Enrolling in a first cycle or single cycle degree programme if you come from a non-EU country

Check if your qualification is eligible and and discover the documents you will have to prepare for enrolment at an Italian university.

Plan ahead because, in case of admission, you may have to translate and document the value and authenticity of your qualification: the time required may depend on the country where you obtained it.

Preparing documents and submitting applications for scholarships and other funding opportunities

Depending on your financial status, you can obtain scholarships, student accommodation, full or partial exemption from fees and other funding opportunities. 

You must prepare documentation on the income and assets of your family to submit the application. 

Discover how much it costs to enrol. Read the detailed information and calls for applications. Submit your applications and pay attention to deadlines.

Searching for information on accommodation

Move well in advance to find a place to live in the city where you are going to study.
Discover the support services available.

Check if you need a visa for Italy by selecting the reason for your stay:  “study - university enrolment”.

Find out at the Embassy or Consulate how to obtain:

• a student visa;
• an Italian tax code, if the service is available;
• a translation, legalisation and declaration of value of your qualification;
• documents on your family's income and assets to apply for financial benefits;
• an appointment as soon as possible.

Participate in our Information Sessions for international students to learn more about enrolment procedures, immigration, student services and much more about university life.

Find out how to enrol as soon as possible.
If yours is an open access degree programme, there is no limit to the number of places available.

If the degree program has restricted access, a maximum number of spots is allocated, with a portion (called a contingent) reserved for citizens of non-EU countries who reside abroad.

The quota is specified in the call for applications of the degree programme you are interested in.

There are different types of selections: 

• some degree programmes include the TOLC, an online test to assess your initial knowledge. There are different types of TOLC depending on the scope of the degree programme you are interested in;
• if the degree programme is international, it may require a TOLC, SAT - General Test or other English language proficiency tests;
• other degree programmes require a specific entrance exam, which may be online or in person.

Read the call for applications on the website of the degree programme you have chosen for specific information on the admission procedure.

Meet the language requirement by the deadline set for your chosen degree programme.

Italian language

You have 3 ways to fulfil the requirement:

• take the test online from April 2024;
• submit a language certificate online;
• submit an Italian qualification online.

Find out more about  language requirement

English and other languages

Check the degree programme’s admission notice or call for applications for the methods of fulfilling the language requirement.

Creating your institutional @studio.unibo.it credentials 

Create your credentials to access Studenti Online, your personal profile where you will find information on your university career and carry out all the paperwork, including enrolment in the degree programme.

Registering for the exam

Check on the website of your degree programme whether you have to take the exam online or in person and, if the programme has several selections, which you can take part in.

Access Studenti Online with your institutional credentials, enter "Application for admission - Participate in the selection" and complete the application.

Taking the entrance exam

Check how the entrance exam will be conducted on the website of the degree programme and prepare the appropriate technical equipment.

Results and Rankings

For restricted access degree programme, depending on your position in the ranking list:

• if you have been selected, go to Studenti Online, enrol, and pay the first instalment by the deadlines specified in the admission notice;
• if you have obtained eligibility, request to be part of the runners-up selection or transfer to another degree programme if provided by the admission procedure:
• if you have neither being selected or obtained eligibility, participate in the next selection if possible, or apply for another degree programme.

For open access degree programmes:

• if you meet the access requirements as indicated in the admission notice, go to Studenti Online, enrol, and pay the first instalment by the deadlines specified for enrolment.

Activate your career

Once you have completed your enrolment application and paid the tuition fees, go to Studenti Online for further information on how to validate your digital identity, activate your career and collect your badge.

You will find all the instructions you may receive according to your profile on the website of the degree programme, in the Enrolment section.

If you need a visa to enter Italy:

• pre-enrol on Universitaly specifying the degree programme you wish to enrol in. Our offices will verify the application. For some national restricted-access degree programmes (e.g. Medicine) you have to apply by a certain deadline: check the call for applications of the degree programme;
• if you have not already done so, make an appointment at the Embassy and ask which visa you need and what documents are required.

Results and Rankings

For restricted access degree programme, depending on your position in the ranking list:

• if you have been selected, go to Studenti Online, enrol, and pay the first instalment by the deadlines specified in the admission notice;
• if you have obtained eligibility, request to be part of the runners-up selection or transfer to another degree programme if provided by the admission procedure:
• if you have neither being selected or obtained eligibility, participate in the next selection if possible, or apply for another degree programme.

For open access degree programmes:

• if you meet the access requirements as indicated in the admission notice, go to Studenti Online, enrol, and pay the first instalment by the deadlines specified for enrolment.

Activate your career

Once you have completed your enrolment application and paid the tuition fees, go to Studenti Online for further information on how to validate your digital identity, activate your career and collect your badge.

You will find all the instructions you may receive according to your profile on the website of the degree programme, in the Enrolment section.

If you have not already done so submit the pre-enrolment application which you will need to apply for an entry visa.

Read the Guide and FAQs [.pdf 906 KB] to understand how to fill in the application.
If you have passed the entrance exam, our offices will validate your pre-enrolment.
Download the summary and submit it to the Embassy or Consulate to apply for a visa.

If you need to change the degree programme or university you entered in your pre-enrolment application, read the information on making changes to your pre-enrolment and reallocation.

The University of Bologna offices are closed for a period in August during which no pre-enrolments are validated. In general, the validation time for pre-enrolments in August is long.
If your Embassy or Consulate requires that your pre-enrolment to be unconditional, go to the "Submitting your qualifications" section and read how to do so.
Remember that pre-enrolment does not in itself entail admission to degree programmes. To enrol, you must also take and pass the admission requirements and entrance exams for the degree programme you are interested in.
The University of Bologna does not issue letters of academic eligibility for the purpose of obtaining a visa.
An entry visa for tourism cannot be used for university enrolment or to obtain a residence permit for study purposes

From your arrival in Italy and throughout your stay you must be covered by private health insurance or by the Italian National Health Service. You can only register with the Italian National Health Service after your arrival in Italy. If you intend to do so, you may consider purchasing short-term private insurance to cover the trip and the first period in Italy (unless otherwise specified by the Embassy for the purposes of obtaining your visa). If you do not intend to do so, you may consider buying a longer private insurance policy (at least 1 year).
Find out more

If you do not yet have a long-term visa, make an appointment at the Embassy or Consulate and bring with you:

• the summary of the pre-enrolment application on Universitaly validated by the University of Bologna;
• the document certifying the economic resources needed to stay in Italy (minimum required for 2024: € 6.947,33). You can submit your bank or postal account statement, for example;
• any certificates relating to the degree programme’s language requirement;
• any health insurance;
• Italian Revenue Agency forms to apply for the Italian tax code. You can find the forms on the website of the Embassy or Consulate if it offers this service;
• your qualification in order to translate, legalise and authenticate it, if necessary and if the service is provided;
• any documentation to obtain financial benefits.

From the Embassy or Consulate, you must obtain a visa for “study - university enrolment” purposes, the documents you requested and possibly the Italian tax code.

Upload the documents on Studenti Online and make an appointment with the student administration office.

Upload your documents

To submit your documents to the international student administration office:

• collect all the necessary documentation on your qualifications;
• log in to Studenti Online;
• if you haven't already done so, and you are still within the deadline, pay the first instalment of tuition fees;
• go to the “Calls” section, search for the Call: “Matriculation for the 25_26 academic year - document upload for international students with foreign qualifications”;
• upload all required documents.

The International Student Administration Office will review the documents. If they are complete and their authenticity and value can be verified, you will receive unconditional pre-enrolment on Universitaly.

Appointment with the student administration office

Make an appointment with the international student administration office on the campus where you are going to study: Bologna, Cesena, Forlì, Ravenna and Rimini.

You will need it to validate your identity, verify the original documents of your qualification and activate your career.

If your Embassy or Consulate did not issue you with an Italian tax code before you arrived in Italy, contact the Italian Revenue Agency or  contact us for help. 

You will need the Italian tax code to register with the Italian National Health Service (SSN).

If you want to register with the Italian National Health Service (SSN), pay the annual fee

For those applying for or holding a residence permit for study purposes, the minimum cost is € 700.00 per year. Registration is per calendar year only (e.g. from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025) and it is not possible to pay reduced fees for shorter periods.

It is possible to pay to register for the current year and also for the entire following calendar year (e.g. 2025 and 2026). This possibility grants health coverage for one academic year and is useful for students who arrive, for example, in September and intend to apply for a 1-year residence permit for study purposes.

To cover of any dependant family members, the minimum fee is € 2,000 per year.

To request information about voluntary registration and to verify your eligibility, you can contact an AUSL “Sportello Unico” (CUP) office. Consult the list of “Sportello Unico” (CUP) in Bologna and Romagna (Cesena, Forlì, Ravenna and Rimini).

Start the registration procedure:

• pay the annual fee via the ordinary F24 form. If you want to register for two consecutive years (for example 2025 and 2026), you must make two separate payments. You must fill in the following sections:
• “Contribuente” (taxpayer) entering your personal data;
• “Sezione regioni” (regions section) indicating: “codice regione” (region code) 06 (Emilia-Romagna) and “codice tributo” (fee code) 8846;
• “Anno di riferimento” (reference year): the calendar year for which you want to register with the SSN, for example 2025;
• “Importi a debito versati” (amounts paid): €700, if you have no other income besides your scholarship and you do not want to include your family members in the coverage.
  You can pay in various ways. For example, if you have an Italian bank account that offers home banking services, you can fill out a digital F24 form and pay online by debiting your account; you can also pay at any bank in cash or with Pagobancomat cards;
• make a copy of your payment receipts and attach them to your application for initial issuing or renewal of your residence permit.

Payment alone does not imply activation of the coverage. You must complete the registration at an AUSL office and choose a general practitioner (family doctor).

Applying for a residence permit

Within eight days of arrival in Italy, apply for a permit. You can do this on your own or with our support.

If you have not done so, make an appointment with the international student administration office on the campus where you are going to study: Bologna, Cesena, Forlì, Ravenna and Rimini.

Bring your qualification documents, your passport and residence permit application receipt with you.

If the documents are complete, the student administration office will activate your career. You will receive an email with instructions to collect your badge and you will be able to download a certificate of enrolment from Studenti Online.

Use the certificate of enrolment to activate your registration with the National Health Service. You must also add it to your residence permit application: send it to the central police station (Questura) via PEC (Certified Electronic Mail) and bring it with you to the appointment at the central police station (Questura).

Return to the Local Health Authority Desk (CUP) as soon as possible to activate your health coverage and choose a general practitioner. Go to a AUSL “Sportello Unico” (CUP) office to activate the coverage and choose a general practitioner. Consult the list of “Sportello Unico” (CUP) in Bologna and Romagna (Cesena, Forlì, Ravenna and Rimini districts). Bring the following documents with you:

• your passport;
• your official Italian tax code (codice fiscale);
• enrolment certificate for the University of Bologna;
• payment receipts for the annual fee;
• postal receipt of your residence permit application (or residence permit if already issued);
• for CUP offices in Bologna, the registration form for non-EU citizens (in Italian) [.pdf 967 KB]; read the example with instructions in English [.pdf 659 KB] on how to fill in the form.

If you are paying for two consecutive years, remember that at the end of the current year you must return to the CUP with the payment receipt for the following year, and ask for the service to be activated.

Always check the coverage end date.

Those registered with the Italian National Health Service will receive a Health Card by post. The card is sent to the address provided to the Italian Revenue Agency; you can contact the Italian Revenue Agency to update your address and to have the card reprinted.

See the information on how to embark on a study path and download the MyUnibo App to have everything at your fingertips.