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Higher Education

University degrees

  • Public universities,
  • Polytechnic universities,
  • Private universities. 

AFAM - Alta formazione artistica, musicale e coreutica
(Higher Institutes of Arts, Music and Dance)

  • Conservatori di Musica
  • Accademia di Belle Arti
  • Accademia nazionale di Danza
  • Accademia nazionale di Arte Drammatica
  • Instituti superiori per le Industrie Artistiche
  • Instituti Musicali Pareggiati

Degrees

University Diplomas

  • Laurea (bac +3)
  • Laurea specialistica/magistrale (bac +5)
  • Dottorato di ricerca (bac +8)
  • Diploma di specializzazione (specialised from 120 to 360 ECTS after the laurea magistrale)

Study programmes leading to the Master universitario di 1° (first) level and Master universitario di 2° (second) level will no longer be eligible for State financial aid from the 2023/2024 academic year.
Degrees awarded from the 2024/2025 academic year onwards will no longer be listed in the official register of higher education qualifications.

AFAM

  • Diploma accademico di primo livello (bac +3)
  • Diploma accademico di secondo livello (bac +5)
  • Diploma accademico di formazione alla ricerca (bac +8)

Find your programme

University websites, as well as the websites listed in the "For more information" section, will help you find the various courses on offer and the admission requirements.

Italy offers a wide range of academic programmes, not only in traditional academic fields but also in more vocational and even artistic areas.

Some universities also offer courses taught in English.

You can find all universities on Cerca Università.

You can find the full list of higher education institutions in the arts on AFAM.

Application

Admission requirements

  • A copy of your secondary school leaving certificate (in Italian: diploma di istruzione secondaria di secondo grado) – sometimes accompanied by a certified translation by a sworn translator.

Admission requirements vary depending on the programme and degree:

  • Corsi di Laurea: Secondary school leaving certificate or equivalent qualification,
  • Corsi di Laurea Specialistica/Magistrale: Laurea or equivalent foreign degree,
  • Corsi di Laurea Specialistica/Magistrale a Ciclo Unico: Secondary school leaving certificate + entrance exam,
  • Corsi di Dottorato di Ricerca: Laurea, Laurea Specialistica, or equivalent foreign degree + public competition,
  • Corsi/Scuole di Specializzazione: Laurea, Laurea Specialistica, or equivalent foreign degree + entrance exam.

For detailed information on admission and enrolment, you should contact each institution directly, whether it belongs to the university sector or the AFAM system (Alta Formazione Artistica, Musicale e Coreutica).

Note: Apart from selective study fields (numerus clausus), each institution may require applicants to sit an admission test.

Languagre proficiency in Italian

Depending on the chosen programme, you may need to pass an Italian language test such as the CELI – Certificato di Conoscenza della Lingua Italiana (Level 3/B2 required): inll.lu

Universities also generally organise CILS – Certificazione di Italiano come Lingua Straniera tests before the start of the academic year.

National Entrance Exam (Numerus Clausus)

The numerus clausus system applies nationwide in Italy for the following fields:

  • Architecture,
  • Medicine
  • Dentistry
  • Veterinary Medicine
  • Health Professions
  • Education Sciences

Tuition Fees

  • Public universities are relatively affordable. First-cycle tuition fees range from €800 to €1,500 per year, depending on the course.
  • Private universities, on the other hand, are significantly more expensive, with annual tuition fees ranging from €5,000 to €13,000.

Degrees

University Diplomas

  • Laurea (bac +3)
  • Laurea specialistica/magistrale (bac +5)
  • Dottorato di ricerca (bac +8)
  • Diploma di specializzazione (specialisation of 120 to 360 ECTS after the laurea magistrale)

AFAM

  • Diploma accademico di primo livello (bac +3)
  • Diploma accademico di secondo livello (bac +5)
  • Diploma accademico di formazione alla ricerca (bac +8)

Study programmes leading to the Master universitario di 1° (primo) livello and Master universitario di 2° (secondo) livello will no longer be eligible for State financial aid starting from the 2023/2024 academic year.

Furthermore, degrees awarded for Master universitario di 1° livello and Master universitario di 2° livello from the 2024/2025 academic year onwards will no longer be listed in the official register of higher education qualifications.

Higher Education

University Education

  • Public universities,
  • Polytechnic universities,
  • Private universities.

AFAM - Alta formazione artistica, musicale e coreutica
(Higher Institutes of Arts, Music and Dance)

  • Conservatori di Musica
  • Accademia di Belle Arti
  • Accademia nazionale di Danza
  • Accademia nazionale di Arte Drammatica
  • Instituti superiori per le Industrie Artistiche
  • Instituti Musicali Pareggiati

Distance Learning / Part-Time Studies

It is possible to pursue part-time or distance learning studies in Italy. Relevant information is provided by the universities themselves and through the EAD (Distance Learning Education) system.

In Italian universities, various sectors make use of distance learning:

  1. Bachelor’s degree courses delivered entirely via distance learning (e.g. C.U.D., Consorzio Nettuno).
  2. Postgraduate specialised courses delivered through distance learning (e.g. Università degli Studi di Roma "Tor Vergata", Università degli Studi di Roma Tre, Università degli Studi di Ferrara, Università degli Studi di Firenze, etc.).
  3. Parts of courses delivered remotely within the conventional structure of bachelor’s programmes, and therefore conducted according to traditional systems (e.g. Università degli Studi di Milano in collaboration).

Before Leaving for Italy 

Make sure to plan the following steps and begin the process as early as November:

  • Pre-enrolment with the university via the internet,
  • Certified translation of the required documents,
  • Italian language test, if applicable,
  • Request a “codice fiscale” (tax identification number) from the Italian Consulate General in Luxembourg, either by email or in person.
    Alternatively, you can obtain it from the Agenzia delle Entrate (Revenue Agency) in your city of residence in Italy.

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