MSc Scholarships 2008, Alta Scuola Politecnica (ASP), Italy

The Alta Scuola Politecnica (hereafter indicated as ASP) is launching
a call for applications addressed to young talents who want to develop
their interdisciplinary capabilities for leading and promoting
innovation.

Founded by Politecnico di Milano and Politecnico di Torino, the ASP
may be attended only by talents who enrol in one of their programmes
of laurea specialistica (hereafter indicated as LS) in Engineering,
Architecture or Design. The ASP, through a highly selective process,
gives up to 150 promising students the opportunity to participate in
an additional advanced programme that runs in parallel to the LS
programmes.

ASP students complement the knowledge achieved in their specific LS
with a multifaceted and enriched understanding of innovation processes
and contexts. They develop an interdisciplinary attitude to conceive,
plan, implement and promote complex innovation projects that produce
sustainable progress in economy, society and culture.

The ASP is characterised by a multidisciplinary and multicultural
community of students and professors, a prominent international
Faculty, advanced seminars and study projects in close cooperation
with business enterprises and governmental institutions.

There are 2 separate calls, each targeted to a specific group of
students and with different deadlines:

1) a call reserved to foreign citizens (EU and extra EU), who have not
graduated in Italy, deadline May 31st, 2008, up to 38 places;

2) a general call, open to all students (at least 112 places
available), to be issued on May 15th, 2008 with deadline September
15th, 2008.
The present call is call number 1, targeted to foreign citizens (EU
and extra EU).

Admission Requirements

To be eligible for this selection, applicants have to:
a) be a citizen of a country other than Italy (citizens with double
nationality are considered foreign citizens and therefore eligible for
this call);
b) hold a first level academic degree (i.e. Bachelor) or an equivalent
academic qualification that grants access to the LS programmes of the
Politecnico di Milano or of the Politecnico di Torino (see
http://www.polimi.it/english and http://international.polito.it/en/
for details), earned before October 31st, 2008;
c) be ranked in the top 10% of their class;
d) have a sufficient knowledge of the English language. For non-native
English speakers, this must be certified as defined in the
“Application package” section;
e) provide clear and sufficient motivations and attitude to
participate in the ASP educational programme.

Number of Places

For the Academic Year 2008-2009, the ASP will enrol up to 150
students, up to 90 at Politecnico di Milano and up to 60 at
Politecnico di Torino.
Up to 38 places of the aforementioned are reserved to talented foreign
students (EU and extra-EU citizens), up to 23 at Politecnico di Milano
and up to 15 at Politecnico di Torino. This specific call concerns
these 38 places reserved to foreign students.

Admission Fees

Because of the funding made available by the Italian Ministry of
University and by private sponsors, all students admitted in the
Academic Year 2008-2009 will benefit from fee waiver for the two years
of the ASP study programme, with the exception of the regional tax and
administrative fees.

Deadline for the Submission of Applications

1. The deadline for application for places reserved to foreign
students is May 31st, 2008. As far as possible, applicants will
receive communication of acceptance within two months from the
application date (and in any case before June 30th, 2008), and the
reserved places will be assigned on a first-come-first-served basis,
provided all the quality requirements are met by the applicant.
2. The application forms for admission to the selection have to be
filled out on-line (www.asp-poli.it, Admission and Financial Aid
section), printed on plain paper and signed, and have to be sent by
regular/priority mail to the same university where the ASP candidate
is also applying for the laurea specialistica (the Politecnico di
Milano or the Politecnico di Torino)

Alta Scuola Politecnica
Politecnico di Milano
Piazza Leonardo da Vinci, 32
I-20133 Milano
Italy

Alta Scuola Politecnica
Politecnico di Torino
Corso Duca degli Abruzzi, 24
I-10129 Torino
Italy

3. Whatever the mean of delivery, application forms must be received
at the above offices before the deadline indicated (May 31st, 2008).
The ASP will not be held responsible for any delay in the arrival of
the application forms due to irregular mail delivery or other possible
causes.

Application Package

1. Candidates must use the on-line application form, available on
www.asp-poli.it.
2. In accordance with the Italian Law n. 445/2000, in the application
form candidates have to declare:
a) family name, first name, date and place of birth;
b) nationality;
c) permanent address;
d) academic degree;
e) enrolment date and graduation date for the first level academic degree;
f) nominal period of study for the first level academic degree held
(normally, this is between 3 and 5 academic years);
g) university, faculty and degree programme they wish to attend;
h) ID registration number (for Politecnico di Milano) or username (for
Politecnico di Torino) assigned for the application to the LS course
selected;
i) home or mailing address, e-mail address, telephone and mobile
numbers together with an undertaking to notify any change of address.
Please note that ASP applications will not be considered if an
application to an LS programme has not been made within the deadlines
set by the institution selected (either Politecnico di Milano or
Politecnico di Torino).
3. Once the online application has been completed, the following
documents must be sent by mail:
a) a photocopy of a current identification document;
b) a document proving the required level of the English knowledge. As
a general rule, the following certificates and minimum scores are
accepted:

Test Minimum score

TOEFL (computer based) 210
TOEFL (internet based) 72
PET Pass with merit
FCE, CAE, CPE any
IELTS 5,5
TOEIC 720

The ASP Evaluation Committee reserves the right to accept other
certificates, and to check the knowledge of the English language by
means of a personal interview with the candidate.
c) a motivation letter, undersigned and laid out in the format
provided on the website;
4. SPECIAL NOTE for extra EU candidates: due to the Italian
regulations in force for the admission of extra EU students to
university programmes, extra EU citizens are required to submit the
application package for enrolment in the laurea specialistica to the
Italian Embassy/Consulate in their Countries within the limit date
(Please check on the websites given above).
5. Candidates may enclose any other document considered important and
relevant to the application.
6. The ASP does not assume any responsibility whatsoever for failure
or delay in communications caused by inaccuracies due to the
candidates.
7. The ASP reserves the right to verify the validity of information
provided and to request further information, if necessary.

Evaluation Process and List of Admitted Students

Candidates will be evaluated for admission to the ASP and in parallel
for admission to the chosen LS programme. For further details
concerning the admission procedures to the LS programme, please refer
to http://www.polimi.it/english and
http://international.polito.it/en/. Admission to the ASP becomes
effective only for candidates admitted and enrolled in the chosen LS
programme. The admission process to the ASP is described hereafter.
1. The Evaluation Committee for the selection is appointed by the
Director of the ASP.
2. Candidates will be evaluated on the basis of the documents enclosed
with the application form and, if necessary, on the basis of an
interview. As far as possible, candidates will be evaluated within two
months from the application date, and in any case before June 30th,
2008, and the reserved places will be assigned on a
first-come-first-served basis, provided all the quality requirements
are met by the applicant.
3. Candidates for which an interview is considered necessary for
assessment will be informed by e-mail about the time and place of the
interview. Candidates must show up at the communicated date, time and
place of the interview. Failure in showing up will lead to their
exclusion from the selection. The interview may also consist in a
phone call or a video internet interview made to the candidate by the
Evaluation Committee.
4. All communications will be sent to the e-mail address indicated in
the application.
5. The Evaluation Committee will consider the following criteria to
grade the applicants:
a) academic performance in the first cycle of studies, in particular
considering the marks awarded in the examinations, the final mark and
the time required to complete the first cycle of studies. The
applicants’ performance will be compared with the average performance
of students graduated in similar courses of the first cycle;
b) motivations to apply for ASP;
c) proficiency skills as demonstrated by any other test undertaken and
documented (GRE or GMAT for example) will be considered as a positive
credential;
d) proficiency in the English language;
e) given the ASP programme leverages on the multidisciplinarity of its
class, the Evaluation Committee will also guarantee a balanced
presence of students with different backgrounds.
6. After the conclusion of the evaluation process, the Director of the
ASP, after consulting with the Board, will inform the applicant about
the result.
7. At the end of the selection process, at the latest on June 30 th,
2008, the complete list of admitted candidates will be published on
the ASP website www.asp-poli.it.
8. Qualified candidates, not admitted because above the limit of 38
reserved places, can apply again under the general call that will be
issued on May 15th, 2008 with deadline September 15th, 2008.
9. Applicants not admitted can present a written opposition to the
Director of ASP, within one week from the publication of the complete
list of admitted candidates on the ASP website. All oppositions will
be considered within one week, and a reply will be mailed to the
opponent.

Selected Candidates

1. The outcome of the selection will be communicated to the candidates
by e-mail.
2. Within 10 days from the communication date, the selected candidates
must submit a letter of acceptance to enter the ASP. Failure to do so
will lead to the loss of the place. The letter must be sent by
regular/priority mail to the ASP Offices.
3. Admission to the ASP is effective only for students who enrol in
one of the LS programmes of Politecnico di Milano or Politecnico di
Torino.
4. Candidates accepting to enter the ASP are obliged to observe the
rules set forth in the ASP Students’ Guidelines, available on the
website www.asp-poli.it.
5. In the case that an admitted candidate declines the place offered,
the ASP reserves the right to offer the place to the next candidate in
the List.

Student Benefits

1. The selected candidates, upon admission to the ASP, will benefit
from a fee waiver of the fees due to Politecnico di Milano or
Politecnico di Torino (except for the regional tax and administrative
fees), for the two-year enrolment in the LS course;
2. The selected candidates will benefit also from a fee waiver of the
tuition fee of the ASP for the two years of the ASP study programme
(the regular tuition fees for the ASP, which the student has not to
pay, amount to € 3000/year);
3. The selected candidates, not resident in the regions of Lombardia
or Piemonte during the previous year, will receive free accommodation
at a students’ residence of the Politecnico in which they are enrolled
(provided they were not resident in Lombardy or Piedmont during the
previous year). Free accommodation is provided only in residences
indicated by the ASP.
4. The selected candidates, upon completion of the ASP programme and
examinations, will be awarded the ASP diploma and a Double Degree from
Politecnico di Milano and Politecnico di Torino, following the
guidelines indicated in the ASP Students’ Guidelines;
5. The selected candidates will benefit from some economical and
logistic support to their project activity, according to the
educational programme and annual financial availability.

Benefits are compatible with other grants aimed at supporting the
study of the students to the Politecnico. Benefits that are already
covered by other forms of support (such as fee waiver of the fees of
Politecnico or free accommodation in student residences) are not
provided twice.

Students that do not regularly and effectively participate in the ASP
educational
activities will be excluded from ASP and consequently all benefits
will be cancelled. Please refer to the Students’ Guidelines published
on the ASP website for more details.

Processing Personal Data

Further to and in accordance with the Italian Law n. 196/2003, the
candidates’ personal data are collected by the ASP and exclusively
used for selection and enrolment purposes. All anonymous data may be
used in statistical elaboration processes. Admitted candidates’ data,
collected in the period of ASP enrolment, may be communicated to the
ASP Committees and Bodies and will be used only for ASP institutional
purposes or for the benefit of ASP students, such as activities aimed
at helping the insertion in the job market.

Responsibility of the Organization of the Selection Procedures
Further to and in accordance with article 5 of Law n. 241/1990 and
subsequent modifications, the persons in charge for the organization
of the selection procedures are:

Dora Longoni, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32,
20133 Milano, info@asp-poli.it

Stefano Raimondi, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24,
10129 Torino, info@asp-poli.it

Milano, January 14th, 2008
The Director of the Alta Scuola Politecnica
Prof. Roberto Zanino

Call for Applications
reserved to foreign citizens, EU and extra EU
http://www.asp-poli.it/presentation/_admission_home_with_calls.htm
http://www.asp-poli.it/presentation/resources/ASP_CALL_I-08.pdf