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What is OFA (Additional Learning Requirement) and how to fulfil it

News: For students enrolled in the 2021/22 academic year the deadline to satisfy the Additional Learning Requirements is postponed to 15 June 2023 (DR 07/03/22, Rep n. 316/2023, Prot n. 62200).

OFA - What is it?

EPOS admission tests (SAT/TOLC) assess general knowledge, as well as that of some specific fields. At EPOS it is important to know some basic mathematics, therefore students who do not reach a minimum set threshold in the maths sections of the tests will be asked to do supplementary study, and will be assigned an OFA, an Italian acronym which stands for “Additional Learning Requirements”. This makes sure that university students do not have any pronounced deficits in subjects that must be thoroughly grasped, due to the very nature of the degree programme.

OFA thresholds:

  • SAT General Test: <500/800

  • English TOLC-E: <4,5/13

I was selected and assigned an OFA - can I enroll?

Yes, you can. Having been assigned OFA does not in itself prevent one from enrolling, attending lessons and sitting exams. If you are selected, you can still register to the programme and take exams, but must as soon as possible fulfill the OFA.

How do I fullfil my OFA?

Students who have been assigned with OFA are required to pass the exam “Mathematics for Social Sciences” within the exam dates available in their first year. Please note that as with any other module, “Mathematics” has 3 full exam dates available in the academic year.

What happens if I fail the "Mathematics for Social Sciences" exam in the first year?

Students who did not fulfill the OFA within the exam dates available in their 1st year (September), until 15th June* will be able to attend 2nd year classes, and fill in their online study plan, but will not be allowed to sit any 2nd year exam. After 15th June*, they will be re-enrolled in the 1st year as repeating students and again will not be able to sit 2nd year exams. Exams already registered in Almaesami will remain valid. 

* 15th June two years after that of first enrolment (for example 15th June 2020 if you enrolled in 2018-19 academic year).

Some Information about SAT:

  • SAT - "Scholastic Assessment Test" - is a test in English, and is managed by CollegeBoard. It is mainly a paper-based
  • We accept SAT General Test, without Essay. If you did a SAT with Essay, we will not assess or consider the Essay part of the test.
  • You can take the test in locations all over the world. Check what's the nearest location to you from this page. Also check the list of SAT dates in the US and in the rest of the world.
  • Each test date and venue has limited capacity. Make sure you register at your earliest convenience to be included as a test taker at you prefered
  • For all information about this test (its structure, registration, how to prepare, cancellations, etc.) you need to refer exclusively to the College Board website, not to the University of
  • After taking the test, it is mandatory that you ask College Board to forward your SAT scores to the University of Bologna, using code

 

Some information about TOLC:

  • The English TOLC-E is a test in English specialising in Economics, offered by All info on the Cisia website, and specific information about the TOLC-E in English can be found at the following page. NB TOLC in Italian are not valid for EPOS admission.

Am I more likely to be admitted by taking the SAT or the English TOLC-E?

Your chances of admission depend on the scores of the other candidates. SAT General Test and English TOLC-E are equivalent in terms of difficulty, so you do not have a better chance of being admitted just because you would take the TOLC instead of the SAT or vice versa.

What are the validity dates of the tests?

You can apply if you have taken one of the following tests:

  • English TOLC-E test (in English only: the test in Italian is not accepted) by CISIA by midnight of the day preceding the deadline to apply and not before 01/02/2020. 
  • SAT – General Test not before 01/02/2020. NOTE: If you apply with the SAT test, you must request to the College Board directly the delivery of the official score report to the University of Bologna (code 6993) so that the score is available by the day of the application.

 

When I tried to register for the English TOLC-E test, I noticed that the tests for the University of Bologna are all fully booked. What can I do?

The university in which the English TOLC-E is taken is not relevant, as the result obtained can be used for admission to any degree course requesting the same type of TOLC.