IMAT Exam 2026: Date, Scoring, Seats and Cut-offs

The IMAT is the admission test for English-taught Medicine and Surgery, Dentistry and Veterinary Medicine at Italy's public universities. For 2026/27 it took place on Tuesday 29 September 2026, under Ministerial Decree 1005 of 6 August 2026.

Choose your next IMAT step

If you sat the 2026 test, follow the results and ranking guide and the instructions for your applicant category. The official MUR calendar lists anonymous results on 8 October, the reserved-area paper view on 19 October and the national ranking on 26 October 2026. Non-EU applicants abroad also need their university’s own ranking and enrolment instructions.

For revision, MUR has published the official 2026 question paper. Its published version places the correct answer at A for each question: do not treat that ordering as a live-test answer strategy or a blind self-marking exercise.

For a future application, use the format and syllabus below as current background, then check the new decree when it is published. We have not verified a 2027 IMAT date on the official calendar checked on 3 October 2026.

In short

• Test day: the IMAT 2026 took place on Tuesday 29 September 2026 at 13:30 Italian time, and centres abroad started at the matching local time.
• Format: 60 questions with five options each, in 100 minutes. A correct answer scores 1.5, a wrong one loses 0.4 and a blank scores 0, for a maximum of 90.
• Who and how many: EU candidates and non-EU candidates resident in Italy need 20 points for the national ranking. Non-EU applicants living abroad need a score above zero and compete for 845 Medicine and Surgery places at 16 public universities, or 525 without Tor Vergata's course in Tirana (our sum of Tabella B).
• Results: anonymous scores on 8 October 2026, the paper view on 19 October and the named national ranking on 26 October 2026, all on Universitaly. See the full results calendar.
• ApplyAZ: ApplyAZ, an Italy-based consultancy that works only with public universities, takes care of the whole process for eligible students from countries like India: university checks, applications, Universitaly pre-enrolment, the DSU scholarship and the visa file.

Source: MUR Ministerial Decree 1005 of 6 August 2026 and its annexes. Verified on 28 September 2026.

Is the IMAT the same as the "national admission test"?

Yes. Decree 1005 calls it simply the admission test for English-taught Medicine and Surgery, Dentistry and Veterinary Medicine, while Universitaly and universities such as Pavia and Messina call it the IMAT (International Medical Admissions Test). The University of Cagliari uses the decree's wording in its 2026/27 call.

It is one test, on one date, with one score for every participating university. CINECA prepares the questions and runs the test for the Ministry of University and Research (MUR).

The ministry's notice of 3 July 2026 first gave 30 September, and a correction of 29 July 2026 moved the test to 29 September, the day it took place.

Italian-taught Medicine works differently. Legislative Decree 71 of 15 May 2025 replaced its entrance test with an open first semester. Article 8(3) of that decree excludes courses taught in English, so they keep a single admission test.

Which universities use the IMAT for 2026/27?

Every public university with English-taught Medicine and Surgery in the decree's seat table admits through this one test. In the north and centre: Bologna, Florence, Milan, Milano-Bicocca, Padua, Parma, Pavia, Marche Polytechnic, Sapienza, Tor Vergata and Turin. In the south and on the islands: Bari, Cagliari, Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Catania, Messina and Naples Federico II.

The same test covers Dentistry in English at Sapienza and Siena. It also covers Veterinary Medicine in English at Bologna and, subject to accreditation, Naples Federico II. The seat table also lists private universities, which this guide does not cover.

How many non-EU seats are there for 2026/27?

Decree 1005 sets the seats for each course in its Tabella B. Quotas for non-EU applicants living abroad run from 11 at Bari, 13 at Sapienza and 15 at Milan up to 61 at Messina, the most at a public university in Italy. EU candidates and non-EU candidates resident in Italy compete for a separate quota in the national ranking.

Source: Tabella B of MUR Decree 1005, Medicine and Surgery in English, 2026/27. Verified on 28 September 2026.

Seats at courses awaiting accreditation depend on a positive outcome, under Article 7 of the decree. The non-EU figure is the full quota, and some universities reserve part of it for the Marco Polo programme for students from China. Cagliari's call, for example, splits its 18 into 16 plus 2.

Our IMAT cut-off scores and seats by university table puts these places beside the last admitted scores on each university's official lists, where they are public.

Where can you study Medicine in English in Italy?

The 2026/27 seat table lists English-taught Medicine and Surgery at 17 public universities, and all of them admit through the IMAT. The table lists every Medicine and Surgery course with an ApplyAZ programme page, 18 in all, each with its entry rules and official links.

Non-EU applicants living abroad compete only in the ranking of the university where they submitted their Universitaly pre-enrolment. For the wider picture, read our guide to Medicine in Italy and our list of medical universities in Italy, with places, fees and DSU bodies. You can also browse all English-taught programmes and the full list of public universities in Italy.

What does the IMAT test?

The test has 60 questions, each with five options and one correct answer, in 100 minutes. Biology and chemistry carry 38 of the 60 questions. The topics are set out in Allegato A of Decree 1005: reading and general knowledge, logical reasoning, biology, chemistry, mathematics and physics.

The maximum for each section assumes every answer in it is correct. Reasoning and reading questions score 1.5 each, exactly like a biology question.

How is the IMAT scored?

Each correct answer scores 1.5 points, each wrong answer loses 0.4 and a blank scores 0, so the maximum is 90. EU candidates and non-EU candidates resident in Italy need at least 20 points to enter the national ranking. Non-EU applicants living abroad enter their university's ranking with any score above zero.

If scores are tied, the decree compares subject scores in this order: biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics, reasoning, then reading. A recognised English certificate at B2 level or above comes next, and a school year at a school teaching in English counts as one. Then a candidate with an invalidity of 66% or more, or a disability certified under Law 104/1992, art. 3(3), is preferred, and age is the final tie-break, with the younger candidate first (Decree 1005, art. 3(6)).

Should you guess?

A blind guess among five options is worth (0.2 × 1.5) minus (0.8 × 0.4), which is minus 0.02 points on average. Rule out one option and a guess is worth plus 0.075; rule out two and it is worth about plus 0.23. So answering pays whenever at least one option can be ruled out, and a blank is better only when none can.

What IMAT score do you need? Past cut-offs

There is no national cut-off for non-EU applicants. Each university ranks its own non-EU applicants, and the lowest admitted score changes every year with seats and demand. Official lists show wide swings: at Bari, the last admitted non-EU score was 65.80 in 2024/25 and 50.90 in 2025/26.

These are the lowest scores in the published lists. If admitted candidates do not enrol, a university can offer their seats to the next candidates, so the final score can end lower. The University of Pavia says a good entering score for its Harvey course was around 60 to 65 out of 90, and adds that this changes each year.

Our IMAT cut-off scores by university page links each past figure to its official list, and our guide to a good IMAT score turns those lists into score bands by university group.

For non-EU applicants living abroad, the pre-enrolment choice fixes the ranking you enter. That is why, for the students we work with, we compare each university's seats and recent official lists before pre-enrolment, not after the test.

Where is the IMAT held?

In Italy, the 2026 test ran at the universities in Tabella A of Decree 1005, from Bari and Bologna to Cagliari, Messina and Turin. Abroad, it ran in more than 20 countries, including countries like India, Pakistan, the UAE and the UK. Italian centres started at 13:30, and centres abroad adjusted the start to local time.

Candidates chose their centre when they registered on Universitaly, and the decree allows no change of centre. For an Italian centre, the first university preference became the test centre. Each university's call set the identity checks and rules for the day, and we went through them with the students we work with before the test.

How did registration work, and when is the next one?

Registration for 2026 ran on Universitaly from 26 August to 15:00 (GMT+2) on 9 September 2026, and it is now closed. Candidates chose a test centre, ranked their university preferences and paid the fee. Preferences cannot be changed after the deadline, and dates for 2027 will be set by next year's decree.

Non-EU applicants living abroad also need a separate Universitaly pre-enrolment for the university whose ranking they want to enter. The decree links that step to the ministry's circular for international students, published on Universitaly, and we handle it for eligible students.

Aiming for the 2027 test? Check your eligibility first. For eligible students, we plan pre-enrolment and documents around the official dates as soon as the 2027 decree is out.

What happens after the test?

The next steps follow a fixed calendar in Decree 1005. Anonymous scores appear on Universitaly on 8 October 2026, you can see your own paper on 19 October and the named national ranking follows on 26 October 2026. Non-EU applicants living abroad are ranked separately, by the university that received their pre-enrolment.

Our IMAT results 2026 guide has every date, the enrolment and confirmation deadlines, and each university's non-EU calendar.

Sources: annexes to MUR Decree 1005 for the ranking dates; Universitaly for the visa deadline. Verified on 28 September 2026.

How does the national ranking work?

This ranking covers EU candidates and non-EU candidates resident in Italy. "Assigned" means the seat is lost unless you enrol at that university within four days, counting the publication day and excluding Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. "Booked" means you hold a lower preference: you can enrol there, or confirm your interest and wait for a higher one.

Candidates who are booked or waiting must confirm their interest in their Universitaly area by 12:00 on the fifth day after each round. Anyone who does not confirm drops out of later rounds, as the results guide explains.

What do non-EU applicants living abroad do next?

There is no national list for this group. Each university publishes its own non-EU ranking and enrolment steps under its call, and we follow those announcements for the students we work with. At enrolment the school qualification is shown with a Declaration of Value or a CIMEA certificate, as the call requires.

Cagliari's 2026/27 call, for example, asks for either document by 30 December 2026, or by 30 March 2027 if the visa is delayed. The study visa application goes to the Italian consulate by 30 November 2026, unless the university sets an earlier date, and our Italy student visa guide covers the documents. The university decides admission, the region decides the scholarship and the consulate decides the visa.

How do preferences and scorrimento work after the IMAT?

Preferences became final at 15:00 on 9 September 2026, when registration closed, so a score cannot change them. Each round of the national ranking places a candidate on the highest preference the score reaches, given the seats and the candidates ahead. Seats not taken up pass down the ranking in later rounds, called scorrimento, from 3 November 2026.

• Fixed choices: preferences cannot be changed or added to after registration closed, and non-EU applicants living abroad are ranked only at the university where they pre-enrolled.
• Booked seats: enrolling on a booked seat cancels every other preference, while keeping the booking and confirming interest holds the seat into the next round.
• Later rounds: they repeat the same 4-day enrolment and fifth-day confirmation cycle, with no end date in the decree. Once every seat on a course is taken, later withdrawals open no new rounds.

Our IMAT results 2026 guide has every dated round and deadline, plus the non-EU calendars from the universities' calls. For the students we work with, we track each round and complete the confirmation of interest, which the decree lets a trusted person do. A 2026 score does not carry over to later years, so for a candidate not admitted this year the next step is the 2027 IMAT.

What mistakes cost candidates a seat?

The costliest mistake for non-EU applicants living abroad is choosing the pre-enrolment university by name alone. Your score only competes in that university's non-EU ranking, so we compare its seats and recent official lists with you first. The other common mistakes are late document work and a missed ranking deadline.

• Choosing without comparing seats: Bari has 11 non-EU seats for 2026/27, while Messina has 61.
• Leaving documents until after results: the Declaration of Value or CIMEA certificate takes time.
• Missing a ranking step: the four-day enrolment window or a confirmation of interest in the national ranking.

The university decides admission, the region decides the scholarship and the consulate decides the visa. We handle the work in between for eligible students: pre-enrolment, documents, the regional scholarship and the visa file.

Written by İrem Yılmaz, Student Experience Lead at ApplyAZ. First published 14 September 2026 and last updated 29 September 2026. Figures come from MUR Decree 1005 of 6 August 2026 and its annexes, Universitaly, and university calls and rankings.

Frequently asked questions

When is the IMAT 2026?

The IMAT 2026 took place on Tuesday 29 September 2026. Italian centres started at 13:30 Italian time (GMT+2), and centres abroad adjusted the start to their local time zone. A ministry correction of 29 July 2026 had replaced the earlier date of 30 September, and anonymous scores appear on Universitaly on Thursday 8 October 2026.

Is the IMAT the same as the national admission test for Medicine in English?

Yes. Decree 1005 of 6 August 2026 calls it the admission test for Medicine and Surgery, Dentistry and Veterinary Medicine in English, and CINECA prepares it as one test on one date. Universitaly and universities such as Pavia and Messina call it the IMAT, while Cagliari's 2026/27 call uses the decree's wording.

Which universities use the IMAT in 2026/27?

All 17 public universities in the decree's seat table use it for English-taught Medicine and Surgery. In the north and centre: Bologna, Florence, Milan, Milano-Bicocca, Padua, Parma, Pavia, Marche Polytechnic, Sapienza, Tor Vergata and Turin. In the south and on the islands: Bari, Cagliari, Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Catania, Messina and Naples Federico II.

How is the IMAT scored?

The IMAT has 60 questions with five options each, answered in 100 minutes. A correct answer scores 1.5 points, a wrong answer loses 0.4 and a blank scores 0, for a maximum of 90. A blind guess loses 0.02 points on average, but a guess after ruling out one option gains 0.075.

Is there a pass mark for the IMAT?

There is no pass mark. EU candidates and non-EU candidates resident in Italy need at least 20 points out of 90 to enter the national ranking, while non-EU applicants living abroad enter their university's ranking with any score above zero. Admission then depends on your rank against the seats for your category.

How many non-EU seats are there for 2026/27?

Decree 1005 sets them course by course. For English-taught Medicine and Surgery, examples are 11 at Bari, 13 at Sapienza, 15 at Milan, 18 at Cagliari, 32 at Turin, 40 at Pavia and 61 at Messina. Some universities reserve part of their quota for the Marco Polo programme for students from China.

What were past IMAT cut-offs?

There is no national cut-off for non-EU applicants. Official university lists show the range: at Bari, the lowest admitted non-EU score was 65.80 in 2024/25 and 50.90 in 2025/26, and Messina's first 2025/26 non-EU allocation ended at 58.20. Scores move each year with seats and demand.

What happens after the IMAT?

Anonymous scores appear on Universitaly on 8 October 2026, and you can see your own paper on 19 October. The named national ranking follows on 26 October, with the next round on 3 November. Non-EU applicants living abroad are ranked by their pre-enrolment university, then enrol and apply for a visa by 30 November 2026 or any earlier university date.

Where can I take the IMAT outside Italy?

Tabella A of Decree 1005 lists test centres in more than 20 countries, including countries like India, Pakistan, the UAE and the UK. Candidates chose their centre when they registered on Universitaly, and the decree allows no change. For the 2026 test, centres abroad adjusted the 13:30 Italian start time to their local time zone.

Is NEET required for the IMAT?

Not for the test. Decree 1005 does not mention NEET, and Italian universities rank you on your IMAT score. Students who plan to practise in India later also need to meet the National Medical Commission's rules for foreign medical graduates, and we go through them with each student at the consultation, before any application.

Further reading

• IMAT results 2026: dates, ranking and scorrimento
• MBBS in Italy: medicine in English at public universities
• MBBS in Italy fees, 2026/27
• Declaration of Value for Italy
• Scholarships in Italy
• Italy student visa guide