Bachelor in Architectural Design at Polytechnic University of Milan
Three-year studio-based architecture bachelor at Politecnico di Milano, with English sections in Milan and Piacenza covering design, history, representation, technology and urban planning.
Bachelor
3 years
Milan
Multiple
Polytechnic University of Milan
Architectural Design is a three-year, 180 ECTS bachelor's degree (class L-17) at Politecnico di Milano, with fully English-taught sections in Milan and Piacenza. Admission is through the TEST-ARCHED test, and tuition follows the university's yearly fee rules.
Entry requirements
Detailed entry requirements
Architectural Design requires the ARCHED entrance test in the language of the intended programme. Admission depends on the test ranking, programme preferences, available places and completion of the applicable qualification and language checks. These are the university’s published 2026/27 rules.
School qualification and route
- The test is available to eligible applicants who have completed secondary school and to the specified final-year students completing their qualification before enrolment. Foreign qualifications need the university’s separate recognition and document checks.
- Use the English ARCHED for an English-taught route and the Italian ARCHED for an Italian-taught route. Applicants competing for both languages must take both tests. The 2026 tests were scheduled for 23 July in English and 24 July in Italian; these are past dates.
Test structure and scoring
- The published test comprises five sections, each with 10 questions and 20 minutes: reading comprehension; study knowledge and history including art history; general knowledge and logical reasoning; drawing and representation; and mathematics/physics.
- The total is therefore 50 questions over 100 minutes. Correct answers earn 1 point, unanswered questions 0 and wrong answers −0.25, with a maximum of 50 points.
- Places are allocated by test score and programme preferences. A candidate submitting no answers is excluded from ranking. The published page does not set a test score that secures admission.
- An assigned candidate must enrol by the applicable deadline. Reserved and pending outcomes have different permitted actions, including the required expression of interest for a later ranking. Missing those actions can cause exclusion.
Language checks
- For the Italian-taught route, non-EU applicants living abroad with a foreign school qualification must meet the stated B2 Italian condition, through a permitted CLIQ certificate or the scheduled language test.
- Italian is not required to take the English ARCHED. English-taught enrolment has its own English evidence requirement, and taking the ARCHED in English does not replace that evidence.
- Candidates taking the Italian ARCHED also take the 30-question, 15-minute TENG English assessment. It does not affect the architecture ranking. Fewer than 24 correct TENG answers produces an English OFA with study-plan restrictions.
- We check the test language, admission ranking and language obligations together for your campus and language preference. Rules for an Italian route do not apply automatically to an English route.
Sources and verification
- Politecnico di Milano. Architecture admissions: ARCHED and language procedures. 2026/27; reviewed 6 October 2026.
- Politecnico di Milano. Architecture: Who can take the ARCHED test. 2026/27; reviewed 6 October 2026.
- Politecnico di Milano. Architecture: Test content and preparation. 2026/27; reviewed 6 October 2026.
- Politecnico di Milano. Architecture: Scores and rankings. 2026/27; reviewed 6 October 2026.
About the programme
Architectural Design (Progettazione dell'architettura) is a three-year bachelor's degree in class L-17 Architecture, worth 180 ECTS and run by the School of Architecture, Urban Planning and Construction Engineering (AUIC).
It is taught at three campuses, and fully English-taught study paths are offered at Milano Leonardo and at Piacenza; the Mantova section is taught in Italian.
The degree gives a broad foundation in architecture in its historical, formal, aesthetic, functional, constructional, technological and representational aspects. Students learn to design at different scales, from the city and the landscape to single buildings and interiors.
It suits school leavers who want to become architects and are ready for a studio-based way of working.
What you will study
Design studios are the core of the degree and bring several subjects together in one project. Around them sit courses in history, representation, structures, technology and urban planning. Course units of the English sections include:
- Elements of Architectural Typology
- Fundamentals of Representation
- History of Architecture 1 and 2
- Building Physics and Statics
- Urban Planning Studio
- Building Technology Studio
- Architectural Design Studio 2 and 3
- Historical Building Preservation Studio
How the programme is taught
Attendance of at least 70% of the scheduled studio activities is compulsory. The study plan includes an internship in professional practice, a company, research or public administration, and ends with a final exam worth 4 ECTS.
In the third year the Milan section offers an Interior Design Studio, while Piacenza offers Mechanics of Materials and Structures.
At Piacenza, the English section runs as a parallel programme with 50 places reserved for non-EU students and 50 for Italian and EU students. International visiting professors teach there, and the third year focuses on environmental sustainability and on landscape and open space design.
Career paths
After passing the Italian state exam, graduates can register as Junior Architects in Section B of the professional register.
They work in settings that range from small and medium-sized practices to engineering and design firms operating internationally, and in the public sector. The degree also gives access to master's degrees in architecture in Italy and across Europe.
Fees and scholarships
At Piacenza, the campus lists scholarships funded by local companies and private donors.
Across the Politecnico, tuition is set by the university's own rules for each year, published on its tuition fees page, so we check the 2026/27 amounts there.
Students with financial need who meet the merit conditions can apply for the DSU scholarship, which the Politecnico manages and awards.
How to apply from outside the EU
Admission depends on the TEST-ARCHED admission test and your position in the ranking for the available places. You also need a secondary school qualification at EQF level 4 and proof of English proficiency.
We check the dates for 2027/28 on the Politecnico's page for international prospective students.
Once you have a place, we complete the Universitaly pre-enrolment, and you apply for a type D study visa at the Italian consulate, which decides the visa.
How ApplyAZ helps
ApplyAZ is an Italy-based consultancy that works only with public universities. We can include this programme in a shortlist of 20 to 30 English-taught programmes that fit your profile, so your plan never rests on a single application.
For eligible students who start with us, a named person owns each stage, from A to Z:
- We check your school results against PoliMi's entry rules for this programme.
- We write your CV and a tailored statement of purpose.
- We prepare and submit your ARCHED test registration, ranking preferences, enrolment and Universitaly pre-enrolment.
- We help you declare your family income for reduced fees and file your Politecnico di Milano DSU scholarship application at the right time and in the right format.
- We prepare your visa file.
With operations in all 20 Italian regions, we follow each region's scholarship rules and deadlines as they change. The university decides admission, the region decides the scholarship and the consulate decides the visa, so no one can promise an outcome. You pay in milestones, and every service you pay for is either delivered or its fee is refunded (terms apply).
Programmes at Italian public universities can be tuition-free for eligible students. Check if you are eligible and book a one-to-one consultation session with one of our Italy experts, or see how ApplyAZ works.
Questions and answers
Which entrance test is required?
ARCHED in the language of the intended programme.
What is the test format?
50 questions in five sections, with 100 minutes in total.
Can I compete for both teaching languages?
Yes, but the university requires both language-specific tests.
Does TENG affect my architecture ranking?
No. It assesses English for the Italian route and can produce an English OFA.
Does passing the English ARCHED prove English for enrolment?
No. The English-taught route has a separate language-evidence requirement.
Does a ranking offer have a deadline?
Yes. Assigned, reserved and pending outcomes require the specified enrolment or expression-of-interest action on time.
Can someone handle my whole application to Architectural Design at PoliMi?
Yes. ApplyAZ, an Italy-based consultancy that works only with public universities, checks your school results against PoliMi's rules for this programme, handles the application and Universitaly pre-enrolment, helps you file the Politecnico di Milano DSU scholarship application at the right time and in the right format, and prepares your visa file, for eligible students. Start by checking your eligibility.
I'm applying from India. What is the route into Architectural Design?
You can take the ARCHED after completing secondary school or, in specified cases, in your final year if you finish before enrolment, and your foreign qualification goes through separate recognition checks [2]. For the English sections in Milan or Piacenza you take the English ARCHED and still need separate English evidence [1]. Your place depends on your score in the ranking [4]. The steps are ARCHED registration, the ranking and Universitaly pre-enrolment. Indian students apply for the type D study visa at the Italian embassy or consulate that covers their state, such as New Delhi, Mumbai or Bengaluru.
Is the route different from Pakistan, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka?
No. The academic rules for Architectural Design are the same whatever your nationality. Applicants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka follow the same steps as India: the English ARCHED, a place in the ranking and Universitaly pre-enrolment, then a type D study visa from the Italian mission for their country of residence. Read our guide for students in Dhaka.
I live in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman or Bahrain. Where do I apply for the visa?
At the Italian embassy or consulate responsible for the country where you legally live, after Universitaly pre-enrolment. The academic rules for Architectural Design are the same whatever your nationality, and Gulf residents follow the same steps: the English ARCHED, a place in the ranking and Universitaly pre-enrolment. Read our guides for Dubai, Riyadh and Doha.
I studied or live in London, New York, Toronto, Vancouver, Singapore or Kuala Lumpur. What is the route?
The academic rules for Architectural Design are the same whatever your nationality, and your school results are assessed like any other foreign qualification. Non-EU applicants who live abroad follow the same route: the English ARCHED, a place in the ranking and Universitaly pre-enrolment, then a type D study visa from the Italian mission for where they live. Read our guides for students in London, New York, Toronto, Vancouver, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.
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