Studying medicine in Italy for international students is possible no matter what country you come from. However, the country you come from can make it easier or more difficult to obtain a seat and can also greatly impact the things you need to do to secure enrolment.
One of the first things aspiring international medical students in Italy realise is that admission is separated into two groups: EU students and non-EU students. Universities usually allocate a certain number of seats for EU students and a certain number of seats for non-EU students. This has tremendous consequences on how your admission will be impacted, and it is thus vital to understand how your category will affect you. Make sure to read this carefully so you do not make any mistakes during your application process!
Who is an EU student?
At first glance it might seem simple, the answer is any student from an EU country, right? While students from EU countries are generally considered EU students, it is not always as straightforward as this. There are a few types of scenarios where you will be considered an EU student.
Firstly, if you are a citizen in any European Union member country, you are an EU student. It does not matter if you hold a second citizenship from another non-EU country. It also does not matter where you completed high school (at least in terms of deciding whether you are EU or not). Basically, if you have citizenship in any EU member state, you are an EU student, plain and simple.
There are also cases where this holds true even if your country of citizenship is not in the EU. This is the case for Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and San Marino. If you have one of these citizenships, you will be an EU student.
There is also another way you can be considered an EU student even if you do not hold citizenship in the above-mentioned countries, and that is when you are given EU equivalent status. If you are a resident of Italy and have one of the following residence permits, you will also be considered an EU student…
- EU permit for long-term residents
- Residence permit for the purpose of employment, self-employment or for investor
- Residence permit for family reasons
- Residence permit for political or humanitarian asylum
- Residence permit for religious reasons
- Residence permit for other special cases
Who is a non-EU student?
If none of the above-mentioned citizenships or residence permits apply to you, you are a non-EU student. Please note that EU refers to membership in the European Union, not simply being part of Europe. Countries like Serbia and Belarus may be part of Europe, but they are not part of the EU, so you will still be considered a non-EU student in this case, unless you meet the requirements talked about before.
Please note, that the United Kingdom was formerly an EU member state, but due to Brexit, the country is no longer a member. The United Kingdom is thus now also considered in the non-EU category.
Competitiveness Based on EU and non-EU Status
The various public medical schools in Italy that use the IMAT offer a certain amount of seats to EU students and a certain amount of seats to non-EU students. It is generally the case that there are far more seats for EU students. In recent years, especially in 2023, it has been getting harder for non-EU students to secure a seat, since the IMAT score required is higher than for EU students. In 2023, the scores required for non-EUs were often considerably higher than for non-EUs (over 10 points sometimes!).
Thus, it is generally far more beneficial to be an EU student. However, you should note that what determines the entry score on the IMAT is the number of students that apply, so if very few non-EU students apply to a specific university, the score could be considerably lower than average. This is very hard to predict beforehand. It brings us to another very important consideration for non-EU students…
IMPORTANT! University Choices as an EU or non-EU
When an EU student applies to the IMAT, they can select as many of the public medical schools as they want. Once the IMAT is over and the scores are released, they will be considered for all of the universities. Put simply, if you get above the required score for any university you applied to, you will be eligible to enrol in that university provided you have not already enrolled or rejected an offer from that university.
For non-EU students, it does not work this way! You get only ONE choice! When you apply for the IMAT, you will also be able to select many choices, but only the university you put in first place will be able to accept you (the one you pre-enrolled for). Thus, if you do not get the required score for your first-choice university, you will not get a place anywhere, even if you get above the required score for another university you applied for. This is extremely important to remember! Every year there are always devasted students who misunderstood the rules and missed out on admission despite having a score that would be enough in another university.
For non-EU students, you need to choose your first-choice university VERY carefully! To find out more about the Universities in Italy, we have also put together a comprehensive list of all Public Medical Universities in Italy.
IMPORTANT: Application Procedures and Requirements for EU and non-EU Students
There are many differences between EU and non-EU students in terms of requirements and the university application. Below you will find a helpful table…
| EU Students | Non-EU Students |
| Do not need a visa | Need a visa |
| Do not need to pre-enrol | Need to pre-enrol |
| Can enrol after the start of the semester* | Enrol at the start of the semester |
*EU students as mentioned before have multiple choices of university and will be allocated seats over time if the seats do not fill up immediately. This brings us to the topic of so-called ‘Rounds’.
Italian Medical School Admission Rounds
When the IMAT scores are officially released, EU students can log into Universitaly and see if they obtained a score high enough to get into a university. If they do not, they will wait a week until the next ‘round’ happens, in which case the scores will be lower. This process continues weekly until all the seats in the EU category have been filled. This is great news since it means even if you did not get in straight away, you could potentially secure a seat weeks or even months later!
If you are a non-EU, there is only one round. If you do not secure a seat in your first choice university here, you are almost certainly not going to obtain a seat in that year.
Can I Choose to be EU or Non-EU when Studying Medicine in Italy for International Students
No. Being EU or non-EU is not up to you, it is determined based on the criteria previously mentioned. And you must under no circumstances try to omit or manipulate information to your benefit! Hiding a second citizenship, or doing something else that can make you apply as an EU if you are a non-EU or a non-EU as an EU, will likely prevent you from enrolling.
To sum up, you cannot pick and choose what category you belong to. You need to ensure you know what category you fall under, and then understand how this will impact your situation when applying to medical school in Italy.
Why Study Medicine in Italy?
Italy has recently become a hotspot for aspiring medical students seeking a top-quality education that is both economically viable and academically rigorous. Unlike many other countries where the application process is arduous and university seats are limited, Italy has streamlined its admissions process, making it relatively straightforward and accessible.
To be eligible to enroll in a public medical school in Italy, aspiring students simply need to have completed 12 years of school education and pass the IMAT (Italian Medical Admissions Test). The quality of education is impressive, with modern European universities offering world-renowned medical degrees. In Italy, most students pay a nominal fee per year or nothing at all, making it an ideal option for those who are budget-conscious. Generous scholarships are also readily available for those who display financial need or academic merit.
Although proficiency in the Italian language is not mandatory, it is advisable for effective communication living in Italy considering local interactions that will naturally occur. For those serious about gaining admission, a comprehensive preparation course for the IMAT exam is available.
30 responses
I have a question
As this year University of Cagilari has offered 20 seats for non-European students but approval from MUIR is still pending. If I register Cagliari as my first choice and another university as second. If unfortunately this year Cagliari did not receive approval from the Ministry. Can my application be forwarded to another university or will it be rejected?
Are you a non-EU candidate? As a non-EU you need to pre-enroll in the university you are considering. Your application will thus not be automatically transferred, you will need to pre-enroll in another university manually.
One more question Sir!!
If my first university (Cagliari) did not get approval from the Ministry this year
Can I pre-enroll to another university? If I pre -enroll like Catania
Will that university (Catania) accept my application as my first university? (After if Cagilari didn’t get approval)
As long as you do not pass the deadline for pre-enrolment for that university it should be fine. You would cancel your previous first choice, then pre enroll in your new first choice.
What is the last date to apply for MBBS in italy for EU students??!
The deadlines for the IMAT are not yet out, so we cannot say at this moment.
hello sir , I am a Ghanian , but I have a 5 year residence permit in the uk and a 2 year residence permit in Hungary as a medical student. can I be considered an eu ?
Generally you are only an EU student for IMAT purposes if you have citizenship in an EU (or EU equivalent) country, or have a residence permit in Italy. However, there can be exceptions, so I suggest writing to your first choice university explaining your situation in detail. They will be able to tell you what you count as.
Hi , I have some concerns about studying medicine in Italy..
I’m Palestinian , I have been living in Italy for I year and I’m about to have my ” permesso di soggiorno ” , also I’m about to graduate from an Italian high school , I want to ask kindly if I’m considered as a EU or Non EU student .
And thank in advance .
As a high school graduate from Italy with a permesso di soggiorno you are an EU candidate for IMAT purposes
Hello , I have a question. My daughter lives in Cyprus 10 years , has resident permit, but citizenship is not EU. She will pass Imat as a EU or Non EU student?
It depends. If her citizenship is from an EU equivalent country (such as Norway, Switzerland, Iceland etc) then she can still be counted as an EU. Otherwise, it depends on the specific university regulations
I am from non EU country, but I study foundation course in Italy. I apply as a EU student or non EU?
It depends on your current visa status as well as the university you are applying to. If you have a student visa from the foundation course some universities will consider you an EU student for IMAT purposes.
Hey! Hope you are doing well. I wanted to ask, that if I already have an Italian Student Visa, and wish to apply for medicine, then would I be considered as an EU or Non-EU student? For example, if I apply in a bachelor’s degree program, and am accepted to the program, and am granted an Italian Study Visa. After that, if I decide to study medicine, then will I be considered in EU or Non-EU category. Please tell for the same year and also for the consecutive years, because I’ve heard that after 1 year on a student visa, it is applicable. Is it applicable before 1 year, on an Italian Student Visa? Please confirm both these questions. Thank You for your time!
It depends on the university in question. You will need to check with your chosen university if they will consider you an EU student with an existing study visa.
Hello, I am a citizen of India but I have been working and living in France for the past 3 years. My daughter studies in India and she will join me in France from this year May 2025. She will be attempting the IMAT exam in September 2025. Could you please tell me if she can apply as a EU candidate?
To apply as an EU candidate she would either need an EU or EU equivalent citizenship or a residence permit in Italy. There are some other cases as well where students can be considered EU candidates, but a short term stay in another European country is generally not enough.
Thank you very much for your reply. Actually, she studied in France in 2021-22 and 2022-23. Then she moved to India for her studies in 2023 and 2024. Now she will be coming back to France in 2025. As we (the parents) have a residence permit in France, what will be her status?
Parents having a residence permit in another EU country other than Italy is unfortunately usually not enough to class her as an EU candidate. If she has no EU or EU equivalent citizenship, does not hold an italian residence permit, or does not meet other specific requirements, then she is likely to be treated as a non EU candidate for IMAT purposes.
Hiii , I’m an eu student hoping to apply to med school in Italy (English programme) however can only find information for applying as a non eu student. For eu students do all you have to do is make a universitaly account and then register for the imat during which you will be able to arrange your top uni choices or do you have to pick what unis you want to apply to earlier and apply through the universities website ? I am confused as to through what portal you actually have to apply to the universities of your choosing. Thank you !
It depends on the university. For some, you only need to register for the IMAT and choose that university to formally apply, but some universities have a pre-registration (pre evaluation) on their websites as well (even for EU students).
Hi! Thanks for this website, this clarified many things in my head. But I have a question, I will be very appreciated if you can answer me. I want to apply to Campania Luigi Vanvitelli University’s English Medicine and Surgery program. I couldn’t find any information about calls or the deadlines, documents etc. They’re not answering my emails. Can somebody tell me something about the procedure or deadlines? Do I have to pre enroll from universitaly now? What are the deadlines?
Universities do not always set deadlines before the official calls are released, but if you have decided on this university then you should apply earlier rather than later.
Thank you so much.
I have a question. If I was enrolled in the foundation year program in University of Pavia, and had a study residence permit for 1 year, would I be considered EU or non EU? And if so, should it be 12 months by the time of IMAT registration or before that? Thanks a lot!
The specifics of the rules for each university can change year by year, so we wont know for certain until it is announced. Each university can have different rules as well.
Hi, I heard that some Universities require a registration beforehand. Is that true for EU-students or do I not need to do anything at all except the registration on universitaly, then the IMAT and then enroll afterwards?
Is a german secondary school diploma enough or do i need to get it translated?
Some universities do require pre registration for EU students as well, these are often opened later.
You will need to translate your german diploma if it is in german
Dear Sirs,
Could you pls help me to clarify my application status for IMAT. I have Russian citizenship, Italian permesso di soggiorno ( motivi familiari)and permanent resident permit in Turin.
Am i right that i am considered as EU candidate?
Thank you!
Yes, as a permanent resident of Italy you will be an EU candidate