Admission process in Italy

Requirements for admission to Italy

Academic differences

Entering an Italian university directly after the 11th grade will not be possible, as Italian students undergo a 12-year educational journey.

You can make up for this difference in three ways:

• Successfully finish a Foundation program — details on its Italian counterpart can be found below
• Engage in one year of study at a university in your home country

Application submission

In Italy, university programs fall into two categories:

• Limited enrollment programs. Typically found in medical, architectural, and technical fields. These programs primarily rely on entrance exams. Student rankings are determined by their exam performance, and admission is granted to those with higher rankings.
• Open admission programs. These programs enroll all students who fulfill the entry requirements. While an exam is still necessary, the selection process is less stringent. Think of it as crossing a points threshold — meeting it results in an invitation for admission.

The admission process for bachelor's and master's programs unfolds in two stages, starting with a pre-enrollment phase.

The process of getting admitted follows these steps^[4]:

1. Applying to a university

   Visit the official website of your chosen university to register and apply for admission. Submit the required documents — including certificates, diplomas, language proficiency certificates, CIMEA (if applicable), and so on.

   Please note that you are allowed to submit only one application to one university^[5].

2. Pre-enrollment

   For pre-enrollment, refer to the Universitaly platform. There, you will find complete instructions. If you encounter any difficulties, it is best to directly contact your chosen university for precise clarifications.

3. Preliminary evaluation

   The university will carefully assess your application again, specify documents that need attention, and ultimately make a final decision.

4. Final decision

   The outcome depends on the specific university and programs. You might receive an unconditional offer, which means you are accepted without any additional conditions. Alternatively, you might get a conditional offer, which comes with certain requirements. For instance, you might need to pass an Italian proficiency exam or provide a DDV certificate.

   Afterwards, you will proceed to take the required entrance exams.

Entrance exams

These exams vary based on your chosen field of study. They can include standardized tests, internal university assessments gauging fundamental subject knowledge, or even creative evaluations such as presentations, performances, reviews, and portfolio defenses.

For instance, medical fields might require the IMAT exam, while economics programs could necessitate the TOLC test.

Internal exam dates are posted on university websites and communicated to applicants who have successfully cleared the pre-admission phase. Registering with the Universitaly Portal is also an important step.

In some instances, Italian universities might request confirmation that you have passed the necessary entrance exams in your home country.

Diploma legalization and recognition

Legalization and recognition of educational documents are mandatory procedures upon gaining admission to an Italian university.

Diplomas and certificates generally require an apostille, a validation that verifies the legitimacy and accreditation of your alma mater.

However, you will also need to undergo a somewhat more complicated recognition process. The outcome is a certificate attesting that your prior education meets the standards necessary to continue studies in Italy.

To achieve document recognition in Italy (Procedure di riconoscimento dei titoli), you need to:

• Attach an apostille to your certificate or diploma
• Translate your documents using an accredited translator
• Authenticate the translations at the Consulate of Italy
• After Consulate verification, acquire a DDV certificate^[6] (Dichiarazione di Valore)

Students who receive their diploma in June and cannot apply for a DDV before the document submission deadline must provide a certificate from their university confirming graduation within the current year.

The DDV issuance process is both lengthy and complicated. If you receive your diploma in June, Italian universities are often willing to await your documents and DDV until October-November for final enrollment. To ensure timely completion, proceed with the apostille application immediately after obtaining your documents, followed by prompt DDV processing.

Alternatively, you can obtain a CIMEA certificate — a DDV equivalent that is widely accepted by nearly all Italian universities

Preparatory programs in Italy

Italian students typically undergo 12 years of schooling. Therefore, if you possess only 11 years of secondary education, the missing year needs to be compensated.

To address this, Foundation programs are available, often referred to as Corsi Propedeutici. These programs not only enhance your language skills, but also cover subjects that Italian students study at school. The key advantage of such preparatory courses lies in the exemption from entrance exams at some universities upon completion. For instance, this holds true at the Academy of Fine Arts Rosario Gagliardi Siracusa^[8].

It is best to pursue a Foundation program at the university where you intend to apply for further study. Some universities may not accept a Foundation certificate from another institution.

Numerous universities in Italy offer Foundation programs: University of Rome La Sapienza, University of Pavia, Ca' Foscari University, Marangoni Institute, and Rome University of Fine Arts.

Foundation programs in Italy are available in both English and Italian. However, even programs in English usually incorporate a segment focused on learning the national language. Only in rare instances do English Foundation courses exclude Italian lessons — for example, if you are applying for a Pre-Masters in applied mathematics^[9].

The minimum age for admission to Foundation programs is 17 years. Underage students must have a guardian with Italian citizenship throughout their study period.

There are two application deadlines for Foundation programs in Italy:

• End of June — for 9-month programs
• December — for 6-month programs

How to apply for a PhD program

Getting into a PhD program (Studi di dottorato) takes a slightly different route compared to the pre-enrollment steps required for both bachelor’s and master's programs. In this case, you can directly apply to the university. Application deadlines for PhD programs tend to be around the end of September.

Ensure that the field you specialized in during your master's aligns with the focus of the PhD program. In some cases, you might also need written approval from a potential supervisor for your research. This supervisor, often a professor from the program, needs to be chosen carefully and contacted ahead of time.

Scholarships in Italy

Italy offers numerous scholarship and grant options for international students:

• University scholarships. Almost every Italian university offers scholarships for foreign students. For instance, the University of Bologna provides tuition discounts of up to 1,808 USD to students from developing countries^[11]. This scholarship is granted automatically, with no extra application or documentation required. Similarly, Milan Technical University presents various scholarship avenues: academic excellence awards for bachelor’s and master's students, scholarships for female students in STEM, and more^[12]. When selecting a university, explore the available options in the "Scholarships" section on its official website.
• DSU government scholarship. The Italian government runs this unique program catering to students from low-income families. Remarkably, the citizenship of the candidate is not important — both local and foreign applicants can apply for DSU. The reward is solely determined by your personal income or the financial status of your family. Recipients of this scholarship enjoy free education, on-campus housing, meals at university cafeterias, and even monthly stipends. We have detailed the DSU scholarship in a separate article.

Suitable financing programs can also be found on the Scholarship Portal website.