Requirements to Apply to Italian Universities
In order to apply to an Italian university, a foreigner student needs to satisfy the following requirements.
• Requirements for application to a Bachelor Degree.
12 years of studies – The Italian education system foresees that students attend 12 years of school before starting university. If a foreigner student wants to attend an Italian university he must confirm that the education system in his country foresees 12 years of studies otherwise he will need to attend 1 year of university in his country or attend a foundation programme in Italy before applying to university.
• Requirements for application to a Master Degree.
In order to apply to a Master Degree in an Italian university a foreigner student must have previously obtained a Bachelor Degree in the same area of studies.
• Italian language knowledge
A foreigner students who decides to apply to an Italian university must have an Italian language level of B2.
• English language knowledge
For Degree courses held in English Language an official English Language certificate (IELTS) of B2 level is always required.
Italian language test
To enroll on any Italian University for Bachelor Degree, international students are requested to sit for an Italian Language exam of level B2.
The Italian language exam is usually held one or two days before the entrance test.
Passing this exam is a compulsory requirement for admission to the chosen University course or to the admission examination.
The Italian language exam is customized according to individual Universities and Faculties.
Students who already have CILS, CELI, PLIDA international certification for level B2 are exempted from the Italian language exam.
Application Procedures to Apply to Italian University
In order to apply to a bachelor or master degree in an Italian university a non – EU student must follow a few procedures.
1. Pre-enrolment to the chosen University and degree course through the Italian Embassy
This is the first step and it is done directly through the Italian embassy in the student’s country of origin.
Usually the time line is between April and May and the student will need to provide to the embassy the passport and an high school diploma valid for Italy.
The embassy will issue a confirmation document called “Letter of Academic Eligibility (Dichiarazione di Valore).
2. Application to the admission exam
This is an online application that takes place in July and can be done both in Italy or in the student’s country. The student will need his passport, the Letter of Eligibility obtained from the Italian embassy, and an official translation of the high school diploma.
Universities require the payment of an exam fee and then issue a confirmation document.
3. Study Visa application
This step takes place in August and requires the student to be personally in his country in order to apply for the Visa through the Italian embassy. Beside the passport the student will need the confirmation letter of application to the exam, an international medical insurance, and a document stating the availability of economical means to support his stay in Italy.
4. Admission test: italian language + academic subjects
The admission exam takes place in September directly in the chosen university. The knowledge of the Italian language is evaluated through an Italian language exam. To pass this exam is mandatory in order to be able to take the academic admission exam. A student who will provide an official Italian language certificate (CILS, CELI, PLIDA) will be exonerated from taking the language exam.
The student will need to provide his passport, study Visa and confirmation letter to the exam.
The results of the exam are usually published within the end of September.
Students with a diploma from an Italian high school abroad are exonerated from the Italian exam.
5. Final enrolment for the academic year (immatricolazione)
The final step takes place after the exam results are published. Can be done personally or online depending on university. In order to complete this procedure the student will need to provide proof of the achievement of the admission exam, his study Visa and Permit of Stay, and the payment of the tuition fee for the first year.
Application to postgraduate masters
The access to postgraduate masters is directly managed by the universities and not through the Italian embassy.
The admission is usually conditioned by an evaluation of the candidate’s background and an interview.
The university will then issue an acceptance letter that will be a mandatory document in order to apply for the study Visa.
University Fees
One of the strong points of applying to an Italian university for an international student is the fact that the university fees are exactly the same both for Italian and foreigner students, compared to other countries where the cost is much higher for international students.
The annual fee can be paid in 2 tranches. The first one must be paid at the moment of the registration in October, the second one in March.
The amount of the annual tuition fee is variable depending on the University and the chosen degree. In public Universities can be expected to be in a range between 2.000 € and 3.000 € per year.
For private Universities the tuition fee is usually in a range between 10.000 € and 25.000 €.
The amount can also varies on the student’s family income.
Foreigner students, like Italian ones, are eligible to 2 different kinds of scholarships.
From the first year It is possible to apply for a scholarship based on the income of the student’s family.
Starting from the second year it is also possible to obtain a scholarship based on merit that takes into consideration the academic results of the previous year.
Both these kind of scholarships can offer either discounts on the annual fee, or assistance on the monthly rent, or daily meals.
For more detailed information about tuition fees, the opportunity to discount those or to access a scholarship we suggest to visit directly the websites of the single Universities.
For Postgraduate Masters the tuition fee is higher, in public Universities can be expected to be in a range between 3.000 € and 15.000 € , while in Private Universities between 10.000 € and 40.000 €.
