🇮🇹 How to apply to university in Italy

Applications go through Universitaly (pre-enrolment). Programmes usually start: September/October.

Checked on 20 October 2026 against the official sources listed below.

The essentials

Application system: Universitaly (pre-enrolment)Students who need a visa must pre-enrol through Universitaly; the university validates the request and then the consulate decides on the visa. Admission itself is handled by each university.
When programmes start: September/October.
International applicants: Non-EU students living abroad apply to the university and pre-enrol through Universitaly, which is compulsory for anyone who needs a study visa. Validation by the university does not guarantee the visa — the consulate decides.
Language: Italian at B2 or above, tested by the university unless you hold an accepted certificate, for Italian-taught degrees; proof of the course language for degrees taught in English or another language.

Key dates

Add all these dates to my calendar (.ics)

This is the national limit; each university publishes its own, often earlier, dates for admission and for the visa. Pre-enrolment on Universitaly usually opens in spring.

Date	What	Who	Intake	Source	Calendar
31 October 2027	Last day to apply for the study visa (bachelor's and master's)	International applicants who need a visa	2027–28 academic year	Universitaly — Procedures for international students 2026-27 and 2027-28

A window shows its opening date above its closing date. Individual universities and programmes can set earlier dates of their own — always confirm on the official page before you rely on a date. The calendar file adds each date as an all-day event with a reminder a week before.

Your checklist

The usual steps for an international student applying to a bachelor's in Italy, in order. Tick them off as you go — your ticks stay in this browser, with no account.

1.Find a degree on Universitaly and check the university's own admission requirements and deadlines.
2.Get your school qualification assessed — the university may ask for a CIMEA statement of comparability or a declaration of value.
3.Apply to the university and sit any admission test it requires.
4.Pre-enrol on Universitaly for the chosen course; the university checks and validates the request.
5.Prove your Italian (at least B2, usually tested by the university) or the language of an English-taught degree.
6.Apply for the study visa at the Italian consulate by the university's date, and by 31 October 2027 at the latest.
7.Within 8 working days of arriving, apply to the Questura for a residence permit for study.
8.Enrol at the university and arrange housing.

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Next steps

Sources

Written by CollegeMatcher in our own words from these official pages, checked on 20 October 2026. Dates change every year.

Universitaly — International students