We manage your application carefully from the first step until you settle in Italy.
€200
(Minimum with ISEE)€7,171+
+ Housing & Meals€10,179.85
Consulate MinimumB2
IELTS 5.5–6.0 / TOEFLTake the 1-minute eligibility check.
One expert team handles your profile assessment, programme and exam strategy, university applications, visa file and settling-in plan.
Every step from exams to visa, with official dates. See where you are and never miss a deadline.
Periods marked "≈" are typical windows; each university and region confirms the exact dates.
Study at Italy's long-established public universities and earn an EU-recognised degree.
Study medicine in English at Italy's long-established public medical schools, with an EU-recognised degree, low tuition and access to the DSU scholarship. Recognition outside the EU depends on your home country's authorities.
€156 - €3,500 / year (€200-€800 with ISEE)
Let's plan your master's applications, independently of the bachelor's options.
We assess the English-taught master's options that fit your academic background and career goals.
Featured Universities
Compare the five most popular cities for international students by universities, English-taught programmes, scholarship offices and monthly living costs.
Lombardy
Italy's hub for design, economics and engineering, with the most internship and job opportunities.
Universities
Politecnico di Milano · Università degli Studi di Milano · Milano-Bicocca · Bocconi (private) · Cattolica (private)
Popular English-taught programmes
DSU scholarship office
Each university's own DSU office (e.g. PoliMi, UniMi)
Estimated monthly living
€885 – €1,135
Lazio
Home to Sapienza, one of the largest universities in Europe, and student life surrounded by history.
Universities
Sapienza Università di Roma · Tor Vergata · Roma Tre · LUISS (private)
Popular English-taught programmes
DSU scholarship office
DiSCo Lazio
Estimated monthly living
€935 – €1,135
Emilia-Romagna
The world's oldest university in a walkable city built around students.
Universities
Università di Bologna (Alma Mater)
Popular English-taught programmes
DSU scholarship office
ER.GO
Estimated monthly living
€777 – €877
Veneto
The university where Galileo taught; strong in psychology and medicine, and budget-friendly.
Universities
Università degli Studi di Padova
Popular English-taught programmes
DSU scholarship office
ESU Padova
Estimated monthly living
€786 – €911
Piedmont
The capital of engineering and the car industry; one of the most affordable large cities.
Universities
Politecnico di Torino · Università degli Studi di Torino
Popular English-taught programmes
DSU scholarship office
EDISU Piemonte
Estimated monthly living
€711 – €961
Pisa, Siena, Pavia, Trento, Naples, Venice and more: let's look at them together in a free assessment.
Go to the free assessment formMonthly figures are an estimated range between a shared and a single room (rent, food, transport, utilities, personal costs). Sources: universities' official cost-of-living pages; market data for Rome.
Check the three key requirements for a bachelor's degree in Italy in one minute: 12 years of schooling, your home country's entrance exam (if any) and English at B2 level (IELTS 5.5–6.0).
1Your Years of Schooling
RequiredItalian universities require 12 years of primary and secondary schooling, with the last two years in the same country's education system.
2Home-Country University Entrance Exam
If ApplicableIf your country requires a national entrance exam for university access (e.g. YKS in Turkey, Gaokao in China), you must have passed it.
3English Proficiency (min. IELTS 5.5 / B2)
RequiredEnglish-taught programmes require a certificate at B2 level or above (IELTS 5.5–6.0 / TOEFL).
You meet the schooling, entrance exam and English requirements. You can apply directly to Italian public universities.
Italy offers international students some of the most generous scholarships in the world. No academic merit is required in the first year; from the second year you must complete the minimum credits set by your region to keep it. Every student whose family ISEE is below €28,339.88 (2026/27 national upper limit) can qualify for a full scholarship.
A non-repayable state grant paid into the student's Italian bank account to cover living costs.
Low-cost accommodation in public student residences linked to university campuses throughout the academic year.
Good-quality meals at affordable prices in university canteens.
Standard annual tuition at Italian public universities is €1,500 - €3,500 With an ISEE Parificato income file prepared by Rome Consultancy, your tuition drops to €200 - €800 (or €0 with a full scholarship).
€1,500 - €3,500
Annual public university tuition at the top bracket.
€200 - €800
Minimum annual tuition, or a full waiver with the DSU scholarship.
No academic merit is required in the first year; the deciding criterion is that the family's income and assets, calculated with the ISEE formula, stay below €28,339.88 From the second year, the minimum credits set by your region are also required.
IMAT for medicine, ARCHED for architecture, the new CEnT-S standard for engineering and quantitative programmes, university tests for psychology, and admission details for business & economics.
60 questions | 100 minutes | 4 reading & general knowledge, 5 logical reasoning & problem solving, 23 biology, 15 chemistry, 13 physics & maths.
Run once a year by CINECA on behalf of the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR) (2026: 29 September). Scoring: +1.5 correct, -0.4 wrong, 0 blank; maximum 90 points. Cut-off scores change every year by university.
50 questions | 100 minutes | 5 sections: reading comprehension, logical reasoning, general knowledge & current affairs, representation & visual communication, maths & physics.
Mandatory for Politecnico di Milano's Architectural Design bachelor and Building Engineering-Architecture programme (the 2026 English session took place on 23 July). Other universities use their own architecture tests.
A standardised test in English covering mathematical reasoning, problem solving, basic sciences and reading/reasoning skills.
CEnT-S is the new common entrance test used by many Italian universities for quantitative and economics bachelor's programmes. Check each university's score, session and quota requirements before applying.
Each university runs its own English-language entrance test (Padova: online psychology entrance test). Topics and dates are published in each year's call for applications.
Places at Padova and Milano-Bicocca are limited and applications close early (Padova's 2026/27 deadline for non-EU applicants was 7 March). Be ready to apply during the winter.
English-taught economics programmes at public universities usually require CEnT-S or SAT; Bocconi accepts SAT, ACT or the Bocconi Online Test. A strong score moves you up the ranking.
NOTE: Accepted tests differ between universities. Private universities (Bocconi, LUISS) charge around €14,000-€17,000 per year; scholarships and fee reductions should be checked separately.
Strengthen your admission strategy with IMAT, ARCHED, CEnT-S and SAT score analysis.
The most important legal requirement in every international student's visa application is proof of funds of €10,179.85 per year.
€10,179.85
According to the Ministry (MUR) circular, the minimum means of subsistence for a student visa is €10,179.85 per year for the 2026/2027 and 2027/2028 academic years. Funds must be lawful and traceable.
Italian visa applications can be refused over a single missing document. With a 98% approval rate over the last 5 years, our visa team personally manages your appointment, sworn Italian translations and apostille process.
Your official pre-enrolment through the Italian Ministry's portal.
Recognition of your secondary school diploma (CIMEA statement or Declaration of Value).
Choose your city, housing and type of university, and compare your estimated yearly budget (rent, food, transport and tuition) with the €10,180 required for the visa.
Milan · estimated first year
€14,386
Monthly living costs ≈ €1,135
Compared with the visa requirement
Your real living costs are about €3,440 above the visa minimum. Plan for this difference as well.
Estimates. Source: Politecnico di Milano – useful information; visa and scholarship figures from MUR 2026/27 decrees.
Clear answers on studying in Italy, admission requirements, the DSU scholarship and the student visa.
Only if your country has one. If access to university in your home country requires a national entrance exam (for example YKS in Turkey or Gaokao in China), you must have taken it and met the minimum requirement. If your country has no such exam, your secondary school diploma is enough.
Rome Consultancy's education advisers are happy to answer questions about your profile.
