Study in Italy

Every year the Italian Government provides scholarships to foreigners or Italian citizens living abroad to complete formal studies and / or follow bilateral and multilateral study or research programs in Italy. All information (such as the list of scholarship recipient countries, the call for applications, the web platform for online applications, etc.) can be found on the webpage Scholarships granted by the Italian Government to Foreigners and Nationals living abroad, as well as on the new portal “Study in Italy” in the section “Scholarships”.

Every year the Ministry for Education, University and Research (MIUR) publishes the rules for foreign students’ access to university courses. For additional information, see Foreign Students on the MIUR website, where detailed information on the procedures and deadlines for enrollment in Italian Universities, Fine Arts Academies, Music Conservatories, non-medical specialization schools and other courses can be found. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has created a web portal describing the various steps of the enrollment procedure, where information is available also in English.

Foreign qualifications are not automatically recognized in Italy. For information on how to obtain their recognition, see the website of the Information Center on Mobility and Academic Equivalence (CIMEA). On this page of the Ministry’s website you can check whether Italy has reached an agreement with the country in which you want your qualifications to be recognized. If you plan to study or work in Italy, we strongly recommend you to complete the procedure for the equivalence of your education / professional qualification before moving to Italy. In fact, the process involves foreign Authorities and Italian consular offices abroad.

You need to legalize the original of your qualification and provide an official translation made by the competent local government
representative office, diplomatic or consular authorities or authenticated by certified translators registered with the Courts or Consulates, as well as a "certificate of equivalence of qualification", the so-called “dichiarazione di valore in loco”. While the legalization of the qualification is usually made by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of the country where the qualification was obtained, the "certificate of equivalence of qualification" is issued by the Italian consular authorities of the constituency where the qualification was obtained. For general information on legalizations and official translations, see Translation and Legalization of Documents on this website.

The “certificate of equivalence” of a foreign qualification certifies its authenticity and states access requirements, the duration of studies, the legal, qualifying or professional value of the qualification in the foreign country’s legal system for the purposes of practicing a profession or for continuing studies in the foreign country. For these reasons, the original of the diploma or degree needs to be submitted to the Italian consular authorities. It is advisable to obtain the "certificate of equivalence of qualification" before moving to Italy and to make the appropriate contacts with the consular authorities. If the procedure is fulfilled when you are already in Italy, the qualifications shall be sent by mail or be entrusted to a delegate and to a service agency. This may increase costs and risks of loss. For additional information on qualifications, see the web portal study-in-italy.it developed by the Ministry for Education, University and Research (MIUR), jointly with the CIMEA the Information Center on Mobility and Academic Equivalence (CIMEA).

You can contact the Ministry for Foreign Affairs - DGSP - Office VII, which offers a free assistance service to apply for the issuing of the “certificate of equivalence of qualification”. The procedure consists essentially in transmitting the original qualification to the Italian consular authorities in the country where it was obtained, with a view to receiving - confidentially - the information necessary to confirm the authenticity of the qualification and its value in the local legal system. Both considering the confidential nature of the procedure and the objective difficulties due to the various local situations in the countries from which the refugees come, it may take many months to complete the procedure. Those entitled to international protection shall deliver or send the original qualification by mail and provide a copy of their stay permit and of their Italian identity document. Those who want to be assisted by a certified Refugee Centre or by their trusted representative shall provide a specific nominative authorization, stating details and addresses for the purposes of returning documents at the end of the procedure.

If you need a tourist visa to enter the Schengen area, you definitely need a visa to study in Italy. If you are a national of a country exempted from issuing a Schengen visa for stays up to 90 days, you will need a visa only if your stay for study purposes lasts over 90 days.

Besides the general study visa, there are six other types of study visas: for enrolling in an Italian University; for attending a single university course; for post-graduate studies; for participating in an exchange and mobility program; for traineeship and apprenticeship; for vocational training. With a view to checking the requirements to be met for each of these types of visa, see the database Visa for Italy .

With specific reference to the academic year 2018 - 2019, if you apply for a visa to enroll in an Italian University, you shall demonstrate you have a minimum amount of financial resources equal to 5,889 euros a year. This sum is based on the yearly amount of the so-called "social allowance". If your studies are staggered over many years, you only need to prove you have these financial resources for the first year. For all the other types of study visa, with a view to knowing the amount of financial resources required, you shall refer to Table A of the Directive issued by the Ministry for Internal Affairs on March 1, 2000, providing for a fixed amount and a daily amount. Hence the total amount varies depending on the length of stay for study purposes.

No, you cannot. In the case of stays for study purposes, the bank guarantee or the insurance policy do not fall within the list of documents deemed suitable for demonstrating you have adequate financial resources. You need to have personal or family guarantees or financial guarantees provided by Italian Institutions and Organizations (including Universities), by local Governments or by foreign Institutions and Organizations deemed reliable by the Italian Diplomatic Mission. For additional information see the MIUR website page Foreign students.

The student regularly admitted to a university, who applies for a visa to enroll in a university, shall prove that his / her family has sufficient financial means to support him / her while studying in Italy. The fact that a subject not belonging to his / her family (associations, friends or relatives living in Italy) ensures support, with a declaration of hospitality and a written commitment (while demonstrating to have the necessary financial resources), is a positive but not decisive factor for obtaining the visa. No private individual can be called upon to replace the family in its obligation to provide financial support. The decision shall be taken by the local visa offices.

This is what prescribed by law. The study visa is issued only if you succeed in the admission tests.

It will not be necessary. The visa is the authorization to enter Italy for the first time with the motivation shown on the visa label (study visa for enrolling in a University, in this specific case). Within 8 days since entry into Italy, you shall apply for a stay permit at the Immigration Office of the Police Headquarters competent for the Municipality of residence. The stay permit is the document that makes your presence in Italy legal. It shall be renewed before its expiry.

It is possible if you are not a beginner and you already have intermediate knowledge of the language. With a view to studying Italian, a requirement to be met for obtaining the study visa is that you attend higher level courses. Furthermore, they shall be full-time and fixed-term courses. The Universities for Foreigners in Perugia and Siena and the University of Roma TRE provide valuable and qualifying courses for the purpose of obtaining the so-called “Italian Quality Certification - CLIQ”. This evaluation and certification system is in line with the scientific standards set by the Council of Europe in the "Common European Framework of Reference for Languages".

Yes, you can. Your long-term stay permit entitles you to travel to other Schengen countries for up to 90 days in any half-year period. Keep in mind that not all European countries are Schengen countries! Before buying a travel ticket, see the list of Schengen countries.
See the list of Schengen countries.

If you are a citizen of a country for which no visa is needed for short stays (up to 90 days), you can remain in Italy and in the Schengen area, even after your stay permit has expired, up to a maximum of additional 90 days. The responsibility to grant the authorization for the extension of stay as tourists and no longer as residents falls within the competence of the local immigration office, which must be contacted for further information about the requirements to be met and the documents to be submitted. If you are a citizen of a country for which a visa is required even for short stays, you cannot remain in the country after your stay permit has expired.

Yes, you can. The study permit enables you to work part-time up to 20 hours per week, also for the whole year up to 1.040 hours.

Yes, you can if your study permit is still valid. You shall enter into a contract of stay for work purposes with your future employer at the One-Stop Immigration Desk (SUI). If you have graduated or have obtained a postgraduate degree, the stay permit for employment is issued outside the quota system for migrant flows. All these matters fall within the competence of the Immigration Offices of the Italian Police Headquarters. More detailed information can be found on the websites of the Police Headquarters.

You shall ask this question to the foreign Institute where you will continue your studies and to the consular authorities of that country in Italy so as to know about the procedures to be fulfilled. Most likely you will be asked to legalize your Italian qualification, to provide a translation in the language of the country where you want to have it recognized (or in a widely-used vehicular language) and, presumably, a certificate of that country’s Consulate in Italy. In Italy, the legalization of administrative deeds (such as diplomas, degrees and qualifications) falls within the competence of the legalization of the local Government
Representative Office. Lists of certified translators are available from Italian courts. The website of the Information Center on Mobility and Academic Equivalence (CIMEA) devotes a specific section to the recognition of Italian qualifications abroad that can be very useful.