IMAT and TOLC: Admission Tests for Italian Universities Explained

Fee figures: catalogue of 6 October 2026.

Italy has no single entrance exam. Whether you sit a test, and which one, depends on the degree and on the language it is taught in. The system also changed recently for medicine. This guide describes it as of October 2026.

Three kinds of access

Free access. You enrol, then take a non-selective check of initial knowledge. A weak result means extra coursework, not rejection.
Local limited places. The university fixes the number of places and ranks applicants by an admission test, very often a TOLC.
National limited places. The ministry fixes places and the procedure for the whole country: medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, architecture, primary teacher education and the health professions.

Each degree's call for applications (bando) states which of these applies. Our catalogue lists 2,751 programmes at 295 institutions; see study in Italy.

TOLC

The TOLC is a family of standard online tests run by CISIA, a consortium of universities. Universities choose which TOLC they require and what score they accept.

Versions by subject area: TOLC-I for engineering, TOLC-E for economics, TOLC-S for sciences, TOLC-SU for humanities, TOLC-PSI for psychology, TOLC-AV for agriculture, and others. Some exist in English.
Format: multiple-choice sections on mathematics, logic, reading comprehension and subject knowledge, followed by an English section that is scored separately. TOLC-I, for example, has 50 questions in four sections plus 30 English questions.
Where: in a university computer room or at home under remote supervision (TOLC@CASA), depending on the session.
When: sessions run for most of the year. You may repeat the test, normally no more than once a calendar month, and present your best valid result.
Fee: a few tens of euros per sitting, paid to CISIA when you book.
One result, several universities. A TOLC of the right type is accepted by every university that uses it, but each sets its own threshold and deadline.

Book early: selection rounds for the best-known universities open in winter and spring for the following autumn.

Medicine in Italian: the filter semester

From 2025/26 the national test for medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine taught in Italian was replaced. Students now enrol freely in a first semester of common subjects, sit national exams in them, and are ranked nationally for the places available. Those who do not obtain a place can continue in a related degree with the credits earned. Rules are set each year by ministerial decree, so read the current one.

IMAT: medicine in English

Medicine and surgery taught in English at public universities still uses a separate test, the IMAT.

What it is: a single written test held on one date at centres in Italy and abroad, in English.
Format in recent years: 60 multiple-choice questions in 100 minutes, covering reading and general knowledge, logical reasoning, biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics, with a penalty for wrong answers.
When: usually in September, a few weeks before courses start. The date, the number of places per university and the registration window are published by decree in summer.
Places: separate quotas for EU candidates and for non-EU candidates living abroad. You rank universities in order of preference when you register.
Registration: on the Universitaly portal, with a fee paid to the university of first choice.

Private universities that teach medicine in English run their own tests on their own dates.

Other national tests

Architecture, primary teacher education and the health professions, such as nursing and physiotherapy, have tests on dates fixed nationally and organised by each university. You apply to one university for each date.

What non-EU applicants add

Pre-enrolment on Universitaly, which the university validates and the consulate uses for the visa.
Recognition of the school certificate: see declaration of value and CIMEA.
Italian language for degrees taught in Italian: see Italian language exams.
Visa: see student visa for Italy.

Passing a test early does not replace these steps; they run in parallel.

Preparing

Download the official syllabus and the practice tests that CISIA and the ministry publish; they define the level.
Past IMAT papers are public and are the best measure of difficulty.
For science sections, school textbooks at upper-secondary level are sufficient if you work through them fully.
Sit a first TOLC early, treat it as a rehearsal and repeat it.

Official sources

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