UNIMC EVER CLOSER TO THE STUDENTS. OVER 1 MILLION EUROS FOR THE RIGHT TO HIGHER EDUCATION

Funding announced for the purchase of computers, tablets, smartphones, books and public
transportation, as well as for scholarships for off-campus students, no tax brackets and a reduction
in tuition fees.

With a million-euro budget maneuver in support of the right to higher education, the University of
Macerata is preparing for stage 3 of the coronavirus epidemic, promoting the safe return of
students to what has always been an urban campus. This unique community of higher education
and research fosters inclusiveness within a truly international framework. “A university
education,” says rector Francesco Adornato, “is not just about acquiring skills and knowledge. It is
also about meeting others, building relationships, exchanging ideas and sharing experiences. This
is our added value, one that has set us apart for more than seven centuries. The students are at
the center of everything that we do, and, in this objectively difficult situation, the University is
even closer to them, making available unprecedented resources to support the right to higher
education.”
After the approval of the Board of Directors today, the rector Francesco Adornato, the vice-rector
Claudio Ortenzi and the general director Mauro Giustozzi announced in a press conference the
extraordinary financial measures designed to support university-related costs in order to relieve
the economic difficulties caused by the Covid-19 health emergency.
There are three different fronts: reducing tuition fees, financial incentives and new scholarships. In
total, the University will invest €1,200,000 deriving from budget surpluses. If the loss in revenue
due to lower tuition fees is factored in, the total amount could reach €2,000,000. The aim is: to
promote innovative teaching methods and technologies in addition to traditional tools such as
books; to enhance the attendance of courses and the use of public transport; and to reward
academic merit.

VOUCHERS FOR BOOKS, TECHNOLOGICAL DEVICES AND PUBLIC TRANSPORT & SCHOLARSHIPS
First-year students enrolled in three-year degree courses or single-cycle degree courses (as long as
they are not recipients of an Erdis scholarship) can count on vouchers of 100 or 200 euros to buy
books, computers, tablets and smartphones, even cumulatively. Off-campus students are entitled
to a voucher that will help them to reduce the cost of public transportation to reach the University
campus. Deserving students can count on additional types of scholarships beginning in the second year of enrolment. Finally, the University will make additional scholarships available to first-year
students coming from other regions.
Additional scholarships will also be made available for students who decide to enroll in a master’s
degree course. The University will provide 45 scholarships, ten of which (€7,000) will be assigned
to international students, while all the others will be granted to deserving students, off-campus
students or students that have graduated from other universities.

NO TAX BRACKET UP TO AN ISSEU INCOME OF €20,000
Anticipating the provisions announced by the Ministry, the University has extended the no tax
bracket to an ISEEU income of €20,000, the maximum range within which students do not have to
pay tuition fees. In addition, the University has introduced additional reductions for ISEEU incomes
between €20,000 and €40,000. The entire student body will benefit from this measure. To provide
some examples, students who declare an ISEEU income of €20,000, or little more, will have to pay
only €161, except for the regional fee and stamp, compared to €570 for the previous year. Those
students who have an ISEEU income close to €30,000 will pay tuition fees of €790 compared to
€1,190 for 2019.

RETURNING TO IN-PERSON ACTIVITIES
For the new academic year, all lessons begin on September 21, and the University is working to
bring students back to an in-person campus experience, at least for all first-year students, through
the acquisition of new teaching spaces and a system of shifts for all attending students. In step
with all the other Italian universities, Unimc will adopt a blended approach, which provides both
in-person and online lessons with video recordings. In addition, a significant investment is being
made to upgrade the IT platform for online teaching. “All of this,” affirms rector Adornato, “will
help us to restore the profound sense of an academic community that desires to rediscover itself.”

3 Jul 2020