You can start preparing months in advance: some things you can do in your own country and others you will do when you are in Italy.
You are in the right place
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- you are a citizen of an EU member country: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Hungary;
- you have dual citizenship, one of which is in the European Union.
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- you are a citizen of one of these countries: Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and the Republic of San Marino.
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- you are a citizen of a non-EU country, but you have one of the following residence permits, issued by the Italian Government (non-EU students with EU equivalent status):
- EU permit for long-term residents (previously, EC residence permit for long-term residents or residence card);
- for the purpose of employment, self-employment or for investor;
- for family reasons;
- for political or humanitarian asylum;
- for religious reasons;
- for “casi speciali” (art. 18, 18 bis and 22 par. 12-quarter, Leg. Decree 25 July 1998, no. 286);
- for “calamità” (art. 20 bis, Leg. Decree 25 July 1998, no. 286);
- for “atti di particolare valore civile” (art. 42 bis, Leg. Decree 25 July 1998, no. 286);
- for “protezione speciale” (art. 32, par. 3, Leg. Decree 28 January 2008, no. 25);
Important: except in cases of entry into Italy for work, any visa and the sole request for the first issue of one of the residence permits indicated do not confer the EU equivalent status. Contact the International Desk to check your situation; - “Carta di soggiorno” for UK citizens (art. 50 TUE; art.18.4 Withdrawal agreement EU-UK). If the card is not available yet, UK citizens can submit a certificate (“attestazione di iscrizione anagrafica”) issued by the Municipality of residence, which proves registration by 31st December 2020;
- for temporary protection (DPCM 28 March 2022). Attention: the residence permit for temporary protection is temporary and at the moment the Italian law does not provide for the possibility of converting it into a student permit. For degree programmes with restricted access at national level (for example Medicine and Surgery), the equivalent status must still be confirmed by the competent ministerial offices;
- you are a citizen of a non-EU country, but you have been a resident in Italy for at least one year and you have a high school diploma earned in Italy, which gives you access to the chosen degree programme (non-EU students with EU equivalent status);
- you are a citizen of a non-EU country, you have a qualification earned in Italy, which gives you access to the degree programme of choice and you also have a valid residence permit for study purposes;
- you are a citizen of a non-EU country and you are enrolled in a degree programme at an Italian university, you have a valid residence permit for study purposes, and you wish to apply for a transfer or change of programme for the following A.Y;
- you are a citizen of a non-EU country and you are enrolled in single learning activities at an Italian university, you have a valid residence permit for study purposes, you wish to enrol in the following A.Y. in a degree programme for which the passed single learning activities are functional, without returning to the Italian Embassy in your country for a new pre-enrolment and a new visa. Important! In order to enrol in the degree programme you must have passed at least one single learning activity. Please contact the International Desk to get more information on the requirements for the renewal of your residence permit for study purposes;
- you or a family member are part of the staff serving in foreign diplomatic missions and international organizations based in Italy and you are in possession of a Diplomatic Identity Card issued by the MAECI or a “Mission” residence permit. Important: the “Mission” permit cannot be converted into the “Student” permit.
How to Start
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Check if your qualification is eligible 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.
Discover the documents you will have to prepare. -
Participate in our Information Sessions for international students to learn more about enrolment procedures, immigration, student services and much more about university life.
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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. -
Admission requirements
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 yours is a restricted-access degree programme, the number of places available is specified in the call for applications.Read the call for applications on the website of the degree programme you have chosen for specific information on the admission procedure.
Verifying the language requirement
Check the degree programme’s admission notice or call for applications for the deadlines and methods of fulfilling the language requirement.
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From your arrival in Italy and throughout your stay you must have health coverage.
You have several options.
EHIC Card
If you have a valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) from your EU country of origin, you can receive all medically necessary health services.
To obtain said services, you can go directly to a doctor or a public or affiliated health facility and show your EHIC card. The assistance is direct and therefore nothing is due, except for the payment of a possible contribution ("ticket") which is at your expense and is non-refundable.
Important! With the EHIC Card you can go directly to a general practitioner (GP also known as a family doctor) chosen from the list of affiliated doctors in Bologna, or from the list of affiliated doctors in other Campuses.
Warning: with the EHIC Card you cannot access treatments "scheduled abroad", i.e. foreseeable (e.g. non-urgent dental treatments, spa treatments, etc.).
Certificate of entitlement (e.g. E106, E109...)
If you have a certificate of entitlement other than the EHIC, when you arrive in Italy, submit it to a “Sportello Unico AUSL (CUP)”, which will check whether you can register with the Italian National Health Service (SSN) to obtain full healthcare under the same conditions as Italian citizens.
Private insurance or registration with the Italian National Health Service (SSN)
In the event that you do not have an EHIC Card or a Certificate of Entitlement, you must take out a private health insurance valid in Italy or register with the Italian National Health Service (SSN), where applicable, when you arrive in Italy.
If you have a private health insurance, you can go to any general practitioner. In case you need a specialist medical examination, you can directly choose which doctor to contact, possibly getting advice from a general practitioner.
Important! Private health policies:- do not allow registration with the Italian National Health Service (SSN) or the choice of a general practitioner;
- usually require the user to pay the expenses and then ask for reimbursement from the insurance company.
When purchasing a policy, carefully check the terms and limits of reimbursements. Remember that the health costs to be advanced could be very high, for example in the case of hospitalization. It is advisable to check in advance, by contacting your insurance company, whether the type of benefit you need is refundable.
Admission procedure
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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:
- if you have to take the entrance exam;
- if the exam is online or in person;
- if the course includes several selections, which one can you participate in.
Access Studenti Online with your institutional credentials, enter "Application for admission - Participate in the selection" and complete the application.
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For restricted-access degree programmes, depending on your position in the ranking list:
- if you have obtained a place, enrol on Studenti Online and pay the first instalment;
- if you have obtained eligibility, apply for any unallocated places or to transfer to another degree programme if allowed by the admission procedure;
- if you did not get a place, apply for the next selection if possible, or apply for another degree programme.
For open-access programmes:
- if you have passed the verification of requirements and personal preparation and have obtained approval for enrolment: go to Studenti Online, enrol, pay the first instalment;
- if you have not passed the verification of requirements and personal preparation and have not obtained approval, participate in the next selection if specified in the notice, or apply for another degree programme.
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.
Submitting your qualifications
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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 24_25 academic year - document upload for international students with foreign qualifications”;
- upload all required documents.
The student administration office will check the documents and contact you if additions are necessary.
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.
What will you be able to do when you arrive in Italy
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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).
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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.
Please bring with you the documents relating to your qualification, your ID/passport and (if you are a non-EU student with EU equivalent status) your residence permit. If your documents are complete, the Student Administration Office will activate your student career.
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I have a certificate of entitlement (e.g. E106, E109...)
If you have a certificate of entitlement other than the EHIC, submit it to a Local Health Authority Desk (CUP) in Bologna or Romagna depending on the city where you are going to study.
Ask at the desk if and how you can register with the Italian National Health Service (SSN) depending on the certificate you have, in order to obtain full health care under the same conditions as Italian citizens.
Registering with the Italian National Health Service (SSN)
If your stay is for study reasons, check at a “Sportello Unico AUSL (CUP)” if you can register with the SSN. To register voluntarily in the SSN as a student you must be resident in Italy and pay an annual lump sum contribution of minimum €700.
Warning: registration with the SSN is carried out for a calendar year, from 1 January to 31 December, and it is not possible to pay reduced quotas for shorter periods.To register:
- go to a “Sportello Unico AUSL (CUP)”. See the list of CUP in Bologna and Romagna (provinces of Cesena, Forlì, Ravenna and Rimini). Take with you:
- your passport;
- your official Italian tax code;
- your certificate of enrolment at the University of Bologna. Ask for information on how to pay for the voluntary registration for students; remember that payment must be made via the ordinary F24 form. You must fill in the parts
- “contribuente” (taxpayer) indicating your personal data
- “sezione regioni” (regions section) indicating:“codice regione” (region code) 06 (Emilia-Romagna), “codice tributo” (fee code) 8846
- “anno di riferimento” (reference year): the calendar year in which you want to register with the SSN, for example 2024
- “importi a debito versati” (debt amounts paid): €700, if you have no other income besides the scholarship and you do not want to include your family members in the coverage. - pay the annual lump sum fee by presenting the F24 form at post offices, bank branches, online via your bank account or Pagobancomat, Postepay or Postamat cards and keep the payment receipts.
Please note: payment alone does not imply coverage! You have to complete registration at the “Sportello Unico (CUP)” and choose a general practitioner (GP).
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.
If you are an employed or self-employed worker and you pay taxes in Italy you are entitled to compulsory and free registration with the National Health Service (SSN) and to the choice of a general practitioner (GP). Check at a “Sportello Unico AUSL (CUP)” how to register with the SSN.
If you hold official residence in Italy for at least 5 years, you may apply from your Municipality of residence for an "Attestato di Soggiorno Permanente" (Certificate of Permanent Residence) which entitles you to compulsory and free registration with the Italian National Health Service (SSN) and to the choice of a general practitioner (GP) for an indefinite period. Check at a “Sportello Unico AUSL (CUP)” how to register with the SSN.
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Only if you are a citizen of an EU country, register at the registry office: registration is free of charge and you can do it within 3 months of your arrival in Italy.
See the information on how to embark on a study path and download the MyUnibo App to have everything at your fingertips.