
Admission to Italian Universities via Universitaly: Step by Step
Pre-enrolment, certificate recognition, apostille, language and tests: the full admission route for international applicants, in order.
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.
Uni-Italia, a non-profit association, also helps with applications and visas through its centers abroad.
From application to arrival
Choose one program and check its requirements and deadline on the university website.
Get your school certificate apostilled or legalized, with translations if required.
Order CIMEA statements or a DOV, after checking what the university accepts.
Take the language test or entrance test the program requires.
Submit the pre-enrolment request and upload your documents.
Wait for validation. Without it you cannot apply for the visa, except in two cases described below.
The 12-year schooling rule
For a bachelor's program you need a school-leaving certificate based on at least 12 years of education. If your country has a compulsory national university entrance exam, you also submit its result.
In Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nigeria and Egypt, school usually lasts 12 years, so most applicants meet the rule directly. After 11 years of school, current rules let you cover the missing year with a full first year at a university at home, one year of related post-secondary education, or a foundation course. A 10-year system requires two extra years. These routes give access only to the first year of a bachelor's program.
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.
| Country | Route | Note |
|---|---|---|
Pakistan | Apostille | Party since 9 March 2023 |
India | Apostille | Party since 2005 |
Bangladesh | Apostille | Party since 30 March 2025 |
Saudi Arabia | Apostille | Party since 2022 |
Oman, Bahrain | Apostille |
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.
Admission calendar
Most dates for the next intake are not published yet. Here is what the rules fix and what each university decides.
| Stage | Timing | Set by |
|---|---|---|
Pre-enrolment | Window published by each university | University |
Language and entrance tests | Program dates; CEnT-S in four periods a year | University / CISIA |
Visa, bachelor's and master's | By 31 October, or earlier if the university says so | Ministry circular |
Visa, post-graduate Master, PhD, foundation | No fixed deadline, but before classes start | Ministry circular |
Residence permit |
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.
Admission calendar for Italy
Dates fixed by the rules; most university dates for the next intake are not published yet
About 60 working days
CIMEA statements
Standard processing time for CIMEA; around 30 working days with the urgent option.
Four periods a year
CEnT-S entrance test
November–January, February–March, April–June and September–October, one attempt in each.
By 31 October
Visa for bachelor's and master's
Apply at the consulate by this date, or earlier if the university says so.
Within 8 working days of arrival
Residence permit
Apply for your permesso di soggiorno after entering Italy.
By 31 January
Final enrolment
If you are not enrolled by this date, the visa is cancelled.
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.
Motivation letter: template and a paragraph-by-paragraph guide
A ready skeleton in English with a note on what each paragraph has to do, plus the mistakes that make a letter useless.
- Where a letter is really required and where it is not
- A five-paragraph template with example wording
- How to strengthen it with specifics and numbers
- Seven mistakes and a checklist before you send
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.

