Degree programme choice orientation

The SOrT (Integrated Orientation Service)
SOrT is Sapienza University’s Integrated Orientation Service. It has a central office located within the main university campus (Città Universitaria) and additional help desks at various faculties. At the SOrT offices, students can access specific information about faculties and degree programs, as well as receive guidance to help them make informed choices. The central office, together with faculty staff, coordinates entry-level orientation and tutoring projects, manages relationships with high schools and orientation contact teachers, and offers support during the critical transition from school to university. They also provide assistance to current students, as well as information on academic offerings and administrative procedures for accessing degree programs.
Orientation Initiatives and Projects:
1. “Porte aperte alla Sapienza” – Open Days
Held annually at the main campus, this is Sapienza’s most important event aimed primarily at prospective first-year students. Over three days, students can meet professors and other students, gather information, and attend presentations in the Aula Magna about the academic offerings of all faculties. The event is open to anyone interested in enrolling in Bachelor's, Single-cycle Master's, or Master's programs, with a particular focus on final-year high school students. Stakeholders can explore the university’s academic and cultural spaces and learn about student services (libraries, study rooms, museums, university residences, sports facilities, and theatre). In addition to academic information, participants can receive guidance on general and specific admission procedures and entrance test applications.
To foster inclusive learning environments and improve access to university education, the Student Support Unit for students with disabilities and specific learning disorders (DSA) organizes information sessions on personalized study plans, educational and financial/logistical support, and the required medical documentation to access such services.
2. “Sapienza Orientation Portal”
The university has created an online portal: https://orientamento.uniroma1.it/index.html to guide students through the process of choosing a degree program. The portal offers an immersive preview of university life, allowing users to explore the campus, classrooms, labs, libraries, theatres, and sports/music spaces through interactive media. It includes online learning modules on key course topics, self-assessment tools, and access to orientation events organized by faculties and departments. It features videos about faculties, degree programs, especially new ones, and all activities are also promoted via the university's social media channels.
An English version is available for international students.
3. “A Bridge Between School and University” Project
This initiative supports students transitioning from high school to university life, aiming to ease their integration into higher education. The project includes:

  • Sapienza Presents Itself: Orientation meetings and sample lectures by Sapienza professors, addressing topics from each academic area.
  • The Sapienza of the Students: Visits to schools where trained student mentors share their personal university experiences and explain available services.

4. Self-assessment Tools (developed and scientifically validated by Sapienza experts):

  • "Know Yourself": Supports decision-making for academic paths by generating personality, academic, and professional profiles.
  • "Me, Myself, and Others": Evaluates soft skills necessary for integration into society and the job market.

5. “Orientation in the Network” Project
This orientation and knowledge-alignment initiative targets students in their final years of high school preparing for entrance exams in the biomedical and psychology fields. It includes a preparatory course with an online phase followed by intensive in-person classes, aimed at faculties with limited admissions in biomedical, health, and psychology areas.
6. “PCTO – Cross-disciplinary Skills and Orientation Pathways” (formerly school-work alternation)
This teaching method allows high school students to consolidate their academic knowledge through practical experiences that help assess personal attitudes, enrich their training, and guide future academic choices.
7. “Next Generation Orientation (ONG)”
This regional project, funded by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, is run jointly by all universities in the Lazio region. It helps students make conscious educational and professional choices. Sapienza professors offer a 15-hour course (5 modules of 3 hours each), delivered in-person as part of the school curriculum. Example module topics include:

  • Why is studying important?
  • What is university study like?
  • How can I best prepare for university?
  • Who am I, and who will I become?
  • What careers can I aspire to?

8. Entrance Exam Preparation
Sapienza uses CISIA Online Test (TOLC) for admissions. High school students can access practice tests via the CISIA portal through Student Placement Tests (PPS), which provide immediate feedback by comparing answers and scores with past TOLC participants.
9. “Minimum Knowledge” Project
This initiative helps students strengthen their foundational knowledge to better follow their chosen degree programs. It offers pre-recorded lessons by university faculty, aimed at building a solid base and promoting a more conscious and motivated academic path.
10. Of@Sapienza
An e-learning platform designed to enhance preparation for entry tests and prevent the assignment of Additional Learning Requirements (OFA) in Italian and Math. Students can independently train and strengthen basic knowledge needed for Humanities, Engineering, and Architecture degrees.
11. Orientation Events
All orientation events organized by the university, faculties, departments, and study programs are listed in chronological order at:
https://www.uniroma1.it/it/node/347362
Sapienza also organizes meetings with schools and individual orientation sessions to illustrate services for students with disabilities or DSA. The university supports students in evaluating their entry process and access needs. The Disability and DSA Student Services Unit assesses requests for individualized admission procedures based on certified needs. For limited-enrollment programs, students with disabilities can request accommodations such as:

  • Dedicated rooms
  • Extra time
  • Reader/assistant tutors
  • LIS interpreters
  • Calculators

The same applies for programs using TOLC tests (both in-person and remote via TOLC@CASA). The unit also supports first-year students in vulnerable situations through specialized tutors, peer mentors, and LIS interpreters.
Course-Specific Activities (CdS)
At the departmental level, an annual orientation event called OpenDI is organized. During this event, high school students visit the department to learn about its academic offerings and research activities. The day begins with a welcome from the Department Director, followed by a presentation of the degree programs by the President of the Didactic Area Council in Computer Science. Students also take part in a guided tour of the department and faculty facilities, which includes interactive demos, short seminars, and conversations with professors, researchers, and current students.
OpenDI is part of Sapienza’s broader orientation framework and complements the Porte Aperte initiative and the Open Day of the Faculty of Information Engineering, Computer Science, and Statistics (I3S).
The Sapienza Orientation Portal (also available in English) provides an immersive preview of university life, including a presentation video of the degree program (CdS): https://youtu.be/GQWpoYegBTw
Students interested in enrolling can contact the SOrT office via the contact information provided on the degree program’s website and faculty/SOrT pages.