Milan's public technical university teaches engineering, architecture and design. How master's admission screens foreign degrees, which bachelor's run in English, and how fees and merit scholarships work.
Politecnico di Milano is a public scientific and technological university that trains engineers, architects and industrial designers, founded by Francesco Brioschi in 1863. For international students, its two degree levels look very different. Most bachelor's programmes are taught only in Italian, with a handful of places for applicants from outside the EU. At master's level almost the whole catalogue runs in English, and admission is a document review rather than an entrance exam. That review is strict: some countries face fixed minimum GPAs with no exceptions. Fees follow a public income-based scale with a ceiling, and the university's own merit scholarships go only to those who apply early.
Location
Milan, Italy
Establishment year
1863
Students
49,395
International students
9,940
Female students
34%
Place in ratings
There's not enough data to display the dynamics of this rating.
By subject
Subject
Place in QS 2024
Engineering & Technology
23
Arts & Humanities
60
Social Sciences & Management
100
Accounting & Finance
101-150
Natural Sciences
129
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Politecnico di Milano at a glance
Type
Public scientific and technological university, founded in 1863
Students
49395, including 9940 international students (2025/2026)
Campuses
Milano Leonardo, Milano Bovisa, Lecco, Cremona, Mantova and Piacenza
Degree programmes
29 bachelor's, 7 of them fully or partly in English; 45 master's, 37 English-only and 8 in Italian and English
Master's tuition, non-EU student without a scholarship
4,456 USD a year
English for master's
IELTS 6, TOEFL iBT 78 or PTE Academic 59
Master's applications, September 2027 intake
Open from 1 October 2026; fee 56 USD until 1 December, then 169 USD
Strengths and drawbacks
Strengths of Politecnico di Milano
Top ten in the world for architecture and for design
In the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026, Politecnico is 6th in the world for Architecture and Built Environment, 7th for Art and Design and 20th for Engineering and Technology. In the overall QS ranking for 2027 it is 87th worldwide and first in Italy.
Master's degrees in English across all three fields
37 of the 45 master's programmes are taught only in English, from Aeronautical Engineering to Design for the Fashion System and Urban Planning and Policy Design. They need no Italian at entry.
Public tuition with a ceiling of about 4,456 USD a year
Fees depend on family income, and for a standard study plan of 46-74 ECTS credits the maximum is 4,456 USD a year. International students pay on the same scale as Italians.
Merit scholarships that cover all tuition
Every merit scholarship for international master's students includes a full tuition waiver, and some add a gross allowance of up to 11,300 USD a year.
Drawbacks and caveats
Strict minimum GPAs for several countries
Applicants from India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Ghana and ten other countries must meet a fixed minimum grade, and the university states that no exceptions will be considered. Below the threshold, the file is not evaluated at all.
Bachelor's study is mostly in Italian, with small quotas
22 of the 29 bachelor's programmes are taught only in Italian. Engineering of Computing Systems in Milan, for example, has 735 places, of which 15 are for students from outside the EU.
Italian is required before you graduate
International students on English-taught master's programmes must prove Italian proficiency to graduate. The university offers a free Italian course with an exit test.
Housing in Milan costs more than tuition
A place in a Politecnico hall of residence in Milan costs 4,893-8,757 USD a year[1], more than the maximum tuition fee.
Politecnico admits master's students on their bachelor's record. The degree must give access to level 7 of the European Qualifications Framework, contain subjects closely related to the chosen programme and be completed before enrolment; degrees delivered under a franchising agreement are not accepted. A bachelor's in an unrelated field does not qualify for direct entry.
Minimum GPA by country
Country of the bachelor's degree
Minimum GPA
Other conditions
India
70/100
At least a 4-year degree; a 3-year B.Sc. only if it is an Honours programme
Pakistan
3.3/4
Only 4-year continuous bachelor's programmes
Bangladesh
3.3/4
None listed
Nigeria
3/5
None listed
Ghana, Egypt
65/100
Egypt: a university letter with the weighted average
The full list, including China, Indonesia, Iran, Turkey and Vietnam, is on the requirements page. Degrees from countries that are not listed, such as the United States, the Philippines or the UAE, carry no country-specific conditions.
Documents and English
The mandatory file is short: the degree certificate or proof of final-year enrolment, the transcript, a cumulative GPA statement with the grading scale, and a CV of up to two pages. Architecture, Urban Planning and Policy Design and all design programmes also need a portfolio. A motivation letter, a recommendation letter, course descriptions and the GRE (for engineering and architecture, with no minimum score) are optional, but the university advises adding them to make the application more competitive. You can apply to up to two programmes per semester.
An English certificate is not needed to submit the application, but it is mandatory for the admission letter, a merit scholarship, the visa and enrolment. Accepted scores include IELTS 6, TOEFL iBT 78 (4.5 on the new scale) and Cambridge B2 First at grade B. A bachelor's taught in English for at least three years, with at least 75% of courses in English, replaces the certificate. Keep a test score in reserve anyway: the university warns Egyptian applicants that Italian diplomatic offices may still ask for IELTS or TOEFL for the visa.
Application windows for September 2027
Study area
Applications
Outcome
Engineering, first call
1 October — 1 December 2026
By the end of May 2027
Engineering, second call
12 January — 25 February 2027
By the end of May 2027
Architecture and Design
1 October 2026 — 28 January 2027
By the end of May 2027
Architecture and design admit students only in September; engineering programmes also run a February intake.
The 1 December cut-off matters twice
Applying by 1 December 2026 costs 56 USD instead of 169 USD. More importantly, only applicants who pay the fee in this early-bird window can compete for the university's merit scholarships.
Bachelor's degrees taught in English
Five bachelor's programmes are taught fully in English: Engineering Science in Milan, MEDTEC School (run with a partner university) in Milan, Industrial Engineering in Piacenza, Process Engineering in Cremona and Interaction Design in Lecco. Architectural Design and Civil Engineering also have English tracks. Quotas for non-EU students are larger on these programmes: 60 of 110 places on the English track of Civil Engineering, 35 of 180 on Engineering Science and 25 of 80 on Process Engineering.
Every route goes through an entrance test. Engineering accepts the Italian-language TOL or alternatives such as CEnT-S, which is delivered in English, and the SAT; in the early enrolment phase the SAT needs at least 620 in each section. Interaction Design uses the English version of the TOLD design test, and architecture its own ARCHED test.
English-taught engineering and design bachelor's programmes ask for IELTS 5 or TOEFL iBT 59 before enrolment. Citizens of countries where English is an official language, such as the UK, USA, Canada, Ireland and Australia, are exempt, and so is anyone who completed secondary school in English. Applicants from India, Nigeria or the Philippines therefore usually qualify through an English-medium school rather than citizenship.
The school-leaving certificate must follow at least 12 years of schooling. Shorter school systems, US high school diplomas and British qualifications come with extra conditions under the ministry's annual rules, and a foundation course of at least one academic year can fill a missing year. For enrolment, the diploma also needs a Declaration of Value from the Italian embassy or a comparability statement from CIMEA, Italy's recognition centre, plus proof of authenticity; paper apostilles are no longer accepted.
Tuition is based on ISEE, Italy's measure of family income and assets. For a standard study plan it ranges from 177 USD for low-income families to 4,456 USD. Non-EU students admitted to a master's with a foreign bachelor's pay the maximum unless they hold a scholarship, even if they submit an ISEE. Bachelor's students who do not submit an ISEE are also charged the maximum; our page on the DSU scholarship explains how foreign income is assessed.
Residence rates are for 2025/2026. The application fee is paid online, and the university notes that cards from some countries' banks may be declined; a friend may pay on your behalf, but the deadline is never extended.
Scholarships
Merit scholarships for master's students. A full tuition waiver, sometimes with up to 11,300 USD a year; winners pay only an administrative fee of about 192 USD. You must apply to an English-taught master's in the early-bird window (1 October to 1 December 2026) and submit an English certificate by 4 March 2027. Selection weighs GPA, academic achievements and, where required, the portfolio.
Invest your Talent in Italy. Extra scholarships for September master's applicants from 17 countries, including India, Ghana, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia and Vietnam.
DSU grants. Italy's income-based support: cash plus meals, and a discounted residence place for students from out of town. You apply through the yearly call, even before taking the entrance test.
Italian government scholarships. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs funds a number of awards for international students each year.
Bachelor's applicants have fewer options: the university ran a separate call for Process Engineering in Cremona and Industrial Engineering in Piacenza in 2026/2027, now closed. Watch for a new call if one of these programmes is on your list.
Non-EU students admitted to Politecnico apply for the student visa through the Universitaly portal, and the university confirms the pre-enrolment to the Italian embassy or consulate. That confirmation does not guarantee a visa appointment or a visa. Uni-Italia centres, a non-profit set up by Italian ministries, help applicants in India (Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangalore), Indonesia and Vietnam; the Vietnam office also serves the Philippines and other countries in the region.
Within 8 working days of arriving in Italy you must apply for a residence permit. It allows work of up to 20 hours a week and 1040 hours a year, and renewing it requires passing exams every year. Our guide to the admission process in Italy covers the national steps in more detail.
Frequently asked questions
Is a three-year Indian B.Sc. enough for a master's?
Only if it is an Honours programme. Otherwise Politecnico expects a four-year degree such as a B.Tech., B.Eng., B.Des. or B.Arch., with at least 70/100.
Should I use an agent?
Politecnico strongly discourages unauthorised agents. It has official representatives in 18 countries, including India, China, Mexico, Colombia and Turkey, and the application itself is always filed on the university's portal.
Do graduates find jobs?
The university reports that 99% of its Italian master's graduates of 2024 were employed a year after graduating. It does not publish a separate figure for international graduates on that page, so treat the number as context rather than a forecast.
It fits graduates in engineering, architecture or design who want an English-taught master's at a highly ranked technical university on a public fee scale, and who can apply before December. It fits school leavers less well: the English bachelor's list is short, places for non-EU students are limited and three of the five English-only programmes are outside Milan. To compare it with other options, see our overviews of universities in Italy and higher education in Italy.
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