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How to study medicine in Italy in English: the IMAT entrance exam, non-EU quotas and ranking, top medical schools, and the path to practising as a doctor.
Canonical: https://qa.prezumi.com/blog/study-medicine-in-italy
Italy is one of the few countries in Europe that offers a full six-year medicine and surgery degree taught entirely in English at public universities. Tuition at those public universities is income-based rather than fixed, so the cost can be far lower than an English-taught medical degree in the UK, Ireland, or the US. That combination is why English-taught medicine in Italy draws applicants from all over the world, and why the entrance test for it is so competitive.
This guide explains how admission works: the IMAT entrance exam, the non-EU quota and ranking system, which universities are best known for medicine, and the long path from admission to practising as a doctor. For the wider picture of studying in the country, read the Study in Italy pillar guide first.
The single-cycle "Medicine and Surgery" degree in Italy lasts six years and leads to a qualification recognised across the EU. A number of public universities run this degree in English, which means you do not need Italian to be admitted, though you will need it for clinical rotations and daily life as you progress.
The financial case is strong at public universities, where tuition is set against your declared family income and assets through the ISEE document rather than charged at a flat international rate. The Scholarships in Italy guide explains the ISEE and how income bands work. Private universities such as Humanitas and San Raffaele in Milan also run English-taught medicine, but they charge fixed, much higher fees and run their own separate admissions.
If you are comparing destinations, Germany also trains doctors at very low tuition, but mostly in German. See Study Medicine in Germany for how that route differs.
Entry to English-taught medicine at Italian public universities runs through the IMAT (International Medical Admissions Test). The IMAT is administered by CISIA, the same consortium that runs Italy's TOLC tests, on behalf of the participating universities. It is a competitive multiple-choice exam, typically held once a year in the autumn, and seats are allocated by national ranking rather than by a simple pass mark.
The exam is in English and covers reasoning and general knowledge alongside biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics. The exact section weighting, scoring rules, and registration window are set each year, so do not rely on figures from older sources. Confirm the current structure and dates on the official channels before you plan.
IMAT registration windows and test dates change year to year and the window is short. Check the official admissions information at studyinitaly.esteri.it and the CISIA test pages at cisia.it early, and register the moment the window opens.
| Item | Where to confirm |
|---|---|
| IMAT registration window and date | studyinitaly.esteri.it |
| Test structure, subjects, scoring | cisia.it |
| Non-EU pre-enrolment | universitaly.it |
| Per-university seats and fees | each university's own admissions page |
Italian public universities publish a fixed number of seats for each English-taught medicine programme every year, and those seats are split into separate quotas for EU candidates (and equivalent categories) and for non-EU candidates applying from abroad. The non-EU-from-abroad quota is a defined, limited number of places per university.
After the IMAT, candidates are placed in a merit ranking based on their score. Seats are then offered down the ranking until the quota for each category and university is filled, with the usual scrolling process as higher-ranked candidates accept or decline. Because the number of non-EU seats per university is small and applicants come from around the world, the score needed to secure a place is often high and varies year to year. There is no fixed cut-off you can rely on in advance.
The mechanism matters more than any single past number: you sit one ranked exam, you express university preferences, and placement depends on your rank relative to other candidates competing for the same quota. Never assume a threshold from a previous year will hold. The official rules for non-EU admissions and quotas are published annually alongside the studyinitaly.esteri.it guidance.
Non-EU applicants must also complete pre-enrolment on Universitaly before a consulate will issue a study visa, and may need a CIMEA statement or Dichiarazione di Valore to have their school qualification recognised. See cimea.it and the Student visa for Italy guide.
Many Italian universities are well regarded for medicine, and several run the degree in English. The list below names universities widely associated with English-taught medicine; the exact set of English programmes and their seat numbers changes, so confirm current offerings on each university's site.
| University | City | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| University of Milan (Statale) | Milan | Large medical faculty, English-taught medicine |
| University of Pavia | Pavia | Long-running English-taught medicine programme |
| University of Padua | Padua | One of the oldest medical traditions in Europe |
| University of Bologna | Bologna | Among the oldest universities in the world |
| Sapienza University of Rome | Rome | Very large, multiple medical programmes |
| University of Naples Federico II | Naples | Major southern medical school |
| Humanitas University | Milan (private) | Private, fixed fees, own admissions |
Bologna, Padua, and Sapienza appear in the broader Top universities in Italy guide as well, which is worth reading for how Italian admissions work in general.
Admission is the start of a long route. The degree itself runs six years and combines pre-clinical science with clinical rotations. Italian becomes essential during clinical training even on an English-taught course, because you work with Italian patients and hospital staff, so plan to learn the language seriously from your first year.
After graduating, the steps to practise involve passing the state licensing requirements, registering with the relevant medical order (Ordine dei Medici), and then, for most fields, competing for a place in specialty training (the "scuole di specializzazione"). Specialty places are themselves allocated by a national competitive process. If you intend to practise outside Italy afterwards, your EU-recognised qualification helps within the EU, but you should check the licensing rules of the specific country where you plan to work, because they vary.
Treat this section as the shape of the journey rather than a checklist of current rules. Licensing and specialty-entry procedures change, so confirm the current requirements through your university and the official studyinitaly.esteri.it channels when you reach that stage.
Beyond the IMAT, medical and scholarship applications ask for a clear academic CV, and Italian institutions and later employers expect the Europass format. Get yours ready early with Prezumi's free Europass CV converter, check how applicant-tracking software reads it with the free ATS resume checker, and start from clean resume templates you can reuse for both university and hospital applications.
Yes. Several Italian public universities run the full six-year Medicine and Surgery degree in English, and a few private universities do too. You will still need Italian for clinical rotations and daily life, so it is strongly advised to learn it alongside your studies. Confirm the current English-taught programmes on each university's admissions page.
The IMAT is the International Medical Admissions Test, the entrance exam for English-taught medicine at Italian public universities. It is administered by CISIA, Italy's testing consortium, on behalf of the participating universities. It is a competitive, ranked multiple-choice exam usually held once a year; check current details at cisia.it and studyinitaly.esteri.it.
There is no fixed score that guarantees admission. Seats are allocated by ranking within fixed quotas, so the effective threshold depends on how other candidates score that year and on the small number of non-EU seats per university. Aim to score as highly as you can and apply strategically across your preferences.
Each university publishes a limited number of seats reserved for non-EU candidates applying from abroad, separate from EU seats. After the IMAT, candidates are ranked and offered seats down the list until each quota fills. The official annual rules are published via studyinitaly.esteri.it.
The degree is six years, followed by state licensing, registration with the medical order, and, for most careers, a competitive specialty training place. The full timeline is several years beyond graduation, and the exact licensing steps change, so confirm them when you reach that stage.
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