Deep-dive

Studying in Italy

Free public school from pre-school to upper secondary, compulsory from 6 to 16. Public universities with fees linked to ISEE and a no-tax area; international students pre-enrol on Universitaly, qualifications assessed with CIMEA. Academic year starts in October.

Sections: Schools · Universities · Admissions · Scholarships · Language courses · Degrees & recognition

School

The school system is made up of pre-school (scuola dell'infanzia, ages 3–6, not compulsory but almost universal), primary school (6–11), lower secondary (11–14) and upper secondary (14–19), divided into licei, technical institutes and vocational institutes; regional vocational education and training paths also exist. Education is compulsory from 6 to 16. State school is free (textbooks at upper secondary, canteen and transport are paid), and children of foreigners, even without a residence permit, are entitled to enrol at any time of the year. Private 'paritarie' schools charge fees. The school year runs from mid-September to early June, with calendars set by the regions. Enrolment is done online in January–February for the following year.

University

Universities are overwhelmingly public (state), including the polytechnics of Milan and Turin, with some recognised non-state universities. The path is a three-year bachelor's (laurea triennale), a two-year master's (laurea magistrale) or a single-cycle master's (five or six years, for medicine, law, architecture, pharmacy), then a doctorate. The academic year starts in October (some universities in late September) and is split into two semesters with exam sessions in January-February, June-July and September. Medicine, health professions, architecture and veterinary science have capped intakes with a national test; many other courses have local tests. English-taught programmes are growing, especially at master's level. The Ministry's USTAT portal publishes enrolment data by university and city.

Admission for international students

EU students enrol under the same rules as Italians. Non-EU students living abroad pre-enrol on the Ministry's Universitaly portal, which forwards the application to the university and to the consulate for the study visa; the MUR's annual procedures set deadlines and requirements (at least twelve years of schooling for access to a bachelor's). The foreign qualification must be documented: universities assess it directly or through CIMEA, the Italian centre of the ENIC-NARIC network, which issues comparability and verification statements; in some cases consulates still issue the 'dichiarazione di valore'. Italian-taught courses normally require a B2 certificate (CILS from the University for Foreigners of Siena, CELI from Perugia, PLIDA or CERT.IT) or a university test.

Fees, no-tax area, grants

Fees at state universities depend on the family's economic situation measured with the university ISEE. Ministerial decree 1014/2021 sets a no-tax area: full exemption from the contribution up to an ISEE of 22,000 euro and decreasing reductions up to 30,000; universities may widen the exemptions. Above this threshold fees vary by university and course. International students with income abroad file an equivalent ISEE through a CAF or the university. Student support (DSU) is run by regional agencies: grants, housing and canteens are applied for through an annual call, normally in summer, with income and merit requirements; grants are also open to non-EU students. There are also Ministry of Foreign Affairs scholarships for foreigners and Erasmus+ programmes.

Learning Italian

Options for learning Italian are the Universities for Foreigners of Siena, Perugia and Reggio Calabria, university language centres, the CPIA (provincial adult education centres, public and free or almost, which also issue the A2 certificate needed for the long-term permit) and private schools. The certifications recognised by the Ministry are CILS, CELI, PLIDA and CERT.IT, with sessions several times a year in Italy and at consulates.

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