According to a survey conducted by Unisport Italia, CONI (Italian National Olympic Committee), and CUSI (Italian University Sports Center), in the 2023/2024 academic year, the number of male and female students engaged in a dual career path, reached 1,325; a remarkable 95% increase compared to the 2022/2023 academic year, when there were 678 student-athletes. Even more striking is the comparison with the 2021/2022 academic year, which saw only 513 students in this category. These numbers clearly reflect the growing importance of the sport-university combination in Italy and the profound transformations taking place in this field.
For many years, sports were often viewed with skepticism by the academic world, seen as incompatible with the rigors and expectations of higher education. However, in recent years, this perception has started to shift. More and more Italian universities are now implementing targeted programs designed specifically for students competing at a professional or semi-professional level.
Support measures may include flexible class schedules, adjusted exam dates to accommodate competition calendars, personalized tutoring, and academic guidance. These benefits, however, are granted on the condition that student-athletes meet specific requirements: they must pass exams within the set timelines, show consistent commitment, and demonstrate the same level of dedication and responsibility in both their academic and athletic pursuits.
This is why initiatives like the Acon project are so valuable, it’s our main goal is to actively promote dual careers and to develop increasingly innovative solutions to support student-athletes in managing the demands of both worlds. As MSV, we are proud to contribute to this growing movement, in these last 9 years we was involved in 11 DC European projects convinced that investing in dual careers means investing in a more balanced, prepared, and resilient society, here some experience demostrating projects how DCJA, YODA Mentor, BASKI, BLA2.0 represent an authentic add value for ACON objevtives.
