Master in Quantum Science and Engineering at University of Padua

Detailed entry requirements

Quantum Science and Engineering is an English-taught master’s programme at the University of Padua with open admission for applicants meeting its requirements. The latest foreign-qualification listing is for 2027/28. The separate 2026/27 Italian-degree rules are labelled below. Sources were reviewed on 6 October 2026.

Relevant degree and academic preparation

A minimum three-year undergraduate degree, or equivalent, with proven skills in physics and mathematics. [1]

Provide a transcript showing the required subject preparation and results. For foreign awards, the course listing uses academic skills and qualification recognition rather than imposing an automatic conversion into Italian scientific-sector credits. The Academic Committee evaluates suitability. Meeting the listed minimums does not itself constitute an offer of admission. [1, 2, 7]

Foreign qualifications: recognition and country-specific grades

A relevant degree and the programme’s subject preparation are required together with recognition of the qualification. The Admissions and Welcome Unit decides whether your foreign award permits entry to this master’s programme. Its country table is reference guidance rather than an exhaustive list: applicants whose country is absent may still apply. The university evaluates the qualification, its level, length and grade; meeting a listed minimum does not itself constitute an admission offer. [2, 3]

Examples below use the Master’s degree column of the table updated on 15 September 2026 for 2027/28. They are requirements for the education system that awarded your qualification, rather than a single percentage applying to every applicant. [3]

• India: a three- or four-year Honours bachelor’s degree; a four-, five- or five-and-a-half-year professional bachelor’s degree; or a three-year Pass/General bachelor’s degree plus a postgraduate bachelor’s degree or at least a one-year master’s degree. The listed minimums are 70/100, 7.0/10, 5.6/8 or 2.8/4, according to the grading scale. [3]
• Pakistan: accepted routes include a two-year Bachelor (Pass) plus a two-year master’s degree; a two-year Bachelor (Pass) plus an LL.B.; a Bachelor (Pass) plus Bachelor of Education route of three years in total; a three-year Honours bachelor’s degree; or a four- or five-year professional bachelor’s degree. Minimum GPA: 3.3/4. [3]
• Bangladesh: a four-year Honours bachelor’s degree or a four- or five-year professional bachelor’s degree, with minimum GPA 3.3/4. [3]
• Iran: a four- or five-year bachelor’s degree, or a two-year associate degree followed by a two-year discontinuous bachelor’s degree, with minimum GPA 15/20. [3]
• China: a bachelor’s degree certificate following a four-year undergraduate programme together with the graduation certificate and the specified CSSD verifications. The listed minimums are 75/100, 3.0/5 or 2.8/4. [3]
• Nigeria: at least a four-year bachelor’s degree, or a two-year Higher National Diploma plus the last two years of a bachelor’s degree, with minimum GPA 3.5/5. [3]
• Egypt: a four- or five-year BA, BSc or Licence, with minimum GPA 75/100 or 3.0/4. Other countries and qualification combinations are assessed under their own table entries and university recognition procedures. [2, 3]

English B2: accepted certificates and exemptions for foreign-degree applicants

The programme is taught in English and requires at least CEFR B2. For applicants using a foreign qualification, the current central policy allows the language certificate to be supplied after the application, but no later than 31 July 2027 for completion of enrolment. Certificates must be valid under the issuing body’s rules; where there is no expiry date, they must have been obtained within the two years preceding the opening of selection on 15 September 2026. [1, 4]

The current official B2 certificate list gives the following scores and qualifications. Higher-level certificates must meet the university’s corresponding C1 threshold where that level is relied upon. [5]

• IELTS Academic or General Training: 6.0. The university includes IELTS Home based tests and accepts one-skill retakes. [5]
• TOEFL iBT or Home Edition: 86 for tests taken up to 20 January 2026, or 4.5 on the new scale for tests taken from 21 January 2026. MyBest scores are accepted. [5]
• Cambridge B2 First: 173; Trinity ISE II; Oxford Test of English: 126; PTE Academic: 65; Pearson International Certificate: Level 3 Upper Intermediate; Duolingo English Test: 115. [5]
• Also listed: Gatehouse GA Level 1 ESOL International Classic B2; British Council Aptis ESOL General or Advanced with overall CEFR B2; and LanguageCert ESOL or Academic B2 Communicator covering four skills. Remote or online versions are accepted where the official list specifies them. [5]
• A certificate exemption applies to native English speakers from the university’s specified countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Ireland, Jamaica, Malta, New Zealand, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom and United States. [6]
• An entirely English-medium entry or higher qualification can support exemption if the awarding institution is in one of those listed countries, an EU country or a Schengen country. An English-medium degree from any country is not a blanket exemption under this foreign-qualification policy. [6]
• The list also exempts specified entry qualifications completed entirely in English: IBDP, European Baccalaureate, GCE or IGCE, and a High School Diploma accompanied by three US Advanced Placements with scores from 3 to 5. Supply evidence for the exact exemption claimed. An Italian language certificate is not required when applying to this English-taught programme. [6, 7]

Application documents and pending graduation

Prepare colour scans in PDF format: an English CV, an English motivation letter, your academic transcript, your qualifying degree award, a passport or an eligible identity document, and language evidence when required. Applicants who have not yet graduated may use an official enrolment or provisional certificate at application stage. For the 2027/28 foreign-qualification route, the study cycle must be completed by 31 July 2027; an official completion certificate may evidence that completion while the final diploma is being issued. [2, 7]

Provide English or Italian translations of the transcript and degree documents when necessary. No legalised documents are required at initial application stage. A residence permit is also required for non-EU applicants residing in Italy. Include any further programme-specific documents requested in your actual application checklist; the public listing does not establish a universal requirement for two recommendation letters or a fixed interview duration. [1, 7]

Use one applicant account and submit every required field and attachment. The central guidance permits applications to up to two programmes; the course listing allows only one application to the same programme in an academic year. Pay the non-refundable €60 application fee. Initial administrative checks are followed by an Academic Committee evaluation, so satisfying minimum requirements still requires a positive assessment. [1, 7]

Application calls: foreign qualifications, 2027/28

• Call One: 15 September to 15 November 2026. The listing gives the closing time as 23:59:59 Central European Time and the start of studies as 1 October 2027. [1]
• Call Two: 1 December 2026 to 1 March 2027. [1]
• Call Three: 1 April to 1 June 2027, only for EU applicants and non-EU applicants residing in Italy in an eligible category. Choose your correct applicant category; a study residence permit can require additional category checks. Apply only once to this programme within the same academic year. [1, 7]

After an offer: acceptance and final enrolment

Accept an offered place by the deadline in the offer and pay the listed non-refundable €208 acceptance/enrolment amount. Final enrolment requires the original qualifying degree and transcript, translated into Italian or English and authenticated through the applicable procedure. The transcript should identify examinations, grades and, where possible, credits and the course syllabus. CIMEA comparability may be requested if the Admissions and Welcome Unit needs further qualification verification. [1, 7, 8]

Authentication normally uses legalisation or an apostille; the university also describes CIMEA Verification as an alternative and lists treaty-based exceptions. These are final-enrolment requirements, distinct from the initial application. Non-EU students residing abroad additionally complete Universitaly pre-enrolment and the study-visa process. Follow the intake-specific instructions and offer deadlines; the standing enrolment webpage contains older cycle references, so its unqualified calendar dates are not presented here as confirmed 2027/28 deadlines. [8]

Separate route: a qualifying degree obtained in Italy, 2026/27

The currently published School of Science call is expressly for qualifications obtained in Italy. Applicants using a foreign qualification follow the international procedure and its intake-specific deadlines. Annex 1 gives the following requirements for this course. [9]

For this programme the 2026/27 Italian-degree call sets the qualifying grade at 84/110 or equivalent. That is different from the 85/110 threshold stated for several other School of Science programmes. Do not transfer another programme’s threshold to this course. [9]

For the separate 2026/27 route using a qualification obtained in Italy, Annex 2 requires language evidence with the curricular-assessment application. Its alternatives include an accepted certificate dated from 1 January 2021, specified native-speaker citizenship, a degree entirely taught in English with official evidence, at least 30 examination credits taught in English and taken or recognised within an Italian university career, a qualifying Italian university language-centre certificate/open badge, or the reserved Padua TAL B2 reading-and-listening test. These alternatives belong to that Italian-degree call and must not be assumed to replace the current foreign-qualification certificate policy. [9]

• An Italian L-30 or L-8 degree satisfies the stated degree-class route. Applicants from another class need at least 48 CFU in the following subject groups. [9]
• At least 12 CFU in PHYS sectors, formerly FIS; at least 18 CFU in MATH sectors, formerly MAT; and at least 18 CFU across PHYS and IINF sectors, formerly FIS and ING-INF. These are allocations within the 48-CFU route; the commission checks the transcript and sector correspondence. [9]
• The qualifying degree mark must be at least 84/110 or equivalent under this Italian-degree call, and English must be at least B2. Qualification and curricular eligibility are checked by the university. [9]
• Pre-enrol through Uniweb by 29 January 2027 at noon; submit the curricular-assessment application by 29 January 2027 at 15:00, and obtain your qualifying degree by that date. Complete enrolment by 15 February 2027. The pre-enrolment fee is €30; transfer and course-change routes have earlier deadlines. [9]

Sources and verification

1. University of Padua, Apply Unipd: Quantum Science and Engineering, 2027/28 intake; reviewed 6 October 2026.
2. University of Padua, Specific entry requirements for qualifications awarded by non-Italian education systems, current 2027/28 guidance; reviewed 6 October 2026.
3. University of Padua, Specific entry requirements for qualifications awarded by non-Italian education systems, updated 15 September 2026, valid for 2027/28, Master’s degree column.
4. University of Padua, Language requirement for admission to degree programmes, 2027/28 foreign-qualification guidance; reviewed 6 October 2026.
5. University of Padua, English language certifications, currently linked official list; reviewed 6 October 2026. Publication date is not printed in the document.
6. University of Padua, Exemptions: English language certification, currently linked official list; reviewed 6 October 2026. Publication date is not printed in the document.
7. University of Padua, Study in English: How to apply, standing application guidance; reviewed 6 October 2026.
8. University of Padua, Study in English: How to enrol, standing enrolment guidance; reviewed 6 October 2026.
9. University of Padua, School of Science open-access master’s programmes, 2026/27 call reserved for holders of qualifications obtained in Italy, Annexes 1 and 2 and deadline summary.

Can an information-engineering graduate apply?

The Italian-degree call includes class L-8 as a direct curricular route, alongside L-30, subject to grade, language and assessment requirements. Foreign-degree applicants must demonstrate the physics and mathematics preparation stated in their own listing and meet qualification-recognition rules.

What English level and scores are required?

English B2. Current foreign-qualification examples include IELTS 6.0, PTE Academic 65 and Duolingo 115. TOEFL requires 86 on the old scale or 4.5 for tests from 21 January 2026. Other certificates and exemptions must meet the university’s published policy.

Does any English-medium degree waive the certificate?

No blanket waiver applies to foreign qualifications from every country. The published exemption covers entirely English-medium qualifications from specified English-speaking, EU or Schengen countries, along with other listed exemption routes. Supply evidence for your exact route.

Can I apply before my bachelor’s degree is awarded?

Yes. The foreign-qualification application accepts an official enrolment or provisional certificate. For 2027/28 you must complete the qualifying study cycle by 31 July 2027. The Italian-degree 2026/27 route has separate qualification and enrolment dates.

What minimum grade applies?

Foreign qualifications use the current country-specific award and GPA requirements, together with academic evaluation. The separate 2026/27 Italian-degree call requires at least 84/110 or equivalent, plus this programme’s curricular and language conditions.

When can I apply for the next international intake?

For 2027/28, apply from 15 September to 15 November 2026 or from 1 December 2026 to 1 March 2027. The 1 April–1 June 2027 call is reserved for EU applicants and eligible non-EU residents in Italy.