International students requiring visa and holding a foreign qualification
If you are an international student residing abroad, requiring a visa for study purposes in Italy and holding a foreign qualification, you must follow a series of steps in order to enroll at the University of Macerata: within this page, you can find information about the procedures and the required documentation.
Step 1: pre-admission to a study programme at UniMC
Holders of qualifications awarded by non-Italian education systems must apply for a preliminary evaluation (pre-admission) to verify if they meet the specific entry requirements.
During this phase, apply for a preliminary evaluation of your qualification for the verification of your eligibility to access a first-level (bachelor) or a second-level (master) degree programme offered by the University of Macerata (so-called, pre-admission).
If you wish to understand in advance whether your high school diploma or bachelor's degree is suitable for admission, please consult this country-based list of entry requirements (available soon), but don't forget to apply for pre-admission!
The pre-admission step takes place between the autumn and spring of the academic year preceding the one in which you wish to enrol: e.g. if you wish to enrol in the 2025/2026 academic year, you must submit your pre-admission application between autumn 2024 and spring 2025.
The pre-admission application is exclusively online and available on the dedicated portal:
PLEASE MIND: the application process for pre-admission to the University of Macerata is held exclusively through the official University channels by following the procedure explained on this webpage. No intermediaries are authorised to manage the pre-admission procedure, which is the exclusive competence of the relevant office of the University of Macerata.
Upon registration at apply.unimc.it, you can consult the educational offer (bachelor's and master's degree programmes) of the academic year of your interest, verify the deadlines and the admission requirements specific to each study programme and the needed documents to submit your pre-admission application.
You can apply:
- for the pre-admission to up 2 study programmes;
- even if you are about to graduate and wish to know in advance whether you are eligible for the enrolment.
Read the guidelines to prepare your online pre-admission application.
If the study programme of your interest is not available at apply.unimc.it, send the pre-admission application directly to the Department to which the study course pertains, attaching a copy of your identity document, your CV, the relevant documentation of the completed studies and any language certification. Contact prospective.student@unimc.it for information and support.
PLEASE MIND: the application process for pre-admission to the University of Macerata is held exclusively through the official University channels by following the procedure explained on this webpage. No intermediaries are authorised to manage the pre-admission procedure, which is the exclusive competence of the relevant office of the University of Macerata.
After submitting your pre-admission application, a teaching committee will examine your qualifications and, in case of positive pre-evaluation, you result as eligible for the enrolment under reserve: at this stage, the authenticity of the declared qualifications is not verified; moreover, the eligibility for the enrolment does not imply any automatism on the issue of the visa for study purposes - this process is entirely in the competence of the Italian diplomatic authorities -, nor represents your effective enrolment at the University of Macerata.
Step 2: pre-enrollment at Universitaly.it for study visa purposes
If you are eligible for enrollment once complete the pre-admission procedure, you must submit your pre-enrollment application at the relevant Italian Diplomatic Mission abroad to apply for a visa for study reasons in Italy.
The pre-enrollment application is aimed at the subsequent request for a visa for study reasons at Italian Universities: this procedure is exclusively in the competence of the local Italian diplomatic authorities, which establish the related modalities and terms.
The startof pre-enrollment process is established by the Italian Ministry of University and Research following the publication - around springtime - of the so-called "Procedures for entry, residency, enrolment of international students and the respective recognition of qualifications, for Higher Education courses, in Italy" valid for the specific academic year.
The Italian- and English-version of this document can be consulted on the website:
Among others, the document sets the conditions for the exemption from the language proficiency test of the Italian language (the online test is organized by the University of Macerata) for those who wish to enrol in a bachelor's or a master's degree programme taught into Italian; if you wish to apply for a study programme entirely offered in the English language, you don't need to take any proficiency test of the Italian language.
The pre-enrollment procedure is entirely online and available on the ministerial portal:
Candidates must sign in, then fill in the application form by selecting the University and the study programme of interest, and upload the same documentation provided for the pre-admission application. Those who have not submitted the final diploma during the pre-admission step must integrate their pre-enrollment application as soon as possible and no later than the established deadlines to conclude the procedures to obtain the visa.
The University of Macerata will check the completeness and the pertinence of the submitted pre-enrolment applications: in case of validation, the pre-enrollment application is sent automatically to the relevant Italian diplomatic authority, where the candidate must refer for the subsequent application for the visa for study reasons in Italy.
Please note: The decision to issue a visa for study purposes is the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent Italian Embassy/Consulate.
The confirmation of acceptance that you will receive in reply to your online application is to be considered a supporting document to the visa assessment procedures but does not automatically guarantee VISA issuance.
To obtain an entry visa for study purposes for University enrolment and, subsequently, a residency permit, the foreign student must demonstrate having certain requisites, such as economic means for subsistence during the planned stay.
Before arriving in Italy, make sure to have all the required and proper documentation to finalize your enrolment in the selected study program - see the following paragraph Step 3: enrollment at UniMC (first-year enrolment).
Step 3: enrollment at UniMC (first-year enrolment)
Once obtain the visa for study reasons, international students can enter Italy and complete the procedure of enrollment in the first year of a bachelor's or a master's degree programme offered by the University of Macerata.
Before arriving in Italy, make sure to have the required and proper documentation to finalize your enrolment in the selected study program - see below.
In case of lack of any of the required documentation, your enrolment should be not properly finalized and a block on your career is applied.
When: from July 15 to October 31
beyond this deadline, and only for direct-access study programmes, by January 15 by paying an additional fee.
Non-EU students arriving for the first time in Italy with a D visa for study purposes ("STUDIO/Immatricolazione Università") must apply for a residence permit no later than 8 days from entry. Before enrolling at UniMC, be sure to get your Italian tax identification number (codice fiscale) and toapply for the residence permit.
If you enroll in a first-level degree programme (three-year bachelor or five-year-single-cycle programme):
1) Complete the online enrollment procedure within the UniMC online student service portal:
- register to create your UniMC account and enrol in the first-level degree programme (Corso di laurea) you have been admitted to. You can follow this tutorial to learn the procedure: Online enrollment tutorial;
- upload the required documentation, such as: your photo, copy of your passport and visa, copy of your residence permit (permesso di soggiorno) or of the application receipt (assicurata) along with the convocation letter at the Migration Office while you are waiting for the finale document
- enclose soft copies (in PDF format) of the required enrolment documents - see the next point.
2) Deliver the REQUIRED ENROLMENT DOCUMENTS in person to the Department's Registrar's Office (Segreteria Studenti, see the details here):
- Secondary school diploma, achieved after at least 12 years of study, legalized and submitted with an official translation in Italian (see this paragraph).
If the diploma was issued after a period inferior to 12 years of study, provide one of the following: a transcript of records showing you have completed one or two years of academic studies or a post-secondary qualification or a certificate showing you have successfully completed a Foundation Course. These documents should be also officially translated into Italian and legalized. - If provided for in the country where the qualification has been achieved, a certificate showing you have passed the relevant university entrance exam (e.g., YKS-Yükseköğretim Kurumları Sınavı in Turkey, Vestibular or Exame Nacional do Ensino Médio in Brazil, Gao Kao in China etc.), legalized and submitted with an official translation in Italian.
- Oneof the following documents: Declaration of Value (Dichiarazione di valore in loco) or one of the Statements issued by the Italian ENIC-NARIC centre (CIMEA);
- Certificate of result of the specific TOLC for the study program of your interest (more details: Test OnLine CISIA - TOLC).
3) Pay the tuition fees. For information about amounts, deadlines, and available fee reductions and exemptions: Tuition fees - Fees reduction and exemptions.
If you enroll in a two-year master's degree programme:
1) Complete the online enrollment procedure within the UniMC online student service portal:
- register to create your UniMC account and enrol in the first-level degree programme (Corso di laurea magistrale) you have been admitted to.You can follow this tutorial to learn the procedure: Online enrollment tutorial;
- upload the required documentation, such as: your photo, copy of your passport and visa, copy of your residence permit (permesso di soggiorno) or of the application receipt (assicurata) along with the convocation letter at the Migration Office while you are waiting for the finale document
- enclose soft copies (in PDF format) of the required enrolment documents - see the next point.
2) Deliver the REQUIRED ENROLMENT DOCUMENTS in person to the Department's Registrar's Office (Segreteria Studenti, see the details here):
- Bachelor’s diploma (or a post-secondary qualification awarded by a non-academic higher education institution enabling you to proceed to the subsequent level of education in the country where it was issued) legalised and submitted with an official translation in Italian (see this paragraph).
- Transcript of Records issued by the competent academic authority legalised and submitted with an official translation in Italian (see this paragraph).
- Oneof the following documents: Diploma Supplement of the Bachelor's degree showing the passed exams (only for qualifications achieved within the framework of Bologna Process: http://www.ehea.info/page-full_members), orDeclaration of Value (Dichiarazione di valore in loco) or one of the Statements issued by the Italian ENIC-NARIC centre (CIMEA).
If you submit the Diploma Supplement, you are exempted from submitting the transcript of records.
3) Pay the tuition fees. For information about amounts, deadlines, and available fee reductions and exemptions: Tuition fees - Fees reduction and exemptions.
Information for all students holding a qualification achieved abroad
Translation
The documents listed above must be submitted with an official translation in Italian. The official Italian translation must be attached to any document submitted in a foreign language. Such translation may be produced in your country or in Italy by local courthouses or by official or courthouse translators. Translations must then be certified by the relevant Italian Consulate unless there are special agreements to the contrary. If your certificates are in English and the course of your choice is delivered in English, you do not have to provide certificates translated into Italian.
Authentication (legalization)
Qualifications must be authenticated by the relevant authorities of the country where they were issued, and provided for in that country. In countries that signed the Hague Convention on 5th October 1961, an “Apostille'’ stamped by the relevant local authorities may replace authentication. Authentication is not mandatory when the qualification has been issued in a signatory country of the Brussels Convention of 25th May 1987, ratified in Italy by means of Law No. 106 of 24th April 1990 (Belgium, Denmark, France, Ireland), or in Germany, due to the Italian-German Convention providing for exemptions from instrument-authentication, signed in Rome on 7th June 1969 and ratified by means of Law No. 176 of 12th April 1973.
Relevant course syllabuses
If it is deemed relevant for the purpose of evaluating your educational qualification, the University of Macerata may request that you submit syllabuses for the exams you have passed.
Academic recognition of a qualification achieved abroad (former "equipollenza diretta")
The academic recognition procedure analytically evaluates foreign academic qualifications to verify whether they correspond in terms of level, years of study and content to an Italian qualification. The evaluation has the aim of issuing a provision which is similar to an Italian final qualification and has legal value in our country.
This form of recognition has only academic purposes, recognition in all respects, including the continuation of studies to acquire a higher level qualification (recognition for professional purposes follows a different procedure). Historically this procedure is identified with the term "equipollenza", even if Law n. 148 of 2002 no longer uses this term. For further information: MUR Ministry of University and Research website.
To request academic recognition of a qualification obtained abroad for the purpose of obtaining a corresponding University qualification (former 'equipollenza diretta'), deliver or send to the relevant Department's Registrar's Office within the deadlines established for entrollment:
- An application addressed to the Rector, specifying the type of qualification you wish to obtain at the University of Macerata
- A copy of a valid residence permit or of a receipt of the application for such permit (only if you are a non-EU citizen permanently living in Italy)
- The original copy (or certified copy) of your qualification, authenticated and submitted with an official translation in Italian
- A declaration briefly explaining qualification status, known as 'Dichiarazione di valore in loco', or a declaration released by an ENIC-NARIC centre or a declaration from an official foreign institution
- A certificate listing exams you have passed (transcript), issued by the relevant university, authenticated and submitted with an official translation in Italian
The Department's Registrar's Office ('Segreteria Studenti') will inform you of the result of your application.
If a statement of comparability is issued confirming that your qualification is equivalent to one in this country, you must pay the fees and tax due to enrol full-time, as well as € 71,38 in connection to the issuing of your degree on parchment and to deliver costs to your address.