Politecnico di Milano: Admission Guide for International Students
Italy's public technical university, #87 in QS: English programs, real fees, test options and the admission timeline in one place.
Politecnico di Milano is Italy's public technical university, founded in 1863, and it teaches only three fields: engineering, architecture and design. It has 49,395 students, and according to the university, 9,940 of them are international. In the QS World University Rankings it placed #87, the only Italian university in the top 100.
PoliMi suits you if you are strong in math, want public-university fees and are ready for a competitive, test-based admission. It fits master's applicants best: more than 30 master's programs are taught in English. It fits poorly if you want aerospace, computer science or mechanical engineering in English at bachelor's level, because those are taught in Italian.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
Founded | 1863, Milan |
Type | Public technical university: engineering, architecture, design |
Campuses | Milano Leonardo, Milano Bovisa, Cremona, Lecco, Mantova, Piacenza; abroad: Xi'an (China) |
Students | 49,395, including 2,240 PhD students |
International students | 9,940 (university data) |
QS World University Rankings | #87 |
Tuition | €157.04–3,943.04 per year, based on family income |
Bachelor's in English | 5 fully in English, 2 mixed Italian-English |
Politecnico di Milano tuition fees
As a public university, PoliMi sets tuition by family income, not nationality, with no discounts by country. The annual fee is €157.04–3,943.04: a first installment of €880.04 (with regional tax) at enrollment and a second of €0–3,003.
| Level | Your situation | Tuition per year |
|---|---|---|
Bachelor's | ISEE parificato up to €22,000 | €157.04 |
Bachelor's | ISEE parificato submitted, higher income | Between €157.04 and €3,943.04, by income |
Bachelor's | No family income documents | €3,943.04 (maximum) |
Master's, foreign degree | No scholarship | Maximum, in proportion to the ECTS in your study plan |
ISEE parificato is Italy's income assessment for families with income abroad. Without it, budget around €3,900 per year. Fees for the next academic year are not yet published.
Scholarships
DSU (need-based grant). In Lombardy, PoliMi itself runs the DSU grant. In the last call the limits were ISEE parificato up to €26,887.93 and ISPE up to €58,452.06. There were 4,300 grants, including 430 for first-year bachelor's and 1,250 for first-year master's students. A student living away from home received a package worth up to €8,248 (cash, housing and one free meal a day), depending on income group.
First-year grant holders pay both installments first. PoliMi refunds them, except the administrative fee, once the student earns at least 35 ECTS in engineering or architecture, or 40 in design, by August 10 of the following year. Families from Bangladesh also need a statement from the Italian consulate for the income calculation. The call for the next academic year is not yet out. See our guide to the DSU scholarship.
Merit-Based International Scholarships. In the last call they were open only to first-year students of English-taught master's programs who applied in the early-bird round. There are none for bachelor's students. In Milan there were 10 Platinum awards of €10,000 gross and 18 Gold awards of €8,000 gross, both with a full fee waiver. Smaller awards went to the other campuses, for 64 awards in total.
Programs and the degree you receive
PoliMi awards the Italian Laurea (bachelor's level) and Laurea Magistrale (master's level).
Bachelor's programs in English
- Engineering Science, fully in English (Milano Leonardo and Bovisa), new in 2026.
- Industrial Engineering, fully in English (Piacenza), new in 2026.
- Process Engineering, fully in English (Cremona), new in 2026.
Aerospace, Computer Science and Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Communication Design are taught in Italian at bachelor's level. Their English versions exist only as master's programs. In the call that introduced them, the three new engineering programs were listed as "pending approval by the Ministry."
English-taught programs do not require Italian to enroll, but before graduation you must pass Italian B2 or complete PoliMi's free course. Italian-taught programs require B2 before enrollment.
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Admission requirements for international students
Non-EU applicants who need a visa compete for reserved places for international students. They pass the same phases and tests as everyone else and also pre-enroll through Universitaly. PoliMi admits students directly through its Online Services portal and Universitaly, so you submit the applications from your own accounts.
Bachelor's in engineering: steps
1
Check your school diploma. PoliMi needs 12 years of schooling, transcripts for the last three years and the diploma. In Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nigeria and Egypt school usually lasts 12 years.
2
Choose your test. TOL has 65 questions, takes about 100 minutes, costs €35 and is taken online from home with proctoring, but it is held in Italian. English-speaking applicants usually take the SAT (College Board code 7364) or CEnT-S (55 questions, 110 minutes, about €55). TOLC-I is also accepted. Scores are converted to the TOL scale.
3
Reach at least 30/100. This is the minimum to enter the ranking. Final cut-off scores by program are not published in advance.
4
Prove your English: IELTS 5.0 (Academic or General), TOEFL iBT 59, Cambridge B2 First (grade C), Trinity ISE II, Oxford Test of English 111, or TOEIC 650 L&R + 280 S&W. Citizens of listed English-speaking countries and holders of an English-medium school diploma are exempt.
5
Apply in a PoliMi admission phase and list up to 5 programs in order of priority. For reference, in the last cycle the standard phase published places on June 15, with the first ranking on June 22. Residual phases followed on July 20 and August 24. The dates for the next intake are not yet published.
Architecture uses the national ARCHED test (in the last cycle the English session was on July 23). Design uses the TOLD test, usually with one English session for Interaction Design.
Master's (Laurea Magistrale)
You apply online once per semester, to up to 2 programs. There is no entrance exam: PoliMi evaluates your documents, with GPA requirements set by the country of your degree. The non-refundable fee is €50 in the early-bird round and €150 after. Based on last year's pattern, the first call for the September intake is expected around October 1 of the previous year, with early bird until about December 1. Only early-bird applicants can compete for merit scholarships.
English minimums: IELTS 6.0, TOEFL iBT 78, Cambridge B2 First (grade B) or C1 Advanced (grade C), PTE Academic 59, Trinity ISE II, or TOEIC 785 L&R + 310 S&W. Expired certificates are not accepted, and Duolingo is not on the list.
What to know before you apply
Several details catch international applicants off guard. Each has a workaround if you know it early.
Risks and how to handle them
- Few English bachelor's programs, and three are new. Confirm your program exists in English before paying for tests.
- TOL is in Italian. Plan the SAT or CEnT-S early.
- No published cut-off scores. 30/100 only gets you into the ranking, so list up to 5 programs and keep a backup university.
Because you apply to PoliMi yourself, AcademGo's role is to assess your chances, prepare your documents and certificates, check your application before you submit it, and build a plan B at 2–3 other universities in parallel.
Rankings and accreditation
In the QS World University Rankings, PoliMi placed #87, up 11 places. It is the only Italian university in the top 100. In the QS Rankings by Subject it is ranked in 26 of 55 subjects.
| QS by Subject | Rank |
|---|---|
Architecture & Built Environment | #6 |
Art & Design | #7 |
Mechanical, Aeronautical & Manufacturing Engineering | #14 |
Civil & Structural Engineering | #14 |
Engineering & Technology | #20 |
PoliMi is a public university, and its degrees are Italian university degrees. If you plan to work in a regulated profession at home, check the recognition rules there before you enroll.
Housing and student life
PoliMi has 9 residences with 2,131 beds in 4 cities. In the current cycle, booking for new students opened on July 13. In Milan, a single room costs roughly €420–646 per month and a double €382–565, based on last year's rates with inflation indexation. A private single room in Milan averages about €704.
PoliMi estimates monthly costs without rent at €150–200 for food, €22 for a transport pass, €10–30 for a phone and €100–200 for leisure. Overall, budget roughly €1,100–1,400 per month in Milan with a room, and bring €200–250 in cash for the first days. A student permit allows work of up to 20 hours per week.
What a month in Milan costs
EUR per month: housing and a PoliMi student's main costs
- Private single roomabout €704
- Single room in a PoliMi residenceroughly €420–646
- Double room in a PoliMi residenceroughly €382–565
- Food€150–200
- Leisure€100–200
- Phone
Student visa
You apply for a type D study visa at the Italian consulate in your country of residence, with a validated Universitaly application, before October 31. You need €10,179.85 per academic year in traceable funds (yours or relatives' up to the fourth degree), plus a return ticket, proof of housing, health insurance and fingerprints. The consulate alone decides: university validation does not guarantee a visa.
Within 8 working days of arrival you apply for a residence permit, which costs €116.46 for up to one year. Details are in our Italy student visa guide.
Other options
If PoliMi's programs or test do not fit, compare the University of Bologna, where non-OECD students with income abroad can pay a reduced fixed bachelor's fee of €1,000 + €157.04. For business, Bocconi University charges €17,000 per year, and for design, NABA charges non-EU students €22,250. Medicine is covered in medicine in Italy, and all options in study in Italy.
14 questions to ask before you pay the deposit
Deposits are almost never refundable. Ask these by email before paying — and keep the university's answer on record.
- What to ask about the programme, accreditation and the degree
- What tuition does not include and when a deposit is refunded
- Who files the visa application — you or the university
- Five red flags that mean you should not pay
Not sure whether your grades, test plan and documents fit PoliMi? Book a free consultation. We check your documents against PoliMi's requirements, pick the right test and compare 2–3 alternatives in Italy. Contact us through the form, WhatsApp or Telegram.
