Italy Undergraduate Admission Requirements for International Students

In the previous article, we explained the three main pathways to studying in Italy in detail. Today, let’s look at what other requirements you need to meet to study in Italy.

1. Language Requirements

Italian language level B1 or above

Italian universities generally require an Italian language certificate. At admission, the required level is usually B1 or B2.

In general, comprehensive universities require a B2 level of Italian, except for Politecnico di Milano and Politecnico di Torino, where a B1 certificate is enough. Italian academies of fine arts usually require B1 level Italian, although some schools have different requirements, such as the Academy of Fine Arts of Florence, the Academy of Fine Arts of Rome, and the Academy of Fine Arts of Macerata.

The level of your language certificate also reflects your Italian proficiency. It is best to aim for a B2 certificate, because it can only help you with your studies and daily life in Italy. In fact, that may still not be enough for academic study. If you want to follow classes more easily, you will also need to memorize a large amount of subject-specific vocabulary. It is recommended that you read more books related to your major while learning Italian and build up your vocabulary.

2. Pass the Relevant Entrance Exam

Undergraduate programs at every university require an entrance exam, but the format varies.

Undergraduate admissions at comprehensive universities fall into two categories: Accesso libero and Accesso programmato.

For programs under Accesso libero, there is generally no passing score on the entrance exam. Admission is relatively easy, and in some cases even a blank paper may still be enough to be admitted. For example, at the University of Florence’s Business Economics program, the Marco Polo Program admits 10 students in total. If only five Chinese students show up for the exam, then those five students can enroll directly at the university and be admitted regardless of their scores.

Accesso programmato is a restricted admission system with a passing score, and students must reach that score to be admitted. Design programs at Politecnico di Milano, architecture programs, and engineering programs at all public universities in Italy all have entrance exam cutoffs.

Entrance exams for comprehensive university programs are written exams only, with no oral exam.

Admission to Italian academies of fine arts and conservatories is generally accesso libero, but the entrance exam content is very important and completely different from that of comprehensive universities.

The exam has three parts:

The first part is an Italian language test. At some Italian schools, students who already have an Italian language certificate are exempt. At other schools, everyone must take the test, regardless of whether they have a language certificate.

The second part is a subject-specific exam. For students applying to an academy of fine arts, this means a drawing or art test. For students applying to a music school, it means a performance exam in singing or on an instrument. If you are applying for a design program in Italy, the task is usually a prompt-based creative work.

The third part is the interview, which is the oral exam. There are no fixed questions. More often, professors talk with students to understand why they chose this major, why they chose this school, their future plans, their artistic characteristics, their artistic potential, and more.