University admission in Europe

As an EU citizen, you apply directly to the university of your choice, usually through its online portal, on the same terms as Italian students. The Universitaly pre-enrolment procedure and the visa apply to applicants from outside the EU.

With a secondary school leaving certificate from abroad you will usually need:

• your school leaving certificate – you must have completed at least 12 years of schooling in total,
• a translation of the certificate and a document confirming its value – universities most often accept a "dichiarazione di valore" from an Italian consulate or a CIMEA statement; ask your university for details,
• proof that you know the language of instruction.

If you are from outside the EU and live abroad, you apply to the university and also submit a pre-enrolment request on Universitaly. Once the university has validated it, you can apply for a study visa at the Italian embassy or consulate (see: Residence and formalities). For 2026/27, Italian consulates set 30 November 2026 as the final deadline for visa applications for bachelor's and master's degrees, but universities' own deadlines are often much earlier – start as soon as you can. Note: the 30 November deadline and the B2 language requirement come from consulate pages (e.g. in Buenos Aires and Tunis) – other consulates may add requirements of their own, so check with the Italian consulate responsible for your country before you apply.

Many programmes have a limited number of places (numero programmato) and an entrance test, and each university sets its own deadlines – sometimes several months before the academic year starts. For a master's degree the university checks whether your bachelor's degree meets the programme's requirements.