Application and Universitaly pre-enrolment
A student who needs a visa pre-enrolls for the program they applied to on the Universitaly portal. When the university approves the pre-enrolment, you book a visa appointment.
According to the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a B2 language level is required for Italian or English programs in 2026/27 and 2027/28. For foundation programs, B1 is enough. You also need to watch the age limit. Bocconi writes that for 2027/28 bachelor's entry it cannot accept non-EU applicants who do not live in Italy and were born after 1 September 2010. A bachelor's (laurea) takes three years and a master's (laurea magistrale) takes two years. The academic year mostly starts in October.
The entrance exam varies by university
There is no single entrance exam for all universities in Italy. For 2026/27 engineering bachelor's entry, Politecnico di Milano accepted a TOL, TOLC-I, CEnT-S or SAT result. The same university uses TOLD for its design programs. Bocconi uses its own online test, and Luiss runs a separate test for non-EU applicants. For English-language medicine programs there is the IMAT, a 60-question paper exam. The 2026 exam was held on 29 September.
We explained the structure and scoring of CEnT-S in our CEnT-S article. We suggest you check which exam is asked for in the announcement (bando) of your target program.
Public university tuition fees depend on family income
Public universities calculate tuition fees according to family income. At Politecnico di Milano, the 2026/27 bachelor's tuition fee starts at €157.04 a year and goes up to €3,943.04. If the family has income abroad, a separate income calculation (ISEEU parificato) is asked for. If this document is not provided, the highest amount applies.
The rule can be different for master's. Politecnico charges the highest amount, regardless of income, to non-EU students who come with a foreign bachelor's diploma and do not receive a scholarship. At private universities the amount is fixed. At Bocconi, the 2027/28 bachelor's tuition fee is €17,700 a year, and the 2026/27 master's tuition fee is €18,550 a year.
Funds to show for the visa and living costs
For 2026/27 and 2027/28, you show funds of at least €10,179.85 a year for the university visa. The return ticket and unpaid tuition fees are not included in this amount.
- Politecnico di Milano gives monthly rent in Milan as between €400 and €700.
- In Milan, the monthly public transport card for students under 27 is €22.
- According to the University of Bologna, a single room in a shared flat costs €400 a month on average, not including bills.
- According to the same university, a non-EU student's yearly registration with the Italian health system (SSN) is about €700.
- The WAI ITALY health insurance listed on Bocconi's cost page is €140 for 1 year.
With a study residence permit, you can work at most 20 hours a week and at most 1,040 hours a year.
A student visa is not needed for summer school or a short language course. Courses of up to 90 days within 180 days fall under the short-stay Schengen visa (type C).
First task after arrival: residence permit
A student from outside the EU applies for a study residence permit (permesso di soggiorno) within 8 days after entering Italy. The application is sent by post to the Questura, using the yellow application kit from the post office. The University of Bologna writes that renewing the residence permit costs about €120. We suggest you plan your flight date with this 8-day period in mind. For details, see our Italy page.
Related pages
Last checked: 23 October 2026. Rules and fees may change; we check the current situation together before you apply.
Let's talk about this for your student
In the first meeting we will work out together how this information fits the student's situation.