Art. 1
Field of application
This document regulates the admission procedures to the European School for Advanced Studies in Ophthalmology (ESASO), as well as the procedures for the recognition of study credits and for tuition fees.

Art. 2
Study plan

1. The Diploma of Specialist Superior in Ophthalmology (DiSSO) is a postgraduate diploma offered by ESASO.
2. The study plan is modular and is drawn up annually. Each module normally consists of 40 course-hours and includes individual or group assignments.

Art. 3
Target audience
The DiSSO is aimed mainly at practitioners and is thus organised so as not to interfere with their professional activities.

Art. 4
Diploma

1. The Diploma of Specialist Superior in Ophthalmology (DiSSO) is awarded to candidates who have certified attendance at 5 modules (5 weeks in total).
2. An attendance certificate is issued for each module.

Art. 5
Procedure
The Admissions Board (AB) is responsible for the admission procedure.
The AB consists of the Executive Director and two members appointed by the Scientific Council.
The AB evaluates the applications and decides upon admissions.
The decisions of the AB are final.

Art. 6
Admission requirements
The admission requirements are as follows:

• Master of Medicine obtained at a university recognised under the regulations of the country concerned
• Specialisation degree in ophthalmology obtained in accordance with the current regulations

For degrees that do not satisfy these requirements, the decision as to acceptability lies with the AB.

Art. 7
Application
Applications must be submitted using the official form and must be accompanied by a letter explaining the applicant’s reasons for wishing to attend.
Applicants are admitted to the School on the basis of availability of places and their positioning within the ranking calculated from the reported total score. In the event of an application being withdrawn, the next candidate in the list will be admitted.

Art. 8
Ranking
The AB evaluates the applications that comply with the requirements and draws up a list based on the following criteria and weightings:

Art. 9
Fees
The fees cover tuition, course material, lunches (at the USI canteen) and lodging at partner hotels.

Art. 10
Payments
The fee is to be paid in a single instalment 30-45 days prior to the beginning of the module. There is no provision for deferred payments for individual modules.

Art. 11
Cancellation policy
Cancellations made up to 30 days prior to the beginning of the module will qualify for a refund of the payment amount received less a EUR 500 administration fee.

Art. 12
Exceptions
In exceptional circumstances the ESASO Board may derogate in part from these Regulations, but only in favour of the student.

Art. 13
Validity
These Regulations come into effect on 10 February 2010.