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Italian language requirement and effects on admission to degree programmes

If you are a non-EU student with residency abroad and you want to enrol in a degree programme taught in the Italian language, you must prove that you have an adequate level of knowledge of the Italian language for starting university studies. In addition to proving your knowledge of the Italian language, you need to take and pass the verifications of the entry requirements and the admission procedures set for the degree programme of your interest.

How and when you must meet the Italian language requirements

You can meet the Italian language requirement:

by passing an Italian language test organised by the University of Bologna;
by submitting a valid certificate of knowledge of the Italian language or a high school qualification obtained in Italian.

In the following table you will find the deadlines to meet the Italian language requirement and the selections in which you can participate.

Type of access to the degree programme	Methods of fulfilling the requirement	Selection in which it is possible to participate	Italian requirement deadline
open access	certificate of groups 1, 2, 3 or Italian language test	single selections	by matriculation deadline. If you do not meet the Italian requirement by 23/11/2023, you will not be able to enrol.
restricted access	certificate of group 1 or Italian language test	selections for non-EU students	by the deadline of the call or indicated in the call or on the degree programme website. Check the date by which you must meet the Italian language requirement in the call for admissions to the degree programme of your interest or on the degree programme website. If you do not meet the Italian requirement by the deadline, you will be excluded from the selection.
restricted access	certificate of groups 2, 3	selections for EU students	by the deadline of the call or indicated in the call. Check the date by which you must meet the Italian language requirement in the call for admissions to the degree programme of your interest. If you do not meet the Italian requirement by the deadline, you will be excluded from the selection.

The groups of certificates are specified in the paragraph "Certificates and qualifications that meet the Italian language requirement and effects on admission to degree programmes".

Plan ahead and don't wait for the latest eligible sessions! Some Italian test sessions or certificate verification sessions may be after the deadline and therefore not acceptable! The places for the Italian tests may be fully booked or your certificates may not be eligible.

Italian language test

The test is addressed only to students who intend to enrol in first, single and second cycle degree programmes in Italian at the University of Bologna, to meet the Italian language requirement. It is not useful for other purposes (e.g. it cannot be used for student collaboration activities - 150 hours or meeting the Italian requirement for international students enrolled in international programmes taught in English, where applicable).

How the Italian language test is carried out

The test consists of an online test (TEST ITA-L2@CASA run by CISIA), aimed at ascertaining the possession of adequate language abilities and knowledge of the main grammatical structures of the Italian language, needed to properly study and explore topics and issues related to the university experience.

The test consists of 72 questions to be completed in 120 minutes and it is divided into three types of tests: listening, reading and linguistic structures. For each question to which a correct answer is given 1 point is awarded; in all other cases (no answer or wrong answer) 0 points are awarded. The total score is given by the sum of the scores for each question. From A.Y. 2023-24 the minimum score to pass the test is 36 which corresponds to a pre-intermediate level.

The test will be delivered online using tools and technologies that allow to create secure and controlled virtual classrooms, in which candidates can be reliably identified and carry out their tests autonomously.

To register for the test you are required to pay a fee of €12,20 (corresponding to the cost of the test which is paid to CISIA). In the event of absence, the fee cannot be refunded or used for another date.

When to take the test and practical information

Registration opens on 9 March 2023.
To register for the test:

log in Studenti Online
select "Admission application", then “Other qualifications”, and then " ITALIAN TEST FOR NON-EU STUDENTS" for the date on which you would like to take the test
complete the registration by making the payment.

Pay attention to the deadlines indicated in the table and do not wait until the last moment because the available places may run out.

Read also the instructions available on the CISIA website for the TEST ITA-L2@CASA (in Italian).

A few days before the selected test date, in your @studio.unibo.it mailbox you will receive the instructions to access the online test. Remember to regularly check your @studio.unibo.it mailbox.

The result will be published on Studenti Online within 48 hours after the test.

Attention: the dates could be modified on the basis of technical requirements; any updates will be published on this page.

Italian language test: available test dates (dd/mm/yyyy)	Deadline for registration via Studenti Online (dd/mm/yyyy, subject to availability of seats)
06/04/2023, at 14:30 CEST	30/03/2023, at 12:00 CEST
18/05/2023, at 14:30 CEST	11/05/2023, at 12:00 CEST
15/06/2023, at 14:30 CEST	08/06/2023, at 12:00 CEST
13/07/2023, at 14:30 CEST	06/07/2023, at 12:00 CEST
31/08/2023, at 14:30 CEST	24/08/2023, at 12:00 CEST
07/09/2023, at 14:30 CEST	31/08/2023, at 12:00 CEST
28/09/2022, at 14:30 CEST	21/09/2023, at 12:00 CEST
19/10/2023, at 14:30 CEST	12/10/2023, at 12:00 CEST
23/11/2023, at 14:30 CEST	16/11/2023, at 12:00 CEST

Recognized Italian language certificates and high school qualifications in Italian (groups 1, 2 and 3), which they are and how to submit them

Some certificates and qualifications have an effect on the procedures for admission to degree programmes.

How and when to submit the certificates

Log in to Studenti Online, select ‘Calls’ and ‘Italian language requirement for non-EU students with residency abroad a.y. 2023/24: assessment of Italian language certificates and high school diplomas in the Italian language’.

Upload a copy of your certificate and your passport. Only final, official certificates complete with all marks will be considered.

The certificate will be assessed by the International Desk; you will then receive the outcome of the assessment directly on Studenti Online. Assessments are carried out periodically, according to the following table.

Important! You must meet the deadlines stated in the “How and when you must meet the Italian language requirements” section. We recommend that you upload the documents as soon as possible, to make sure not to miss deadlines and to have time to take an alternative Italian test, in case your certificate is not accepted.

Session	If you upload your certificate by:	Your certificate will be assessed by:
A	20/03/2023	27/03/2023
B	30/03/2023	03/04/2023
C	17/04/2023	24/04/2023
D	03/05/2023	08/05/2023
E	22/05/2023	29/05/2023
F	12/06/2023	19/06/2023
G	03/07/2023	10/07/2023
H	14/07/2023	19/07/2023
I	24/07/2023	31/07/2023
J	07/08/2023	14/08/2023
K	28/08/2023	01/09/2023
L	11/09/2023	18/09/2023
M	25/09/2023	02/10/2023
N	09/10/2023	16/10/2023
O	30/10/2023	06/11/2023
P	23/11/2023	30/11/2023

To meet the Italian language requirement, only certificates submitted through this procedure will be considered, under penalty of exclusion from selection or enrolment. Certificates uploaded in the pre-enrolment application on Universitaly are not considered for this purpose.

Certificates and qualifications that meet the Italian language requirement and effects on admission to degree programmes

The following certificates and qualifications meet the Italian language requirement.

Group 1

Italian Language competence certificates corresponding to level B2 as determined by the Council of Europe, issued within the CLIQ system (Certificazione Lingua Italiana di Qualità):
CELI B2 (Università per Stranieri di Perugia),
CILS B2 (Università per Stranieri di Siena),
PLIDA B2 (Società Dante Alighieri),
CERT.IT B2 (Università Roma Tre);

documents proving that:
- you have a final qualification of a Foundation Year delivered mainly in Italian;
- you have a first or second cycle university or AFAM qualification obtained in Italy, related to a degree programme taught in Italian;
- you have already been enrolled at the University of Bologna in a degree programme delivered in Italian or have already taken the Italian test at the University of Bologna;
- you have obtained credits and passed exams at an Italian university, related to course units taught in Italian;
- in previous academic years you have passed an Italian language course at the University of Bologna Language Centre, at B2 level;
- you have passed the Italian L2 Test provided by CISIA, for a university or higher education institution other than the University of Bologna, with at least 36 points.

Group 2

If you have one of the group 2 certificates, for admission to restricted access degree programmes delivered in Italian, you compete with EU and non-EU equivalent students.

“Diploma di I o II grado in Lingua e Cultura italiana” given by the “Università per Stranieri di Siena” or “Attestato di conoscenza della Lingua e Cultura italiana” corresponding to levels C1 or C2 given by the “Università per Stranieri di Perugia”;

Italian language competence certificates corresponding to levels C1 and C2 as determined by the Council of Europe, issued within the CLIQ system (Certificazione Lingua Italiana di Qualità):

CELI C1 and C2 (Università per Stranieri di Perugia),
CILS C1 and C2 (Università per Stranieri di Siena),
PLIDA C1 and C2 (Società Dante Alighieri),
CERT.IT C1 and C2 (Università Roma Tre).
secondary school leaving qualifications in Annex 2 of the Ministerial Memo for a.y. 2023/24 (in Italian), where envisaged;
supplementary certificates attached to a middle school diploma obtained in Argentina certifying that the study course included Italian language lessons for at least 5 years.

Group 3
If you have one of the group 3 certificates, for admission to first and single cycle degree programmes with restricted access delivered in Italian and English, you compete with EU and non-EU equivalent students.

5-year or 4-year Italian secondary school diplomas received from an Italian school abroad.

Marco Polo programme students

If you are a Chinese student participating in the Marco Polo programme, here you can read information on the Italian language course and the related certificate.