The Online Exchange Initiative is a virtual mobility program that allows Luiss students to take a selection of online courses offered by other partner universities. These courses are recognized in their study plan, while they continue their regular academic path at Luiss.

Requirements for participating in the Online Exchange Initiative

Year of study

The information provided here pertains to the first semester (Fall 26) of the 2026–2027 academic year.

The initiative is open to students enrolled in the 2026–2027 academic year in:

• The second or third year of a three-year bachelor's degree program, having completed at least 60 credits;
• The second year of a master's degree program;
• The second, third, fourth, and fifth years of the single-cycle degree program in Law, provided they have completed at least 60 credits.

Language

To participate, you must have at least a B2-level proficiency in the language in which the courses are taught.

Compatibility with other mobility programs

You cannot participate in the Online Exchange Initiative while taking part in another mobility program, whether in-person or virtual.

Students who are eligible to participate in the program (see the “Participation Requirements” section) can request recognition for two elective courses of their choice. 
This recognition does not apply to students who will participate in future mobility programs (e.g., exchange, QTEM) or International Collaborative Degree Programs (e.g., Double Degrees, Joint Programs, etc.). For these students, courses taken as part of the OEI can only be recognized as free-choice credits or, if they align with the curriculum, as credits for 'other activities.' 

Conversely, students who have already participated in mobility programs (such as exchanges or QTEM) are eligible for recognition of one or two elective courses. However, this recognition is not available to students who have taken part in International Collaborative Degree Programs (such as Double Degrees, Joint Programs, etc.). 
In the latter case, students can request recognition of a free-choice course or of “other activities.” 

Available courses and applications

Information about the courses offered by each university and the corresponding application procedures can be found on the Engage.EU website.

Students must submit their applications directly to the partner university of their choice between June 1 and June 30, 2026, with the ENGAGE.EU Luiss office (engage.eu@luiss.it) copied on the email.

For any partner university, you will still need to attach the following documents:

• Transcript of records / Declaration in Lieu of Certification: a duly signed certificate of exams taken, which can be downloaded from the Self-Service Web platform under “Self-declarations” > “Self-declaration of enrollment with exams and dates – ENGLISH.”
• Statement of Purpose: a motivational letter outlining the reasons for participating in this initiative, at that specific university, or in those particular courses.

Each student may apply to one or two partner universities. When selecting courses, students must ensure that they do not overlap with their scheduled activities at Luiss and that they meet the prerequisites set by the partner universities for each course.

The courses offered by partner universities will be conducted exclusively online; therefore, students will not be able to attend classes or take exams in person.

Admission to the program and individual courses is by no means guaranteed and is subject to the partner university’s assessment. Admitted students commit to actively participating in the lectures and activities of their selected courses and to completing them by the end of the semester.

Please note: When submitting their application to the foreign university, students must also notify Luiss of their participation in the initiative by filling out this form.

The University of Vienna will offer a limited number of spots for courses this semester. Once the application period is over, the university itself will notify students of the selection results.

Costs

There are no tuition fees to pay at the foreign university. However, some partners, such as WU Vienna University of Economics and Business, may require a small administrative fee. Students are also responsible for paying for any textbooks and materials required for the course. For more details, please refer to the websites or fact sheets of the various Partners.

Activities at Luiss

Students participating in the initiative will still be able to continue taking the remaining courses in their program at Luiss.

Course recognition

Each student can request recognition for a maximum of two elective courses (6 ECTS electives) and/or free courses. However, if a student is selected for an international mobility program for the following semester, they must consider the clause regarding compatibility with other mobility programs and request recognition for no more than one elective (see the section “Compatibility with other programs”) and

It will not be possible to obtain validation for required courses.

Elective courses are part of your study plan and must be passed to earn a degree. Free courses are additional courses that you can add to your study plan to enhance it. If taken abroad, the grade does not affect your grade point average or total credits.

To be recognized as elective courses, courses taken at the partner institution must meet the following requirements:

• Be consistent with your degree program.
• They must not be similar to other courses in your Luiss curriculum.
• Equivalent number of credits: A maximum difference of one credit will be allowed for Luiss elective courses worth 6 credits. This means that a student can take a 5 ECTS course at the partner university and request recognition of a 6 ECTS elective course at Luiss. Alternatively, the student may also take two courses with fewer than 5 credits (for example, one for 4 ECTS and one for 3 ECTS), combining the two courses to obtain recognition for a single Luiss elective course. In this case, for recognition purposes, both exams must be passed, and the final grade will be calculated as the arithmetic average of the grades earned abroad.

If students have any doubts about whether a specific course meets the above requirements, they can contact the ENGAGE.EU office (engage.eu@luiss.it) well in advance of the application period deadline. Failure to meet the above requirements will make it impossible to recognize foreign courses as elective courses.

Here are the steps you need to take to request course recognition:

• The request for recognition of courses taken abroad must be submitted within one month of passing the exams by filling out the designated form.

<p >When filling out the form, the student must:

• Indicate which courses were taken and how many;
• Upload the Transcript of Records, which must be requested from the university where the student took the courses;
• Specify any Luiss courses the student intends to replace with the OEI course(s).
• The ENGAGE.EU office will then convert the grades according to the official tables and notify the student via email of the results on the Luiss grading scale.
• Once the student confirms they have reviewed the grades, the ENGAGE.EU office will forward the grades and the Transcript of Records to the Student Affairs Office, specifying the student’s personal details and the type of courses to be validated in the study plan (elective/free).

Please note: Participation in the program does not entitle you to additional bonuses on your degree score.