Master in Applied Child and Adolescent Psychology at University of Padua
Two-year English-taught LM-51-R psychology master in Padua on child and adolescent development, from developmental neuroscience and emotion regulation to atypical development and testing, with a 500-hour practical internship. Entry needs a psychology degree with a high grade and English at B2.
Master
2 years
Padua
English
University of Padua
Applied Child and Adolescent Psychology is a two-year, 120 ECTS master's degree (class LM-51-R) taught in English at the University of Padua. Entry needs a bachelor's in psychology with developmental, educational, social and psychometric foundations, a high grade (85% of the maximum in the 2026/27 call) and English at B2. Regional scholarship winners are exempt from fees, so it can be tuition-free for eligible students.
Entry requirements
Detailed entry requirements
Padua's Applied Child and Adolescent Psychology master asks for a bachelor's degree of at least three years, or a foreign equivalent, in psychology, with proven competence in developmental and educational psychology, psychometrics and social psychology, a high grade (at least 85% of the maximum in the 2026/27 call) and English at B2. Places are limited and assigned through a 100-point ranking, with no entrance test. Reviewed 8 October 2026. [1]
Degree and subject requirements
You need an undergraduate degree of at least three years, or an equivalent qualification, in psychology, with proven competence in developmental and educational psychology, psychometrics and social psychology. In the 2026/27 call, non-EU applicants also needed a GPA of at least 85% of the maximum grade in the grading system of the country where the degree was awarded. [1] For 2027/28 the admissions portal describes the requirement as a psychology degree of at least three years with proven knowledge of child and adolescent psychology. [2]
Your degree must also be an accepted entry title for your country. You can apply before graduating: the 2026/27 call required the degree by 31 July 2026, and for 2027/28 the university's deadline to graduate is 31 July 2027. [1][3]
Country rules and minimum grades
The university's 2027/28 country list sets these master's entry titles and general minimum grades: [3]
- India: a 3 or 4-year Honours bachelor's, a professional bachelor's of 4, 5 or 5.5 years, or a 3-year pass or general bachelor's plus a postgraduate bachelor's or at least a 1-year master's. Minimum GPA 70/100, 7.0/10, 5.6/8 or 2.8/4.
- Pakistan: a 3-year bachelor's (Honours), a 4 or 5-year professional bachelor's, or a 2-year pass bachelor's plus a 2-year master's. Minimum GPA 3.3/4.0.
- Bangladesh: a 4-year Honours bachelor's or a 4 or 5-year professional bachelor's. Minimum GPA 3.3/4.0.
- Sri Lanka: a 4-year bachelor's or a Special Degree. Minimum GPA 3.0/4.0.
These are general minimums. In 2026/27 this programme's own rule of 85% of the maximum grade was higher than all of them. The university's Admissions and Welcome Unit makes the final decision on each qualification. [1][3]
What this means for your transcript
As a guide, based on the rules above:
- Usually a fit: a BA or B.Sc. (Honours) in Psychology, or a four-year psychology bachelor's, with several units in developmental or child psychology, educational psychology, social psychology and statistics or psychometrics, and an average of at least 85% of the maximum, for example 8.5 out of 10.
- Check carefully: a three-year pass or general Indian BA or B.Sc. with psychology, which also needs a postgraduate qualification under the 2027/28 country list, or a psychology degree that is light on developmental, educational or social psychology or psychometrics, since credits in those areas carry 40 of the 100 ranking points.
- Often short: a degree in education, social work, sociology, nursing, commerce or business, such as a B.Ed, BSW, B.Com or BBA, since the call asks for a degree in psychology, or a psychology degree with an average below 85% of the maximum.
Your bachelor's is also checked for 10 ECTS (250 hours) of practical traineeship. If it is missing, the credits are added to the 500-hour traineeship in the master's. [1]
English
English at CEFR level B2 or higher. [1] For 2027/28 the university's accepted B2 scores include IELTS Academic or General Training 6.0, TOEFL iBT 86 for tests taken until 20 January 2026 or 4.5 for tests taken from 21 January 2026, PTE Academic 65, Cambridge B2 First 173, Trinity ISE II, Oxford Test of English 126 and Duolingo English Test 115. [4]
Certificates must still be valid or, where they have no expiry date, have been obtained within two years of 15 September 2026. You can upload one after applying, up to 31 July 2027. [4]
You are exempt if you are a native speaker from a listed English-speaking country, such as the UK, the US or Canada, or completed your qualification entirely in English in one of those countries or in the EU or Schengen area. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are not on that list. [4]
Selection
There is no entrance test. Places are limited and filled from a ranking list. [2] In the 2026/27 call, your transcript and evaluation form were scored out of 100: [1]
- Subject credits: up to 40 points, for the share of your degree's credits already earned in developmental and educational psychology, psychometrics and social psychology.
- Average grade: up to 40 points, from the average of the exams you have taken when you apply.
- Internship experience: up to 20 points, for the type, length and relevance of internships declared in the evaluation form.
You need at least 60/100 to be ranked, and ties go to the younger candidate. The committee counts only credits already earned when you apply and may hold an online interview. Applicants who do not meet the requirements are not ranked. [1]
2027/28 deadlines
Non-EU applicants living abroad apply from 7 January to 7 March 2027, 23:59 Central European Time, for 40 places. You can apply to a programme only once per academic year, and classes start on 1 October 2027. [2]
In 2026/27 the non-EU window ran from 7 January to 7 March 2026, and the ranking list was published from 10 April 2026. The detailed 2027/28 call is not yet published. [1][2]
Documents and non-EU steps
The 2026/27 call asked for your passport, your transcript with all exams, grades and grading scale, your degree certificate if already awarded, official translations into Italian or English where needed, your English certificate if you have it, the programme's evaluation form and a CV. No legalised documents are needed at this stage. The application fee is €60. [1][2]
- If admitted, you accept your place by paying a non-refundable €208 fee. [2][5]
- Non-EU citizens living outside Italy complete Universitaly pre-enrolment by 15 July and apply for a type D study visa. [5]
- To complete enrolment, your degree and transcript must be legalised or apostilled, or covered by a CIMEA statement of verification. In 2026/27 the deadline for this was 31 October 2026. A CIMEA statement of comparability may also be requested if further checks are needed. [1][5]
Sources and verification
Checked by the ApplyAZ admissions team against the university's official documents listed below. Entry rules can change with each new call, and we re-check them before every application.
- University of Padua, Global Engagement Office. Call for applications for non-EU students residing abroad, Master's degree in Applied Child and Adolescent Psychology, academic year 2026/27. Reviewed 8 October 2026.
- University of Padua, international application portal. Master's degree in Applied Child and Adolescent Psychology: places, application window, entry requirements, fees and programme structure, academic year 2027/28. Reviewed 8 October 2026.
- University of Padua, Global Engagement Office. Specific entry requirements for qualifications awarded by non-Italian education systems, updated 15 September 2026 and valid for academic year 2027/28. Reviewed 8 October 2026.
- University of Padua, Global Engagement Office. Language requirement for admission to degree programmes, with the list of accepted English certificates and exemptions, academic year 2027/28. Reviewed 8 October 2026.
- University of Padua, Global Engagement Office. Studying in English: how to enrol with a foreign qualification, undated. Reviewed 8 October 2026.
- University of Padua. Call for contributions and exemptions, with the fixed fee for non-EU students, academic year 2026/27. Reviewed 8 October 2026.
- University of Padua. Applied Child and Adolescent Psychology programme page (degree class, school, language, teaching mode, access type and career paths), undated. Reviewed 8 October 2026.
About the programme
Applied Child and Adolescent Psychology is a two-year, 120 ECTS master's degree in class LM-51-R (Psychology), taught in English in Padua. [1][7] It belongs to the School of Psychology and is run by the Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialisation. [1][2] Enrolment is limited, with 40 places for non-EU applicants living abroad in 2027/28. [2]
The degree trains professionals who turn developmental theory and research into practice that supports the positive adjustment of children and young people in educational, social and health settings. Teaching combines core areas of psychology, small-group activities and specialised topics such as paediatrics and intercultural communication, so that graduates can work with children and families in culturally diverse, international contexts. [7]
What you will study
The plan starts with compulsory units, adds advanced courses and closes with practical workshops. Course units listed for 2027/28 include: [2]
- Fundamentals of Developmental Cognitive and Social Neuroscience
- Emotion Regulation in Children and Adolescents
- Atypical Development and Learning
- Risk Prevention and Wellness Promotion among Youth
- Principles and Applications of Psychological Testing
- Developmental Trauma: Assessment and Treatment
- Language Development: From Brain to School
- Pediatric Neurology and Child Adjustment
How the programme is taught
Workshops cover prevention in clinical and educational settings, parenting and family assessment, scientific dissemination, professional communication, and ethics and deontology in psychology. The plan includes a 500-hour practical internship and a compulsory unit in Applied Italian Language Skills. [2] The course page describes teaching as blended mode in Padua, while the 2026/27 call lists it as taught in person and the portal as full-time. [1][2][7]
The internship is the practical assessment traineeship (TPV). Students need 30 ECTS (750 hours) of TPV in total: 10 ECTS (250 hours) during the bachelor's and 20 ECTS (500 hours) during the master's. If your bachelor's did not include the first part, the missing credits are added to the master's traineeship. [1]
Career paths
The degree lets graduates register with the Italian Board of Psychologists and practise as psychologists in Italy, and they can go on to doctoral studies. [1][2] They work in applied child and adolescent psychology, offering training, consulting and intervention for children and families, mainly in: [2][7]
- Educational and school settings
- Social and childcare services
- Healthcare facilities
- Third sector bodies and community organisations, including NGOs
Fees and scholarships
All School of Psychology degrees are in fee Group B. Under the 2026/27 fee call, non-EU students whose household is resident abroad pay a fixed €2,990 a year, or €996.66 if they hold citizenship of a country on the ministry's list of particularly poor countries; an ISEE parificato alters only the regional tax. [6] Students who are eligible for the Veneto regional scholarship are exempt from the fee, so this programme can be tuition-free for eligible students. For 2026/27 the university also offered up to 100 fee exemptions to international students on degrees taught entirely in English, awarded on academic merit with no separate application. [6] See the fees page.
How to apply from outside the EU
Places are limited and ranked. Along with your passport, transcript, CV and English certificate, the application needs the programme's evaluation form. [1] For 2027/28, non-EU applicants living abroad apply on apply.unipd.it only from 7 January to 7 March 2027 (23:59 CET), paying the €60 fee; legalised documents are not needed to apply. [2]
After admission you pay a non-refundable €208 fee to accept the place, we complete Universitaly pre-enrolment by 15 July, and you apply for a type D study visa. [2][5] To complete enrolment, your degree and transcript must be legalised or apostilled, or covered by a CIMEA statement of verification; in 2026/27 the deadline for this was 31 October. Studies start on 1 October 2027. [1][2][5]
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 transcript against Padua's entry rules for this programme.
- We write your CV and a tailored statement of purpose.
- We prepare and submit your application on the university portal, place acceptance and Universitaly pre-enrolment.
- We help you declare your family income for reduced fees and file your University of Padua 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
What bachelor's degree do I need for Applied Child and Adolescent Psychology at Padua?
A degree of at least three years, or a foreign equivalent, in psychology, with proven competence in developmental and educational psychology, psychometrics and social psychology. In the 2026/27 call, non-EU applicants also needed a GPA of at least 85% of the maximum grade in their country's system. [1]
Is there an entrance exam?
No. Places are limited and, in the 2026/27 call, applicants were ranked out of 100: up to 40 points for credits in the required psychology areas, 40 for the exam average and 20 for relevant internship experience. You need at least 60 to be ranked, and an online interview is possible. [1]
What English level is required? Do I need IELTS?
English at CEFR B2. For 2027/28 the university accepts IELTS 6.0, TOEFL iBT 86 (or 4.5 for tests from 21 January 2026), PTE Academic 65, Cambridge B2 First 173, Duolingo 115 and other listed tests. A degree taught in English in India or Pakistan is not on the exemption list. [1][4]
When is the 2027/28 deadline for non-EU students?
Non-EU applicants living abroad apply from 7 January to 7 March 2027, 23:59 Central European Time, for 40 places. The application fee is €60, you can apply only once per year, and classes start on 1 October 2027. [2]
Can I apply before I graduate?
Yes. You can apply while finishing your bachelor's and be admitted conditionally, but you must graduate by 31 July 2027 to enrol for 2027/28. Only credits already earned when you apply are assessed. [1][3]
I have a BA in Psychology or a B.Ed from India. Can I apply?
A psychology degree can fit: a three-year Indian degree must be Honours or be followed by a postgraduate qualification, and in 2026/27 you also needed 85% of the maximum grade. A B.Ed, social work or sociology degree is often short, since the call asks for a degree in psychology. [1][3]
Does the degree include an internship, and can I work as a psychologist in Italy?
Yes. The plan includes a 500-hour internship, part of 30 ECTS (750 hours) of practical traineeship: 10 ECTS in the bachelor's and 20 in the master's. The degree then lets graduates register with the Italian Board of Psychologists. Missing bachelor's credits are added to the master's traineeship. [1][2]
How much are the fees?
For 2026/27, non-EU students whose family lives abroad pay a fixed €2,990 a year, or €996.66 if they come from a country on the ministry's list of particularly poor countries. Students eligible for the regional scholarship are exempt. [6]
Can someone handle my whole application to Applied Child and Adolescent Psychology at Padua?
Yes. ApplyAZ, an Italy-based consultancy that works only with public universities, checks your transcript against Padua's rules for this programme, handles the application and Universitaly pre-enrolment, helps you file the University of Padua 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 Applied Child and Adolescent Psychology?
Your bachelor's must be in psychology, with solid work in developmental and educational psychology, psychometrics and social psychology. Padua's 2027/28 country list accepts Indian 3 or 4-year Honours bachelor's degrees, and in 2026/27 this programme also asked for a GPA of at least 85% of the maximum. You need English at B2. The steps are the online application, place acceptance and Universitaly pre-enrolment. [1][3] 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 Applied Child and Adolescent Psychology are the same whatever your nationality. Applicants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka follow the same steps as India: online application in the limited-access call, a place on the ranking list, place acceptance 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 Applied Child and Adolescent Psychology are the same whatever your nationality, and Gulf residents follow the same steps: online application in the limited-access call, a place on the ranking list, place acceptance and Universitaly pre-enrolment. Read our guides for Dubai, Riyadh and Doha.
I'm applying from the UK, US, Canada, Singapore or Malaysia. Is anything different?
The academic rules are identical. Non-EU applicants who live abroad, including citizens of these countries, follow the same route: online application in the limited-access call, a place on the ranking list, place acceptance and Universitaly pre-enrolment, then a type D study visa. Read our guides for London, New York, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.
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