Each degree program has a mandatory minimum number of elective CFU (University Educational Credits), which varies depending on the degree program (12 CFU for basic three-year degrees, 8 CFU for master's degrees in Primary Education Sciences and Pedagogical Sciences, 9 CFU for Media Education). However, students can exceed the minimum required CFU, as there is no maximum limit for additional credits.

All elective exams taken and passed by the student will be recognized in their academic record, and their grades will be included in the calculation of the student's final average.

To meet the minimum CFU requirement for their degree program, students can:

1. Take a single elective exam worth 8 (or more) CFU for master's degrees, or 12 CFU for basic three-year degrees;
2. Take two elective exams;
3. Combine, for courses that also offer so-called “elective activities” or ALS, an elective exam with one or more ALS (see the table in point 1 of the complete regulation downloadable from the link). Students enrolled in the Master's Degree in Pedagogical Sciences can also earn elective CFU through internships, with a minimum of 6 CFU.

Elective activities or ALS usually consist of specific, non-repeatable events such as meetings, conferences, short seminars, and similar activities organized by external cultural entities or associations, or organized and managed by individual DESU faculty members. The attainment of ALS CFU requires, in addition to registration (according to the methods provided by each ALS) and confirmed attendance at the activity, the submission of a final report to the responsible ALS faculty member, or other requirements, depending on the case.

An ALS must be pre-approved by the President/Council of the degree program, and the list of ALS approved by each degree program and progressively offered each semester is published on the respective Moodle pages (different for each degree program). The number of ALS offered in a given academic year is unpredictable, as it depends on proposals from external entities or individual faculty members, which are usually submitted to the degree program with very short notice.

Therefore, when planning how to obtain the required elective CFU for their degree program, students should duly consider two important aspects that differentiate ALS from elective exams:

1. The unpredictability of ALS offerings during different periods of the academic year, as ALS are tied to specific, non-repeatable events proposed by external entities or individual faculty members with very short notice;
2. The long time required for the recognition and recording of CFU obtained through ALS. This recognition and recording require a specific resolution, resulting from several bureaucratic steps: from the responsible ALS faculty member to the designated committee, requiring final verification by two different offices, the Student Secretariat and the DESU Educational Secretariat, which will finally publish the resolution on the designated DESU page (http://ar.des.unimore.it/DelibereConvalida/).

The entire process of accrediting CFU obtained through ALS can therefore take three or four months. It is the student's responsibility to organize their elective CFU plan wisely and consciously to avoid finding themselves a few months before graduation with one or more CFU still to be obtained. For example, if a student who took their last exam in June or July plans to graduate in November but still has one or two required CFU to obtain, the wisest choice would be to opt for an elective exam in September (whose credits, once the exam is passed, are automatically and immediately recorded in Esse3), rather than for one or more future ALS to be attended between September and October. In July, it is not possible to know when and how many new ALS will be proposed for the new semester starting at the end of September. Even if the student manages to attend an ALS offered at the end of September or October, it is practically unlikely that the entire accreditation process will be completed and recorded in the student's record by November. In this case, the student would have to postpone their graduation to the March or April session of the following calendar year.