Study in Italy

"Study in Italy" is a valuable information tool for students wishing to attend higher education (H.Ed.) programmes in Italy, both at undergraduate and postgraduate level. 
This national website provides the following information: types of H.Ed. institutions (university and non-university sector), admission procedures, study programmes, university degrees, non-university H.Ed. qualifications (academic diplomas), tuition language, student life and welfare services, country information, etc.  

Italy has played an important role in European higher education: it is one of the four countries that first engaged to create the so-called "European Area of Higher Education" (Sorbonne Declaration, May 1998), thus starting that type of higher education reform which, known as "Bologna Process" (Bologna Declaration, June 1999) is being implemented all over Europe.

Today Italy ranks among the 8 most industrialized countries in the world. Alongside some big companies, both state-owned and private, it has developed a sound network of small and medium-sized undertakings, promoted a few scientific parks, and is incentivizing basic and applied research in a great variety of fields (biology, ICT, medicine, physics, etc.).

Typologies and Lists:

Italian higher education is structured in a binary system, consisting of two main articulations:
- the university sector
- the non-university sector.

At present, the university sector is made up of 89 university institutions which are classified in:
- 58 State universities
- 17 non-State universities (legally recognized by the State)
- 2 universities for foreigners
- 6 higher schools specialized in postgraduate university studies
- 6 telematic universities.

The non-university sector includes 4 education typologies with their institutions:
- higher schools of design: polytechnics for the arts, academies of fine arts, higher institutes for applied arts, music conservatories and recognized music institutes, higher institutes for musical and choreographic studies, national academies
- higher education in language mediation: higher schools for language mediators
- higher integrated education (FIS): programmes of higher technical education & training (IFTS)
- a few specific fields (e.g. archiving, diplomatic, restoration, military studies, etc.) which, along with their respective institutions, fall under the supervision of ministries other than that of Education.

Practical information:

Academic Calendar:

The academic year in Italy is made up of two semesters. The first semester starts in September/October and ends in January/February. The second semester starts in February and ends in July. The actual start and finish dates will vary in the different universities but each semester lasts around 20 weeks and is made up of a teaching period lasting around 14 weeks and an exam period lasting around 6 weeks. 

Teaching and learning:

Most teaching still takes place in large lecture halls but this will depend very much on the single course of study. Students are also expected to carry out a considerable amount of self study outside the classroom in order to prepare for exams.  

Assessment: 

Exams are held after the teaching period and are mainly oral exams although some courses will have written tests taking place during the semester or before the oral exam. Each exam will have a number of dates offered during the exam period and students can choose which date they wish to take the exam. They are also entitled to turn down a mark and take the exam again if they are not satisfied with the result. Rules apply as to how often a student can take an exam within an examination period.

Grading systems:

Examinations are graded according to a scale ranging from 0 to 30, with 18 as a pass mark.
A "cum laude" may be added to the highest grade (30; 30 e lode) as a mention of special distinction.
All examination results are used to calculate the overall degree mark on a scale of 0 – 110. The final result is based on exam results plus the presentation of a project or dissertation in front of a Board of Examiners. The pass mark is 66 and students who obtain full marks of 110 may also be awarded ‘summa cum laude’ (110 e lode).

Fees and Costs:

Universities and other Higher Education Institutes establish their own fees but in the case of university education there is a legal minimum fee for enrollment and maximum level for student contributions to costs and services, which cannot exceed 20% of state funding.

The average fees a student has to pay is somewhere between 850 euro and 1,000 euro per year since this varies from one university to another and also depends on the chosen course of study. Private universities are clearly much more expensive.

Admission to “master universitari” and other specialization courses also have much higher fees. Doctoral students who receive a grant from the university do not pay fees, but non- grant holders are required to pay the fees, which will vary again according to the university chosen.

Scholarships and financial aid:

All international students are entitled to the same student assistance services as Italian students, on basis of the same requisites of financial means and/or merit. This applies to scholarships, student loans, housing assistance, refectory meal tickets and fee waivers.

These services are managed by the DSU office (Diritto allo studio universitario). 
Alongside scholarship and financial aid information, DSU offices will also provide other services such as counselling and information on extra curricular activities, sport, transport and other practical matters. 
You should contact the office at the university where you plan to study to find out what services are available to you.

Study and Work in Italy

Italian education system is quite simple but not worth much in english speaking countries until you attain masters degree or highly talented student in bachelors.

It is quite impossible to study in Italy and make living here. Jobs are few and unemployment is sky high.

The average pay if considered by reviewing most graduates both master and bachelor degree holders is around 1700 euros. So its not enough if you are planning to move out to English speaking countries after 3 or 4 years.

Professional degrees like engineering value a lot in every corner of the world because mostly the experience matters (not always). If you studies in Italy and acquire a job then its better to have some experience of 2 to 3 years. So if you decide to go somewhere else your studies and job experience won't worth less.

Considering a few real life stories of some international students, chances of prosperity are highly increased these days. Foreign investment in the Italian territory is increasing, local companies are being bought out by foreign companies, which will eventually provide a big job pool in coming future. As Italian professionals are leaving Italy, for foreigners  its a great opportunity to fill the gap.

As I wrote earlier, internationalization is increasing year by year to fill the gaps and attract foreign companies and foreign students.


When I first came here in Italy in year 2010, I read an open letter in a newspaper.  The letter was written by a father to his son. In which he wrote about the economic situation of Italy. He also asked him to leave the country after his professional education as this country will not provide him even a single job. But now I'm seeing a change after 5 years of breakage and misery of Italian economy, its finally rising again. Hopefully sooner there will be no one who would like to leave.

Once the economy stands on its feet, means the unemployment rate go below 5% as in year 2007. There will be a lot more job opportunities for both foreign nationals and Italian nationals.

In this time, its still quite uncertain how things will go, but if you see the ground reality you will surely see a change.

Studying in Italy, without scholarship

Studying in Italy is not that hard, as compare to other European countries, living expenses are less. You can decide your budget initially, how much you can spend yearly to study in Italy or in your own country. If you compare the both amounts, you will see a very little difference.

Study in Italy is quite an adventure, if you don't have a scholarships then either you are going to earn that money or you will be dependent on your family. Being dependent on the family is the worst part because you are more than 18 and its the time for you to earn on  your own. The other most basic mistakes we do is that we never make a budget and just keep spending the money. We don't look for a job, as national language is Italian. We have this little thing in mind that to get a job you must speak Italian.

For sure Italian is compulsory but if you look hard you can also find a job where only english language skills are required. With a job, your stay and your study in Italy is more easy.

Everyone can realize that the study is only possible when you have money in your pocket and you don't have to worry about the expenses, so you can concentrate on your studies. If you worry about that you can't manage your stay in Italy or your expenses for study in Italy can't be beard. So kindly don't go to Italy, because you will be wasting your time and money if you had any.
 

Study in Italy: Useful links

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_universities_in_Italy
With the above link you can see the universities, their location the number of students and much more, Wikipedia provides lot of information regarding stats.

http://www.study-in-italy.it/ 
You can see the database of available courses, you can even get the piratical information. It gives you a lot of information when to apply for admissions and pre-enrollment.

http://www.bachelorsportal.eu
You can find here also the courses offered by Italian universities.
You might not find all of them, so its better to go above and see the other link

http://www.italia.it/en/home.html
You can discover Italy by visiting this website and get an overview of Italian culture.

Further more, you can check the regional websites regarding tourism which can be helpful for you when you enter Italy and you can easily manage your accommodation temprarily.
  

Study Visa Italy

Italian study visa is easy to get but only thing required is patience. You completed your intermediate studies then you are good to apply for undergrad admission in Italy. Application for international students are open from January to March each year. The cost of study in Italy is too low as comparing to other European countries. The university fees are low. Living expenses are not much. Even you don't have a scholarship it will cost you around 4500 per annum. If you get any scholarship, like regional or from university it will more than enough in most cases. They will provide you accommodation, pay your tuition fee, and you'll also get a handsome amount for covering your expenses.

Following are the three most simple steps to apply;

1- Apply for admission in Italian Universities
Italian universities allow the students with 12 year of education to enroll for undergrad. There are no restrictions, you can also apply if you are waiting for your result. For that you should apply with hope certificate and consult with university to how to proceed. It is better to apply for more than one university, you can search many courses in english language, then search also for scholarship opportunities.Priorities your options, which city, which university is better for you. You like the university ranking or not. Check about all the necessary things and apply. To see the admission requirements for international students you can see the International admission section of university website. Or you can also find the contact of international admission office of respected university and ask your queries.

2- Apply for pre enrollment in Italian Embassy
After securing the admission you can proceed with pre enrollment. For pre enrollment you have to provide DOV (declaration of value), and your all attested educational degrees and documents. All documents should be translated in Italian language from an authorized translator. First you will fill in the pre enrollment application and then submit your documents for declaration of value. This process takes time depending on the relevant embassy where you submitted. They might not accept your application if you are waiting for your result of final year of school (only in Pakistan). But you can show them the pages of national website of MIUR where its clearly written student waiting for final degree can apply.


3- Apply for study visa
For students in Pakistan, the visa process is quite easy, you just have to submit your passport, visa fee, your documents showing your financial strength and application form at Gery Visa dropbox. You can ask the complete list from Gery Visa dropbox for required documents. Now each major city have local centers. Italian embassy don't handle visa service as before. Within one month you will get your documents back, with visa stamped or refused. The thing to keep in mind is that don't apply late. Try to apply for visa as early as possible.



This is a just short overview to apply, for queries you can comment, may be able to help out.

Study in Italy

Today Italy ranks among the 8 most industrialized Countries in the world. Alongside some big companies, both state-owned and private, it has developed a sound network of small and medium-sized undertakings, promoted a few scientific parks, and is incentivating basic and applied research in a great variety of fields (biology, ICT, medicine, physics, etc.).

Italy has played an important role in European higher education: it is one of the four countries that first engaged to create the so-called "European Area of Higher Education" (Sorbonne Declaration, May 1998), thus starting that type of higher education reform which, known as "Bologna Process" (Bologna Declaration, June 1999) is being implemented all over Europe.

No other Country in the world has so many art and culture treasures like Italy. More than a half of historical and artistic estates of the world is in our Country (data UNESCO).

Italy is a Country reach in history and traditions, testified by museums, cathedrals, residences, castles, archaeological sites, etc. Each place keeps important traces of the past and the natural environment surprises the visitor with mountains covered with snow and kilometers of shores all around the peninsula.

For further information about Italy and studying in Italy see the website of MIUR (Ministry of Education, University and Research) " Study in Italy".

" Study in Italy" is a valuable information tool for students wishing to attend higher education (H.Ed.) programmes in Italy, both at undergraduate and postgraduate level.
Italy has the top research institutes, and famous higher education institutes. North-Italy to South-Italy you will find highly ranked universities and institutes.
Each year Italy attracts thousands of international students for higher educations. After years of excellence, now the universities are providing another language of instruction "English". This strategy has make the education easy for foreign students. Study in Italy is now most favorable as compare to neighboring countries, where you still can't find degrees totally taught in english. 

Undergraduate Studies in Italy

Italy is one of the best country which offers the same rights to international students like their own national students. A lot of universities offers scholarships in undergraduate studies. One of the best aspect regarding the regional government bodies is that they also offer scholarships to students on the basis of merit and need base (only for the first year of studies).

You may not find your chosen professional studies here in Italy in English, but in coming future there will not be any field or faculty left who don't offer courses in English.

Specifically engineering disciplines, Politecnico di Milano and Politecnico di Torino which are ranked No.1 and No. 2 respectively in national rankings are offering a lot of courses in English at undergraduate studies.

The selection of course is much important and after that is surviving in this Non- English country, national language is Italian, it will be much better when u come here focus on your Italian language skills. Then there are money issues, you might not find any odd jobs here so you should achieve a scholarship. If its not available then you have to set your budget to at least 4,500 euros per anum, disregarding your luxurious way of living. Because with this money you will only survive here, you will pay your rent, pay for food and bills.

Then there is a part of reasonable resident, you pay attention towards community. Improve your language skills, and be a part of society.

Best of luck ahead if you chose to study in Italy. Any questions you can leave in comments, its all basic for those students who want to study abroad and don't have a clue that Italy also offers great opportunities.