The University of Bari, established in October 1924, started from the ancient schools of Pharmacy and Notary activated immediately after the Unification of Italy. Since May 2008 is entitled to the statesman Aldo Moro, first a student and then a lecturer at the Faculty of Law. It has branches and facilities also in Taranto and Brindisi. It provides language center, libraries and study rooms with wi-fi access and extended opening hours, psychological service and a service for disabilities and specific learning disorders. It has an award-winning University Sports Center, which is also the largest in Italy. In order to guarantee the right to study, the Agency for the Right to University Study offers scholarships, accommodation and refectories.
Today the University of Bari it has 23 Departments, 2 Schools (Medicine and Science & Technology), 7 Centers of Excellence and 20 Research Centers. It offers 60 three-year degree courses, 50 two-year specialist degree courses, 13 single-cycle degree courses and 16 doctoral schools, as well as 51 post-graduate specialization courses, 26 first-and second-level master’s degrees, short master’s degrees, postgraduate courses, higher education courses and summer schools. The library system has 33 facilities, there are 8 museums and 3 collections. In total there are over 90 thousand square meters of space dedicated to teaching and almost 2600 academics and researchers. The student population reaches 43 thousand members. Annually, student mobility exceeds 300 students, both incoming and outgoing. There are 6 international courses with about 650 foreign students enrolled. 72% of international students come from Europe, 57% from the Mediterranean basin, 13% from Africa, 10% from Asia and 3% from Latin America.
As a guarantee of specific support, there are the Lifelong Learning Center and the Foreign Students Office offering an advice desk for the evaluation of qualifications, health care and the issuance of residence permits and visas. Since September 2020, the University of Bari has activated, in agreement with CIMEA-Center for Information on Mobility and Academic Equivalences, a service for the issuance of Verification Certificates and Certificates of Comparability of foreign qualifications that can be presented at the time of matriculation. In addition to scholarships for international students and students with international protection, which have already allowed several refugees to graduate in Bari, in 2019 it signed the UNHCR Manifesto for Inclusive Universities and in 2020 it joined the UNICORE University Corridors for Refugees project. With IOM, it launched “Student Mentorship: towards an Italian Network of Inclusive Universities” to support the social and academic inclusion of students with migrant and refugee backgrounds and encourage young people to become intercultural advocates.
Numerous cultural cooperation agreements have been activated with universities all over the world. In particular, since 1983, the University of Bari has been the seat of the Consortium of Mediterranean Universities (CUM), recognized by UNESCO, to which 158 universities belong. Since 2004 it has been part of the Italian Interuniversity Consortium for Argentina (CUIA). The international educational offer guarantees integrated courses that provide the issuance of double and joint degrees or the writing of theses in co-tutorship. The University has a Eurodesk Agency which offers information, promotion and orientation services on the programs and opportunities offered by the European Union and the Council of Europe for transnational student mobility.
Source: University of Bari Mentorship Student Committee
Here’s our mentors!
Hi everyone! My name is Grazia, I am 23 years old and I study Modern Philology at the University of Bari “Aldo Moro”. In my free time I enjoy reading, going to the gym and volunteering at the animal shelter. I am very sociable, I love meeting new people and having new experiences. For this reason I decided to join the “Student Mentorship” project, because it gives me the opportunity to meet people from many different places, to cross our life paths and to grow together from a cultural and professional point of view, but above all from a human perspective. As Mahatma Gandhi said, we must be the change we want to see in the world!
Hi! I am Nicola and I am 23 years old. I come from a three-year training in Business Administration and I am a master’s student in Economics and Management at the University of Bari Aldo Moro. In recent years I have been lucky enough to be able to travel to large European cities and on these occasions, I have had the opportunity to compare myself with other cultures, actually experiencing the most positive aspects of globalization. Participating in the “Student Mentorship” project with the IOM represents for me an unmissable opportunity to extend my knowledge of cultures beyond the European borders but above all to be able to be a reference point for colleagues in educational, administrative and social support activities.
Hello!
My name is Marco and I am a student of the master’s course in Professional Consultancy for Companies of the Department of Economics, Management and Business Law at the University of Bari. In this project I will support the students in the didactic activities and in the administrative-bureaucratic questions. I’m ready to get involved because I believe in the power of inclusion!
Hi! I’m Claudia and I am a student of the second-cycle degree in Specialized translation at the University of Bari. I speak English and French quite fluently and since I was a child I’ve always been passionate about learning foreign languages and traveling around the world. In fact, my most significant job experience was at Disneyland Paris as a food service employee for almost a year, because I could work within a multicultural environment where I met a lot of great people of different nationalities. I’d like someday to teach foreign languages at school or to work in the area of migration, as I firmly believe in solidarity and in the idea that diversity is an important opportunity of exchange in terms of ideas, values and expertize, which can inevitably benefit society.
Hello everyone, my name is Nora, I am 25 years old and I am a student of the master course in Political Science – International Relations and European Studies at the University of Bari Aldo Moro. I have Tunisian origins, and this has allowed me since I was a child to come into contact with different cultures and be constantly fascinated. I speak English, a little bit of French and Arabic and I got to know Romanian culture. I like to travel and give support through my knowledge to those who here in Italy have linguistic difficulties. I would like in the future to combine my passions for languages and cultures in a work that aims at integration. Cultural diversity is for me an added value that every State must have as a strength to make everyone understand that the world is unique, and we are part of it with a thousand colors and infinite cultures that can coexist with listening, with humanity and the desire to confront each other.
Here’s our ex mentors!
Tutor – Academic Area
My name is Annalia, I am 25 years old and I am a student at the University of Bari. After completing a first course in International Relations, I decided to enroll in the Master’s degree course in Economics and Strategies for International Markets in order to deepen the economic aspect at the base of globalization processes. I love traveling and discovering new cultures; in recent years I did an Erasmus+ in Madrid and then I lived in Granada for another six months, where I wrote my thesis and did an internship. Participating in the “Student Mentorship” project with IOM is a great opportunity for me to take part in the promotion of inclusion and multiculturalism within the University.
Tutor – Social Area
Ciao! My name is Maouloud Pouye, I am 27 years old and I am an international student of Senegalese origin enrolled in the last year of the Master’s Degree in Modern Philology at the University of Bari Aldo Moro. My passion for the Italian language and literature has motivated and conditioned me at the same time to continue in Italy, the path of study started in Senegal where I obtained my Bachelor and Master degrees in Italian language, literature and translations. I am now participating in the Mentorship Project at the University of Bari together with other university colleagues who have the same desire as me to lend a hand to international students to facilitate their inclusion with educational, administrative and social support activities.
Tutor – Administrative Area
I’m Michele, I’m 25 years old and I’m graduating in Science of Administration at the Department of Political Science, University of Bari. I am passionate about politics and social engagement. I like to get involved since ever, I am a student representative within the National Council of University Students. Being part of the Student Mentorship project is an honor for me: I look forward to supporting my international colleagues and learning so much from each of them.
Tutor – Communication area
I am Rosa, I am 27 years old and I am a student at the University of Bari. Starting in 2017 I worked in a communication agency, at the same time I started my studies in Communication Sciences. After graduating, I decided to specialize in Public, Social and Business Communication. My greatest passion is communication, each of us experiences it every day because you cannot communicate: we communicate with words, gestures, colours, we communicate all the time. I had the great fortune to participate in several Erasmus+ projects and on these occasions, I realized even more how important and difficult communication is when you come from different countries. I am a great believer in the Student Mentorship project because I have experienced first-hand the difficulties you feel when you are in a place you don’t know. Language and bureaucracy often become walls that prevent you from communicating effectively, I am happy to offer my skills and my experience to try to break down these barriers.
Volunteer Mentor – Academic and social area
Hi everyone! I am Flavia, I am 24 years old and I have a degree in Social Service Sciences. Currently, I am enrolled in the Master’s degree program in Social Innovation and Inclusion Policies at the University of Bari. My goal is to become an accomplished social worker. I am passionate about everything that has to do with social work: welfare, personal services, promoting civil rights. I am fascinated by other people’s cultures and traditions because they allow me to discover the world from many perspectives. “Don’t mind me, I’m from another planet. I see horizons, where you draw boundaries”: this quote by Frida Kahlo I think best represents me. I am very excited about the opportunity to participate in this Mentorship project because it represents an opportunity for growth, comparison and sharing.
Volunteer Mentor – Social and communication area
My name is Nicoletta and I am 25 years old. I am attending the Master of Arts program in Modern Philology and in 2019 I got a bachelor’s degree in Humanities with a thesis that combined my passion for literature and my deep interest in social issues such as gender. I always try to enrich my academic experience so I am a Senior Student for Supporting People with Disabilities and a part-time collaborator for the second time. I really enjoy the prospect of cultural exchange, I have a passion for foreign languages and travel, and I take every chance to engage with cultures different from my own, both on social media and in real life. Mentorship Project for me is a crucial opportunity to meet and support the integration of international students in their university career.
Volunteer Mentor – Social area
Hi, I’m Claudia, I’m 24 years old and I’m about to finish my studies in Clinical and Community Psychology. My two greatest passions are neuroscience and traveling the world. The latter has allowed me to come in contact with many different cultures and learn to grasp every nuance. In November 2020, I went to London through the Global Thesis award, where I was able to do research in the field of cognitive psychology. Being part of this IOM project is very important for me, both personally and globally, in order to achieve those values and goals necessary to break down all barriers and grasp the cultural richness that the world offers us.
Volunteer Mentor – Communication area
Hi everyone! My name is Anna Maria and I’m 24 years old. I’m a master student of Public, social and corporate communication at the University of Bari and, at the same time, I also attend a Global marketing master. I chose this path after obtaining a Bachelor’s degree in Foreign languages and Intercultural mediation in English, German and Russian with a final thesis on the construction of cultural identity in the context of German and Russian migration literature. “Ohne Hast, aber ohne Rast” (without haste but without rest) is my motto. I think it is crucial to always follow your passions, to open yourself to new horizons and to never stop learning and being curious. For me, being part of the IOM project means just this: to get involved, to offer my help but also to treasure everything that only the encounter and exchange between cultures can offer!
