How to Get Into a University in Italy as an International Student

Fee figures: catalogue of 6 October 2026.

Italy does not select by school grades. Whether you get in depends on the type of access a programme has, and for many programmes the answer is simply that everyone qualified can enrol. This guide explains the three access types and the extra steps for applicants from outside the EU.

The three types of access

• Free access. You enrol without competition. There is an initial knowledge check, and if you do badly you get extra coursework in the first year, not a rejection.
• Local limited places. The university sets the number of places and runs its own admission test. Very often this is a TOLC, a standard online test run by the CISIA consortium, which many universities accept.
• National limited places. The number of places is set nationally. For Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Medicine, Italy changed the system from 2025/26: there is an open first semester for everyone, followed by national exams and a ranking that decides who continues. Architecture, primary-school teaching and the health professions keep tests on national dates.

Each programme page on our Italy pages links to the university, where the call for applications states the access type.

If you are not an EU citizen and live abroad

Two things are added.

1. Pre-enrolment on Universitaly. This national portal is where you declare the one programme you are applying to. The university validates the request, and the Italian consulate uses it for your study visa. Each programme has a reserved quota of places for non-EU applicants living abroad, so you compete inside that quota.
2. Recognition of your school certificate. Italy asks for at least twelve years of schooling. Universities ask either for a Statement of Comparability from CIMEA, the Italian recognition centre, or for a Declaration of Value issued by the Italian consulate. The university's call says which.

EU citizens, and non-EU citizens who already live legally in Italy, apply on the same terms as Italians.

Language

Italian-taught programmes require an Italian language test for non-EU applicants, unless you hold a recognised certificate. Italy also has one of the larger English-taught offers in southern Europe: our catalogue lists 233 undergraduate programmes taught in English, which ask for an English certificate instead.

Step by step

1. Choose a programme and read its call for applications to find the access type and dates.
2. Book the admission test if there is one. TOLC sessions run several times a year.
3. Start the recognition of your school certificate.
4. Pre-enrol on Universitaly if you need a visa.
5. Apply for the study visa once the university has validated your pre-enrolment.
6. Enrol and pay the first instalment.

What it costs

Public university fees depend on family income, and low-income students pay close to nothing. See how much it costs to study in Italy.

Official sources

• Universitaly: pre-enrolment portal of the Ministry of Universities and Research
• CIMEA: recognition of foreign qualifications
• CISIA: TOLC tests

Always check current information on the official website of the university before you apply.