Italy guide · verified 2026-07-04
How to Apply to Universities in Italy, Step by Step
Applying to universities
There is no single centralised clearing house for all Italian universities, each university runs its own international-admissions portal, but every non-EU applicant needing a visa must also complete the mandatory Universitaly pre-enrolment in parallel.
Confirm the university's own deadline and required documents
MandatoryEach university publishes its own international-student deadlines (often several months before the academic year starts, earlier still for entrance-test programs like Medicine/IMAT). Typical document set: 10th & 12th marksheets, Bachelors transcripts + degree certificate, language certificate, CV, statement of purpose, and (for some Masters) letters of recommendation.
You get: A university admission/conditional-admission letter.Complete Universitaly pre-enrolment
MandatoryRegister on Universitaly and complete the pre-enrolment application, uploading the required documents (passport, academic certificates, and, where required at this stage, the DoV/CIMEA statement). Confirm the exact 2026/2027 pre-enrolment deadline on the Universitaly portal and on the target university's page, since individual universities can set earlier internal cut-offs.
You get: A Universitaly pre-enrolment record, which the Italian mission checks before issuing the D visa.Secure the Dichiarazione di Valore or CIMEA statement
MandatorySubmit the apostilled Indian degree certificate (with certified Italian translation) either to the Italian consulate/embassy (DoV) or to CIMEA online (Statement of Comparability). Some universities require this before final admission is confirmed; others accept it up to enrolment, confirm which applies.
Cost: CIMEA Statement of Comparability: €150 standard (ordinary procedure, approx. 60 working days) or €250 with the urgent-procedure surcharge (approx. 30 working days), 2026 published rates; DoV: free of charge for verified study purposes per the Italian Embassy New Delhi, but apostille + certified Italian translation costs applyApply for the national (D) study visa via VFS Global
MandatoryOnce Universitaly pre-enrolment and the university admission letter are in hand, book a visa appointment through VFS Global for the Italian mission covering the student's home jurisdiction in India, and submit the full document set (see Student visa section).
For the 2026/2027 academic year, the MUR circular sets 30 November 2026 as the national deadline for visa applications for degree/Masters programs (30 October 2027 for the 2027/2028 cycle). Universities' own Universitaly pre-enrolment and admission deadlines are typically much earlier, some close as early as July, September 2026, so treat 30 November as a hard backstop, not a target date.
Sources
- Studenti in entrata internazionali, international incoming students, Ministero dell'Università e della Ricerca (MUR)
- Universitaly, Studenti Stranieri (pre-enrolment portal), MUR / CINECA
- Circolare MUR 2026/2027, procedure for international students (PDF), Ministero dell'Università e della Ricerca (MUR) / Universitaly (CINECA)
Where this fits
This is one step of the full Italy journey: admission, tests, application, visa, money, arrival and stay-back, every figure cited to an official source.
More on Italy
Bramica is independent and takes no commission from any university, recruiter or agency. This page is information, not immigration advice. Rules, fees and thresholds change; confirm the current requirement on the official source before acting on it.