Access for students with an international qualification

EU or Non-EU Citizen?

If you live abroad and need a visa to study in Italy, you must follow all the steps we will explain below. We remind you that, according to the Ministerial Circular "Procedures for the entry, stay, enrollment of international students and the recognition of qualifications, for higher education courses in Italy" published annually by the Ministry of Education, University, and Research (MUR), the denial of an entry visa to Italy results in the termination of your university career.

Citizens of Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, the Republic of San Marino, and the Holy See are treated as equivalent to EU citizens. Also considered equivalent are refugees and those holding subsidiary protection, as well as staff serving in foreign diplomatic representations and international organizations based in Italy—accredited to the Italian State or the Holy See—and their dependents (spouses and children only).

Non-EU citizens legally residing in Italy include: holders of a residence card, or a residence permit for salaried employment, self-employment, family reasons, political asylum, humanitarian asylum, religious reasons, or foreigners legally residing for at least one year in possession of a higher education degree obtained in Italy, as well as foreigners, residing anywhere, who hold final diplomas from Italian schools abroad or from foreign or international schools operating in Italy and abroad, covered by bilateral agreements or special regulations for the recognition of educational qualifications and who meet the general conditions required for entry for study purposes.

Online Student Registry - Admission Application

Remember that in Italy you can enroll in a university only with a Diploma obtained after at least 12 years of schooling and that allows university enrollment in the country to which the school system belongs.

If you hold an international qualification, you must follow the procedure below:

1) Follow the online enrollment procedure on the degree course pages .

2) Upload the documents related to your foreign access title in the "Online Student Registry"

If you plan to enroll in a degree course with limited places, carefully read the call for application.

PLEASE NOTE: For enrollment in courses with capped access, you must first register and pass an entrance test. Also, some courses with open access mandatorily require an Initial Preparation Check. Therefore, read carefully the instructions indicated on the degree course pages.

Documents to access to undergraduate and single-cycle master's degree courses

If you wish to enroll in an undergraduate course (3 years) or a master's or single-cycle degree course (5 or 6 years), you must present the following documents:

a) Final diploma of upper secondary school, obtained after at least 12 years of schooling, accompanied by an official translation in Italian or English;

b) School report card of the subjects of the last year of the school path (transcript) accompanied by an official translation in Italian or English;

c) Any certificate that verifies the successful completion of academic suitability test, if required for access to the university in the country of origin;

d) For non-EU candidates requiring a visa, the pre-enrollment receipt on the UNIVERSITALY Portal, where available;

FOR COURSES TAUGHT IN ITALIAN:

e) For non-EU candidates requiring a visa, certificate of Level B2 knowledge of the Italian language.

FOR COURSES TAUGHT IN ENGLISH:

e) For non-EU candidates requiring a visa, certificate of Level B2 knowledge of the English language.

All documents issued by CIMEA as part of the agreement with the University of Milano-Bicocca (Verification certificate; Certificate of Correspondence or Certificate of Comparability), when requested, must be sent to the following email: [email protected] by no later than September 30, 2024.

For further clarification, contact the same email: [email protected]. For information on the academic documentation necessary for the recognition of foreign qualifications, it is useful to consult the guide published by CIMEA.

The University may ask each candidate to produce further documentation in order to evaluate the foreign degree. Failure to send documents, verification of possession of an inadequate foreign degree, or the production of false documentation will be reported to the head of the educational sector for the adoption of appropriate measures.

For access to right-to-study initiatives, as well as access to master's courses, doctorates, or other types of educational paths, refer to the appropriate notices that may require different documentation.

Refusal or failure to obtain an entry visa by 30 January 2025 will result in career termination for all courses that are not formally offered exclusively online.

Documents to access to master's degree courses

If you wish to enroll in a master's degree course (2 years), you must present the following documents:

a) Final diploma of a first-level degree, accompanied by an official translation in Italian or English;

b) Certificate of exams (Transcript of Records) accompanied by an official translation in Italian or English;

c) Any further documentation relating to access requirements, according to the national legislation of the foreign country issuing the title;

d) For non-EU candidates requiring a visa, the pre-enrollment receipt on the UNIVERSITALY Portal, where available;

FOR COURSES TAUGHT IN ITALIAN:

e) For non-EU candidates requiring a visa, certificate of Level B2 knowledge of the Italian language.

FOR COURSES TAUGHT IN ENGLISH:

e) For non-EU visa applicants, a certificate of Level B2 proficiency in the English language is required.

All documents issued by CIMEA under the agreement with the University of Milano-Bicocca (Verification certificate; Certificate of Correspondence or Certificate of Comparability), when requested, must be sent to the following email: credential.evaluations@unimib.it by no later than September 30, 2024.

For further clarification, contact the same email [email protected]. For information on the academic documentation necessary for the recognition of foreign qualifications, it is useful to consult the guide published by CIMEA.

The University may ask each candidate to produce additional documentation for the evaluation of the foreign degree. Failure to send documents, verification of possession of an inadequate foreign degree, or production of false documentation will be referred to the head of the academic sector for the adoption of appropriate measures.

Refusal or failure to obtain an entry visa by 30 January 2025 will result in career termination for all courses that are not formally offered exclusively online.

Foreign qualifications valid for university admission

See the MIUR details on foreign qualifications valid for university admission:

U.S. high school diplomas; British qualifications; Greek "apolityrion" qualifications
Degrees issued by ecclesiastical university institutes based in Italy approved by the Holy See
Degrees obtained at "frontier schools"
Degrees obtained at European schools (law of January 3, 1960, n.102 and law of May 19, 1965, n.577)
Degrees from the Republic of San Marino
Degrees obtained at international schools in Italy
International Baccalaureate
Swiss qualifications: to access a three-year or single-cycle master's degree with a Swiss educational qualification, it is necessary to have a high school diploma or a professional maturity certificate completed by a bridging exam or a bachelor's degree from a university school. For access to a master's degree, the qualifications issued by the university sector institutes of the Swiss Confederation listed in Annex A of the Italy-Switzerland Agreement (concluded on December 7, 2000) on the mutual recognition of equivalences in the university sector are recognized as valid. However, access to a master's degree is always subject to the evaluation of the competent educational authority.

Language proficiency (Italian)

The following certifications of Italian language proficiency are recognized:

CELI: Certification issued by the University for Foreigners of Perugia
CELI: University for Foreigners of Siena
CERTIT: University Roma 3
Plida: Società Dante Alighieri

Certificates of Italian language proficiency of no less than B2 level of the Council of Europe issued by the University of Roma 3, the Universities for Foreigners of Perugia and Siena, the non-state legally recognized University for Foreigners "Dante Alighieri" of Reggio Calabria, and by the "Dante Alighieri" Society, also in agreement with the Italian Institutes of Culture abroad or other entities are valid. CLIQ - Quality Italian Language Certification certificates are also valid.

It is also possible to take the Italian language proficiency test online through CISIA TEST ITA L-2 @HOME. This test can be taken several times. The dates for 2024 are as follows: April 16, May 14, May 28, June 11, July 16, July 30, September 24, October 8.

Language proficiency (English)

Native English speakers are exempt from presenting a language certification. Those who have completed an entire course of study entirely in English are also exempt.

For the English language, the following institutions issue competency certificates of no less than B2 level of the Council of Europe: