Admission to Italian Universities via Universitaly: Step by Step

If you need a student visa for Italy, you apply to a bachelor's or master's program through Universitaly, the official and free national pre-enrolment portal. The university validates your application, and only then can you apply for a visa at the Italian consulate.

Around that step sits a chain of paperwork: proof of 12 years of schooling, CIMEA statements or a Dichiarazione di valore (DOV), an apostille or consular legalization, a language certificate and, for some programs, an entrance test. The current rules for international students cover two academic years at once, although the Ministry of University and Research (MUR) can still amend them.

This guide follows the order in which applicants from Pakistan, India, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Egypt and the Gulf go through the process. Where official dates for the next intake are not yet published, we say so.

How Universitaly pre-enrolment works

Every applicant who needs a visa submits the pre-enrolment request (domanda di preiscrizione) only through this portal. There is no paper alternative and no fee.

• One program per application. For most school certificates you choose a single program. Italian law allows studying two degrees at once, but not on a student visa: the visa and residence permit are issued for one course.
• Each university sets its own window. The ministry gives no single opening date. Each university publishes its deadlines on its website, except programs with a national competition.
• Quotas fill up. A university can validate no more applications than its quota for international students plus 20%. After that, new validations are blocked; a place frees up only if someone is refused a visa. Apply early.
• The university decides what it needs for enrolment. Documents the consulate requests do not bind the university's decision.

Uni-Italia, a non-profit association, also helps with applications and visas through its centers abroad.

The 12-year schooling rule

CIMEA or DOV: recognizing your school certificate

For the visa, your certificate must come with either two CIMEA documents or a DOV. You do not need both.

• CIMEA: an Attestazione di comparabilità (statement of comparability) plus an Attestazione di verifica dell'autenticità (authenticity check). You order them online on the CIMEA-Diplome platform, from your own account.
• DOV: a declaration of value issued by the Italian embassy. It covers comparability only; without an authenticity note, that part is still missing.

CIMEA advises checking first whether your university needs its statements at all. If your country is a party to the Lisbon Recognition Convention, the comparability statement is free in the ARDI database (ardi.cimea.it), and you pay only for the authenticity check.

Otherwise, comparability costs around €150 and the authenticity check about €65, with an urgent option for roughly €100 extra. Standard processing takes about 60 working days, or around 30 when urgent. Universities with a CIMEA agreement sometimes get faster results.

Embassies may run their own checks on documents and language. Forged documents are reported to Italian prosecutors and other Schengen countries.

Apostille or legalization: what applies in your country

Official papers must be certified before they are used in Italy. The route depends on whether your country is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention.

Legalization depends on embassy appointments and takes longer than an apostille. If you are from Nigeria, Egypt or the Gulf states above, build that time into your plan.

Language requirements and study in Italy without IELTS

English-taught programs. There is no Italian test. The consulate checks your English: a certificate at B2 or higher in all four skills, or an equivalent certificate issued by the university. Each university sets its own minimum IELTS or TOEFL score.

Italian-taught programs. The university must check that your Italian is at least B2, usually with its own test, and uploads the result to your application. A B2 certificate from a recognized body (CLIQ: CILS, CELI, PLIDA and others) exempts you. Foundation courses require the course language at B1 or higher.

Can you study in Italy without IELTS?

Yes, in the sense that IELTS is not the only accepted proof. Some universities accept other certificates or run their own English test, and the consulate accepts an equivalent university certificate. What you cannot skip is proof of B2 English in all four skills. Confirm in writing what your university and consulate accept.

Entrance tests: CEnT-S and medicine

Many science, engineering and economics programs use CISIA tests. Since November 2025, the English-language TOLC-E, TOLC-I and TOLC-F have been replaced by one test, CEnT-S (CISIA English Test – Sciences).

• Taken at a university (@UNI) or at home (@HOME).
• Four periods a year: November–January, February–March, April–June and September–October, one attempt in each.
• Around 55 questions in about 110 minutes, across mathematics, reading and data analysis, biology, chemistry and physics.
• About €55 for the current November – October cycle.

Not every program uses CEnT-S. Some universities run their own tests or admit on documents, so check each program's admission page.

For English-taught medicine, the most recent intake still used an entrance test. The format for the next intake has not been announced; the ministry will publish it in a separate note. Follow our medicine in Italy guide for updates.

Admission calendar

Most dates for the next intake are not published yet. Here is what the rules fix and what each university decides.

Two exceptions allow a visa application before validation ("con riserva"): your certificate has not been issued yet (you need an official provisional certificate, not a self-declaration), or you must sit an in-person language or entrance exam. You then get a type D visa for 100 days. The regular study visa is a 365-day multiple-entry type D visa. See the full checklist in our Italy student visa guide.

What to know before you apply

• Italian bureaucracy takes months. The chain runs from pre-enrolment to CIMEA or DOV, the consulate and the permesso di soggiorno after arrival. Validation does not guarantee a visa appointment or a visa. The consulate assesses "migration risk": family finances, previous education and whether the program makes sense for you. We help you plan the order of steps.
• The visa has a real financial minimum. You must show at least €10,179.85 per academic year, plus money for a return ticket. Funds must be legal and traceable, ideally in your own account; relatives up to the fourth degree may support you. Cash does not count, and neither does one large deposit just before the visa. The consulate looks at account history and family income.
• A DSU scholarship is not money in the bank. DSU (diritto allo studio) grants depend on family income and assets and are paid by regional agencies. Being eligible ("idoneo") or having applied does not count toward the visa minimum. First-year students who miss 20 CFU (credits) by the deadline repay everything received and lose the fee waiver. See our DSU scholarship guide.
• Housing is scarce. For the visa you need a hotel booking, a rental contract, a hosting declaration or an assigned dormitory place; a dormitory application alone does not count. A private room costs on average about €704 a month in Milan, €615 in Rome and €585 in Bologna.
• Private academies award different diplomas. Art, design and fashion academies (AFAM and private institutes) do not all issue the same qualification as a state university. Before paying a deposit, check the program's official status and how the diploma is recognized at home.
• Other visa requirements. Health insurance with no limits on emergency hospitalization, and fingerprints for all type D visas.

Where AcademGo helps

We assess your certificate against the 12-year rule and shortlist programs, from state universities such as Politecnico di Milano and the University of Bologna to private ones such as Bocconi. We prepare and check your documents, review your application before submission, and support you with the visa, housing and first weeks in Italy. The scope depends on your package. For costs and cities, start with our Study in Italy hub.

Not sure your certificate, language score or timeline will work for the next intake? Book a free consultation with AcademGo. We will check your documents against the university and visa requirements and give you a step-by-step plan with deadlines. Reach us through the form on our contacts page, WhatsApp or Telegram.