throughout the entire Project, tutors—including native Chinese speakers—will be available to resolve any possible difficulties.
At the end of the course, students will obtain the international CELI MPT certification (CELI 2 and CELI 3 Italian language certificates) at levels B1 or B2; in August 2026, there will in fact be a special session dedicated to Marco Polo and Turandot students.
In the second part of the Project, lessons and activities specifically aimed at preparing for the final CELI exams will be offered.
The courses are structured as follows:
- 10 months: November 3, 2025 – August 28, 2026
- 11 months: October 1, 2025 – August 28, 2026
The University offers students who arrive late in Italy, for reasons related to the issuance of the student visa, the opportunity to complete the course up to September 30.
Educational Offer
As already indicated, the Italian language and culture courses for students of the “Marco Polo” and “Turandot” programs are divided into two tracks, one of 10 months and one of 11 months, based on the student’s language proficiency, verified through a placement test. Students who initially have a higher level of language competence will be included in the Ordinary Courses. Each class will have a maximum of 20/25 students, divided according to the Marco Polo or Turandot type.
The teaching approach will be communicative-functional, aimed at developing appropriate language skills in the various Italian socio-cultural and educational contexts.
Content organization has been structured to ensure a balanced interaction among lexical, functional, grammatical, and phonetic syllabuses specifically prepared for the Marco Polo and Turandot Project. Particular attention will be devoted to Italian in academic contexts, with specific situations and activities offered. The learning process, both remote and in-person, will also be supported by a specially prepared online platform, accessible to students for completing activities and exercises independently. Moreover, in the second half of the training course, there will be hours dedicated to grammatical, lexical, and socio-cultural support, held by native Chinese-speaking teachers.
The educational offer includes, at an advanced stage of the course, lessons on specialized languages relevant to the students’ chosen fields of study, with particular focus on Art and Music. The materials used for these lessons will also be made available on the online platform.
The courses include a monthly internal assessment, serving as orientation for the teacher and self-awareness for the students regarding their strengths and weaknesses, as well as in-progress standardized tests. Level changes may be possible especially during these periods.
Regardless of level, each standard course includes 25 hours of weekly lessons (100 hours per month) structured as follows:
- Italian language and culture
- Practice sessions
- Conversation
- Language laboratory
- Seminar lessons that reinforce and deepen language skills and competencies necessary for efficient interaction in an Italian-speaking context.
- Lessons aimed at preparing for the CELI exams
- Educational outings and recreational activities
Lessons will take place from Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays. Attendance is compulsory and cannot be less than 85% of the total course hours.
Training Workshops for Marco Polo and Turandot Students
Students will have the opportunity to participate in training workshops, organized in collaboration with Higher Education Institutes, for:
- preparation for university, academy, and conservatory entrance exams
- musical training (instrumental and vocal)
- artistic training (in various chosen artistic disciplines)
- training in fashion and design
- Italian culinary arts
Training workshops require an extra fee in addition to language course enrollment.
Services for Marco Polo and Turandot Students
There will be extracurricular activities: celebrations for the Chinese New Year, artistic, theatrical, and musical workshops, concerts, sports tournaments, guided tours, exhibitions, tandem learning activities, movie screenings, and events organized in collaboration with institutions that represent the cultural and artistic excellence of the city of Perugia and the Umbria Region; orientation days; university orientation seminars (also in cooperation with pre-enrollment universities).
Students, who will always be supported by Chinese and Italian tutors and language mediators who help them settle into the city and throughout their studies, may also benefit from:
- A police office within the University that enables rapid issuance of residence permits.
- On-campus medical service.
- Access to the University’s language laboratories.
- Free access to the University’s WIFI network.
- Access to university libraries.
- Discounted campus dining halls.
- Direct communication with students.
Academic Calendar
10-MONTH COURSE: NOVEMBER 2025 – AUGUST 2026
From 03/11/2025 to 19/12/2025
From 08/01/2026 to 03/04/2026
From 07/04/2026 to 28/08/2026
Levels offered: beginner – intermediate – advanced
11-MONTH COURSE: OCTOBER 2025 – AUGUST 2026
From 01/10/2025 to 19/12/2025
From 08/01/2026 to 03/04/2026
From 07/04/2026 to 28/08/2026
Levels offered: beginner – intermediate – advanced
Any teaching breaks and/or calendar changes will be made according to the educational organization needs of the courses and always in accordance with current regulations, based on the actual arrival of students after receiving their visas.
Course Fees and Enrollment Procedures (Individual)
- 10 months: November 3, 2025 – August 28, 2026: €5,800.00
- 11 months: October 1, 2025 – August 28, 2026: €6,350.00
The deadline for pre-enrollment and payment for language and culture courses starting in November is 29/08/2025.
The deadline for pre-enrollment and payment for language and culture courses starting in October is 25/07/2025.
To enroll, students must:
- Register at the UNIVERSITALY portal (https://www.universitaly.it) and apply by following the procedures indicated there. Once registered, students must fill out the relevant pre-enrollment application on the portal, selecting “Marco Polo, Turandot” as the reason for the visa and providing all required data in order to send the pre-enrollment application to the University for Foreigners, which must then validate it, as specified by the “Procedures for the admission, stay, enrollment of international students and the recognition of their degrees, for higher education courses in Italy, valid for the academic year 2025-2026.”
- pay 10% of the course fee (€580.00 for the 10-month course and €635.00 for the 11-month course)
- fill out the online pre-enrollment form
*How to pay
By credit card
• Using the PagoPA portal, which you can access through your reserved area (payment section) IT4U, activated after your registration in the courses
• Accessing the university's payment portal and selecting Language and Culture Course Enrollment as the payment reason
In case of technical issues with online payment, please report them to the Registrar's Office at: corsidilingua@unistrapg.it
The Registrar’s Office for language courses at the University will subsequently send the pre-enrollment certificate by email, which is necessary for the issuance of a study visa by the relevant consular authorities in China, to the email address provided in the pre-enrollment application. The pre-enrollment certificate will be issued upon receipt of the 10% down payment on the total course fee. This amount is non-refundable in the event of failure to obtain the visa or otherwise failure to enter Italy.
Enrollment will be finalized upon confirmation of payment of the balance.
Course Fees and Enrollment Procedures (Groups)
For the purposes of the discounts provided in this section, a group means a minimum of 10 students.
Course Fees
- 10 months: November 3, 2025 – August 28, 2026: €5,800.00
To access group discounts applied to the basic price for individual enrollees of €5,800.00, the accreditation procedure must be completed at the following link
The deadline for pre-enrollment and payment for language and culture courses starting in November is August 29, 2025. - 11 months: October 1, 2025 – August 28, 2026: €6,350.00
To access group discounts applied to the basic price for individual enrollees of €6,350.00, the accreditation procedure must be completed at the following link
The deadline for pre-enrollment and payment for language and culture courses starting in October is July 25, 2025.
The pre-enrollment certificate will be issued upon receipt of payment of 10% of the total course fee. This amount is non-refundable in case of failure to obtain a visa or otherwise failure to enter Italy.
Enrollment will be finalized upon confirmation of payment of the balance.