Study in Italy in English: the whole route, in order.
Italy’s universities teach degrees entirely in English, from Bachelor’s programs to Medicine. Public universities set fees from family income or, for many families abroad, by country. International students are admitted through a process that is strict about dates and documents. This page is the route from start to finish, and each section links to the guide that goes deeper.
Who can apply.
For a Bachelor’s or a single-cycle degree such as Medicine, the national rule is a school-leaving qualification after at least 12 years of schooling, one that would also give access to the same kind of degree in your own country. Shorter school systems can make up the difference with university exams or other recognised study after school. A levels and the IB Diploma have their own national conditions, and where your country requires an entrance exam for a degree, you must have passed it. The quick check of the national rules walks through each case.
For a Master’s you need a first-cycle degree that gives access to a Master’s in the country that awarded it, and the university asks for your transcript with the syllabus of each subject.
Choosing a program.
English-taught degrees run at three levels: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and single-cycle degrees such as Medicine and Surgery, Dentistry and Veterinary Medicine. Public and private universities both offer them, and not every university teaches in English at every level. A Master’s has no national test: the university checks that your Bachelor’s covers the right subjects, often with an interview (Master’s degrees). For Medicine, state universities select through the IMAT, while private medical schools select through their own tests, usually months earlier (two kinds of medical school). Our university guides take one university at a time: the programs taught in English, admission, fees and the city.
The admission tests.
There is no single entrance exam: the test depends on the subject and the university, and some programs need none. Where places are limited, the score usually decides admission. Where access is open, a program may still ask for a test or a minimum score, or add extra courses if you score low. Each university sets its own minimum, so the same score is worth different things in different places.
- The IMATFor Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Medicine in English. A national paper test held once a year, set by the ministry with CINECA. Non-EU applicants living abroad are ranked only at the one university where they pre-enrolled. The IMAT guide
- CEnT-SCISIA’s English test, which replaced the English TOLC tests in November 2025. It serves many degrees in engineering, science and economics, at a university or online from home, though some universities count only tests sat in person. The CEnT-S guide
- The SATAccepted by many economics and engineering programs, with a different minimum in each call. The SAT guide
- The university’s own testSome universities, private ones especially, set their own test. Architecture follows national rules, with each university running the test. Own tests
- No testSome Bachelor’s admit on documents alone, and may still rank applicants on those documents. Degrees with no test
Applying.
Each university runs its own application, on its own portal and calendar, often in several rounds. The university alone decides whether your qualification gives access. For the visa, the qualification must come with a CIMEA statement of comparability and verification, or a Declaration of Value from the Italian mission (the visa). CIMEA’s ordinary procedure takes 60 working days for each of the two statements, so start early. An English-taught program also asks for English at B2 or higher, such as IELTS or TOEFL, and each university lists what it accepts and who is exempt.
Universitaly pre-enrolment.
Universitaly is the ministry’s free official portal. If you are not an EU citizen, live outside Italy and need a visa, you pre-enrol there for the university you are applying to. EU citizens, and non-EU citizens already living in Italy or another EU country on certain permits, apply directly to the university. Each university sets its own pre-enrolment window, and some close months before the visa deadline. A university may validate pre-enrolments only up to its places for foreign students plus 20%, so a popular one can fill before its deadline. Only a validated pre-enrolment opens the visa step, and some missions give appointments in order of validation date.
What it costs.
Public universities set fees from family income, and many publish fixed yearly fees by country group for families abroad. Private universities set their own. Each university guide sets out that university’s fees and describes its city; rent and daily costs depend on the city. As a yardstick, the visa asks for proof of at least EUR 10,179.85 a year: that is the ministry’s minimum, not a budget.
You also need health cover for the visa and the residence permit. In Italy a student keeps a policy that meets the residence-permit rule or joins the national health service, which cost at least EUR 700 a calendar year in 2026. The residence permit carries state charges of its own. Learnium’s own fee comes as a written quote after the first call.
DSU grants.
DSU grants are run region by region under one national law, and students from outside the EU apply on the same terms as Italian students. Selection starts from family income, and a family whose income is abroad proves it with documents from the home country. A grant can waive the university fees and pay a yearly amount, partly in cash and partly in services: for 2026/27 the ministry’s minimum for a student from out of town was EUR 7,171.11. Calls come out in early summer and close before term starts, so the income documents need to start months earlier.
The visa.
The study visa is a national type D visa for university enrolment, valid for 365 days with multiple entries, and the embassy or consulate decides on it, not the university. You lodge it at the Italian mission for the country where you live, not the country on your passport, and only after the university has validated your pre-enrolment. For 2027/28 the ministry’s deadline is 31 October 2027, and universities may set earlier dates. Missions do not all publish a processing time, and at least one says it can take up to 90 calendar days. The national rules ask everyone for the same core file, and each mission adds its own checklist:
- A pre-enrolment on Universitaly, validated by the university.
- Your school qualification with a CIMEA statement of comparability and verification, or a Declaration of Value.
- If English is not your first language, a certificate at level B2 or higher.
- Proof of funds of at least EUR 10,179.85 per year, from lawful and traceable sources.
- Proof of accommodation in Italy. An application for a place in a university residence is not enough.
- Health insurance, with the visa file at some missions and at the residence permit in every case.
The first weeks.
Within eight working days of arriving on a study visa, you apply for the residence permit for study, with the kit from a post office; the receipt proves that you are in Italy legally until the card arrives. The post office also gives you an appointment at the police headquarters for photographs and fingerprints. You complete enrolment at the university, which can stay provisional until the permit arrives, and arrange your tax code and health cover. Before you fly, we go through the first weeks with you and your family: enrolment, the residence permit application and how to look for a place to live.
The year at a glance.
For an October 2027 start, in outline. Each university keeps its own dates, so we give you yours once we know your programs. Where a national date is not out yet, we say so.
- From November 2026University calls start to open, in rounds, and some first rounds close before the new year. CISIA’s new CEnT-S test year begins, with five test periods running to September. CEnT-S guideFor a DSU grant, the family’s income documents are the long job: collect, certify and translate them from now to spring. DSU guide
- January to MayMore university rounds open and close. Private medical schools hold their tests. Private medical schoolsThe ministry’s DSU decrees on amounts and income ceilings for 2027/28 are not published yet. In 2026 they were signed in February. DSU guide
- June and JulyThe regional DSU calls for 2027/28 are not published yet. In 2026 they appeared in June and July, and the earliest closed in July. DSU guidePre-enrolment deadlines start to fall at some universities.
- AugustThe 2027 IMAT decree is not published. The last two came out in early August, with registration on Universitaly from late August to early September. Medicine in Italy
- SeptemberThe 2027 IMAT date is not published. The 2026 test was on 29 September 2026, and the date moves every year. IMAT guideIn 2026 the last DSU deadlines were at the end of September. DSU guide
- OctoberVisa applications for 2027/28 must be lodged by 31 October 2027. Universities may set earlier deadlines of their own. IMAT guide
Questions.
Usually not. These programs are taught in English and most ask for no Italian at admission. A few ask for some Italian at enrolment, and Medicine often requires it before the clinical years, so we check each program’s call. A little Italian also makes everyday life easier.
Usually, for a Bachelor’s or a single-cycle degree, though not always: some programs admit on documents alone. Master’s degrees are mostly judged on your documents, and some add a test or an interview. The test depends on the subject and the university.
Yes. Parents are welcome on every call, and we are happy to answer their questions directly.
As soon as you are thinking about it. Each university publishes its own call and each entrance test has its own calendar, and a missed date usually means waiting a full year. About a year before the October intake is comfortable; with less time, tell us on the first call and we will say honestly what is still possible.
No, and be wary of anyone who does. Universities decide on admission and embassies decide on visas. We make sure your applications are complete, on time and aimed at programs that fit your profile.
Yes. Your citizenship and where you live affect how you apply, the fees at many universities and which Italian mission handles your visa. We work with students in every country, and we go through what applies to you on the first call.
Tell us where you are starting from.
Every national date here comes from a published decree or call. We tell you which university dates apply to you.
Photo: Piazza dei Cavalieri and the Scuola Normale, Pisa by Sailko (CC BY 3.0). Via Wikimedia Commons.