06 - Italy - Admission requirements
Exceptions are not foreseen. In
the last years, distance courses (on-line courses) have been developed; they allow also workers or
people who reside far from the course seat, to study without attending the course. However, conditions
for admission requirements are still valid.
Non-university tertiary education
As for the Afam system, admission to the courses leading to a first-level Diploma accademico
requires a upper secondary school leaving certificate or another equivalent
qualification obtained abroad.
Furthermore, teaching regulations require possession or acquisition of an adequate initial qualification.
To this end, teaching regulations establish which knowledge is required for admission and its
verification procedures also at the conclusion of preparatory formative activities, carried out also in
collaboration with upper secondary education institutes.
Conservatoires, officially recognised Music institutes and the National Dance Academy a dmit to the
courses leading to a first-level Diploma accademico also highly gifted students, even without an upper
secondary school leaving certificate; however, this latter is required to obtain the Diploma.
Admission to courses leading to a second-level, a specialization Diploma accademico, and to a
Diploma di perfezionamento o Master requires a laurea (L) or a first-level Diploma
accademico, or another equivalent qualification obtained abroad.
As for the Diploma di perfezionamento o Master, each institution establishes in which cases the
possession of a second-level Diploma accademico or the laurea magistrale is required.
The acknowledgement of qualifications obtained abroad for the admission to the courses is decided by
the institution itself, in the respect of European Union directives and regulations as well as of the
international agreements in force.
Access to the other non university higher education institutes is allowed upon attainment of an upper
secondary school leaving certificate and through admission exams. This is due to the limited number of
available posts established on an annual basis. In some cases, the possession of the requirements of
a previous training is necessary and it allows to avoid the admission exams.
University tertiary education
Law no. 264 approved on the 2nd of August 1999 provides for the reorganisation of the whole subject
concerning admission to university education. This new law lays down the general criteria and
indicates the study courses to which admittance is limited at national level or on request of each
university. Admission to university courses is restricted in the faculties of medicine and surgery,
veterinary science, architecture, for courses leading to a laurea (L) for which practical training is
prescribed, and for courses leading to a Diploma di specializzazione.
To access courses leading to a laurea (L) requires the possession of an upper secondary school
leaving certificate or other equivalent qualification obtained abroad. However, as for the enrolment in
courses for which a limited intake is not foreseen, the Ministerial Decrees on teaching autonomy (DM
509/1999 and DM 270/2004, 6.3.2.) establish that each university should also define, in its regulations,
the possession or acquisition of an adequate initial preparation. To this end, regulations should
establish the knowledge required for admittance and lay down tests procedures.
Tests can be carried out on completion of preparatory training activities in collaboration, at the same
time, with institutes of upper secondary education. A non positive test result doesn’t preclude
enrolment, but teaching regulations will have to specify additional specific training requirements to be
fulfilled within the first year of the course. Furthermore, Ministerial Decree no. 245 of 1997 establishes
that students attending the final year of upper secondary school should submit a pre-enrolment
application form to the university in order to allow the various universities to plan and improve their
organisational and teaching offer and, at the same time, to inform students about their teaching offers
(as for school year 2006/07 pre-enrolment application Other forms should be sent in between 6 March
and 10 April 2006).
To access courses leading to a laurea specialistica/magistrale, the possession of a laurea (L), a
Diploma universitario or another equivalent qualification obtained abroad is required. As for the
admission to courses for which a limited intake is not foreseen, the universities should also establish
specific admission criteria including the possession of certain curricular requirements and the
verification of each student's preparation. All credits obtained in the previous cycle (180 CFU) will be
recognised if the 'laurea specialistica/magistrale' course is fully consistent with the contents of the
completed three-year degree course; otherwise, the students will be enrolled with a debito formativo.
The one-cycle laurea specilistica/magistrale courses, regulated by the European Union, are an
exception: admission to these courses requires the possession of an upper secondary school leaving
certificate and getting through a selection test.
Admission to courses leading to a first-level Diploma di specializzazione requires the possession of a
laurea (L) or of another qualification attained abroad and recognised equivalent; ministerial decrees
establish specific admission requirements for each course, including possible additional credits related
to qualifications presented for admission.
Admission requirements for courses leading to a first-level Master universitario are similar to the ones
mentioned above for first-level Diploma di Specializzazione courses; each university can require an
entrance exam or the possession of specific requirements for students' admission.
Postgraduate level
Applicants are admitted to the Doctorate courses upon competitive exam
carried out according to regulations established at university level.
Admission to the competitive exam requires the possession of a laurea magistrale or a foreign
qualification recognised by the responsible academic authorities.
As for admission to courses leading to a second-level Diploma di specializzazione the possession of a
Laurea magistrale, or another equivalent qualification attained abroad is required; ministerial decrees
establish specific admission requirements for every course, including possible additional credits related
to the qualification presented for admission.
As for admission to a second-level Master universitario course, a laurea magistrale, or another
equivalent qualification obtained abroad, is required; each university can require an entrance exam or
the possession of specific requirements for students' admission.
Admission to AFAM courses leading to a Diploma accademico
di formazione alla ricerca require the possession of a second-level Diploma accademico ,a laurea
magistrale or another equivalent qualification attained abroad is require.
Eurydice - the information network on education in Europe
Date: 2009
EN 
CS
DE
ES
FR
HU
IT
PL
PT
РУ
SK
TR
УК
AR
中文
