Italy

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.