CILS, CELI, PLIDA: Italian Certificates for University in Italy

Fee figures: catalogue of 6 October 2026.

For degrees taught in Italian, the level required from international students is B2. This is stated in the ministry's yearly procedures for international students and repeated by Italian consulates in their visa instructions. There are two ways to prove it: an official certificate obtained in advance, or the Italian test organised by the university.

The recognised certificates

Italy has four certification bodies that work to a shared quality standard known as CLIQ:

All four offer exams at each level from A1 or A2 up to C2, test the four skills, and are held on fixed dates a few times a year at centres in Italy and abroad, often at Italian cultural institutes. A B2 certificate from any of them is accepted for enrolment. The certificates do not expire, though a university may prefer a recent one.

Which one to choose

There is no ranking between them for admission purposes. In practice the choice is made by geography and calendar: find which exam centre is closest to you and which exam date leaves enough time for the result, which takes weeks or months depending on the body. Register early, because sessions have deadlines well ahead of the exam date.

The university's own test

Non-EU applicants living abroad who do not hold a certificate sit a test of Italian at the university, either in person or online, before enrolment. Since the visa application comes first and consulates check language ability, relying on this test alone is risky. A certificate obtained before you apply is the safer route.

Who is exempt

The yearly procedures list the exemptions. They include holders of a B2 certificate from the CLIQ bodies, holders of school-leaving certificates from Italian schools abroad, and some other categories. Universities publish the list on their pages for international students.

English-taught degrees

Italy has a large English-taught offer: 233 bachelor's programmes in English in our catalogue. They require English at B2 instead of Italian. Italian is not formally needed for these, but daily life, part-time work and internships are much easier with at least a basic level. See IELTS and TOEFL for European universities.

Admission tests are in Italian too

Remember that the language certificate is separate from the admission test for the course. The TOLC tests and the national exams for medicine and the health professions are held in Italian for Italian-taught courses, so your working level must be enough to answer subject questions under time pressure.

Where to look next

Official sources

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