Single-cycle Master in Medicine and Surgery at University of Parma
Six-year English-taught medical degree (LM-41, 360 ECTS) from the University of Parma, held in Piacenza with a hospital system dedicated to the course. Entry through IMAT, with 50 non-EU places in 2026/27.
Master
6 years
Piacenza
English
University of Parma
Medicine and Surgery is a six-year, 360 ECTS single-cycle degree (class LM-41) taught in English by the University of Parma at its Piacenza campus. Entry needs a school-leaving qualification that gives access to university and a place in the IMAT ranking, with 50 places for non-EU applicants living abroad in 2026/27. You need English at B2 at enrolment. Fees follow family income, so it can be tuition-free for eligible students.
Entry requirements
Detailed entry requirements
Parma's English-taught Medicine and Surgery degree asks for a school-leaving qualification that gives access to university, a place in the IMAT admission test ranking and an English certificate at B2 at enrolment, unless you are exempt. For 2026/27 there were 50 places for non-EU applicants living abroad, ranked locally by Parma. Reviewed 8 October 2026. [1]
School-leaving requirement
You need an upper secondary school diploma that gives access to university studies in Italy, or a qualification obtained abroad that is recognised for access to Italian universities under the current rules and ministerial provisions for international students. Enrolment depends on a check of your qualification and, for foreign qualifications, of its documents. [1]
The call sets no minimum grade and no subject list: your place depends on your admission test score. [1]
What this means for your school results
As a guide, based on the rule above:
- Usually a fit: a Class 12 or Higher Secondary certificate that gives access to university in the country that awarded it, such as an Indian CBSE, CISCE or state board certificate, a Pakistani HSSC, a Bangladeshi HSC, or Sri Lankan or Cambridge A levels.
- Check carefully: a diploma from a shorter school system, or one that needs an extra year or exam before university in its own country, since the Ministry's rules for international students decide whether it gives access in Italy.
- Often short: a Class 10 certificate on its own, or any qualification that does not give access to university in the country that awarded it.
Biology, chemistry, physics and maths still matter, because they make up 51 of the 60 test questions. [1]
English
The course is taught entirely in English. Every student, whatever their quota, must provide a certificate of English at CEFR B2 or higher at enrolment. Applicants from a country that has English among its official languages, and those who attended a school taught in English for at least one year, are exempt from the certificate. [1]
If you hold a certificate on the ministerial list (Annex 3 of Ministerial Decree No. 1005/2026), you declare it when you register for the test, and it also breaks ties in the ranking. [1]
The admission test
Entry is through a single national admission test for the English-taught degrees in medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine, with identical content at every site, under Ministerial Decree No. 1005/2026. Everyone who wants to enter the first year must sit it. [1]
- Format: 60 multiple-choice questions with five options each, all in English, in 100 minutes.
- Subjects: reading skills and knowledge from school studies (4 questions), logical reasoning and problem solving (5), biology (23), chemistry (15), and physics and maths (13).
- Scoring: 1.5 points for a correct answer, minus 0.4 for a wrong one and 0 for a blank, up to 90 points.
- Minimum score: non-EU applicants living abroad qualify with any score above zero and are ranked locally by Parma, and a blank paper is not ranked. EU and equivalent applicants need at least 20 points for the national ranking.
- Ties: decided by the biology, chemistry, physics and maths, logic and reading scores in turn, then by a declared English certificate, then in favour of the younger candidate.
- Test site: if you sit the test in Italy, your first preference is your test site, or you can choose a site abroad from the ministerial list. For 2026/27, Parma's own site was in Parma, with identification from 8:30 and the test from 13:30.
Places in 2026/27
The call set 50 places for non-EU applicants living abroad and 80 for EU applicants and non-EU applicants legally resident in Italy, 130 in all, as fixed by Ministerial Decree No. 1005/2026. Parma checks each candidate's quota, including after the test. [1]
2026/27 deadlines
- Test registration on Universitaly: 26 August to 3:00 pm on 9 September 2026 (Italian time), with payment of the test fee. Preferences could not be changed after that.
- Requests for test adjustments for disability or specific learning disorders: by 3:00 pm on 9 September 2026.
- Admission test: 29 September 2026.
- Scores: 8 October 2026, with test papers visible on Universitaly from 19 October 2026.
- Local ranking for non-EU applicants living abroad: by 26 October 2026, with enrolment from 27 October to 10 November 2026.
- ER.GO fee reduction request: by 5:00 pm on 4 November 2026.
The 2027/28 call sets the new dates. [1]
Non-EU applicants and enrolment
- Non-EU applicants living abroad must pre-enrol for the University of Parma on Universitaly, under the Ministry's rules for international students, as well as registering for the test. They compete only for Parma's local ranking.
- To be ranked, you must have pre-enrolled, registered for and sat the test on time, scored above zero, met the entry requirements and, where needed, completed the study visa procedure.
- To enrol, you register on Esse3, UniPR's student system, apply in the Medicine and Surgery admission procedure, complete the enrolment form and pay the first instalment through PagoPA. Missing the enrolment deadline means losing the place.
- With a foreign school qualification, you provide the documents required by the Ministry and UniPR, and enrolment can be conditional until they are checked.
- At enrolment you also hand in your vaccination certificate. International students provide it translated and legalised.
These steps come from the 2026/27 call. [1]
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 Parma, Department of Medicine and Surgery. Call for admission to the single-cycle Master's degree in Medicine and Surgery (LM-41), taught in English at the Piacenza campus, academic year 2026/2027 (Italian original). Reviewed 8 October 2026.
About the programme
Medicine and Surgery is a six-year single-cycle degree in class LM-41, worth 360 ECTS and taught entirely in English. It belongs to the Department of Medicine and Surgery of the University of Parma, but classes and clinical training take place in the nearby city of Piacenza, whose hospital system is dedicated to this course rather than shared with other medical degrees.
The course is designed for an international setting and covers medicine from health promotion to emergency care, research, new medical technologies, and health economics and management. It suits school leavers with strong biology and chemistry who want to train as doctors in English.
What you will study
The first two years build the biomedical base, years three to five cover the clinical specialities, and the sixth year is mostly clinical rotation and licensing internships. Units in the 2026/27 plan include:
- Physico-chemical Bases of Life, Cells and Tissues, Biochemistry, and Human Anatomy and Organogenesis
- Human Physiology, Immunology and Disease Pathophysiology, Microbiology and Pharmacology
- Medical Humanities and a Biomedical Research Clerkship
- Neurological Sciences, Cardiovascular Diseases and Basic Life Support, Haematology and Oncology
- Biomedical Technologies and Imaging
- Clinical Surgery and Emergency Medicine
- Paediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, and Public Health, International Health Systems and Economics
- Medicine and surgery clerkships, licensing internships in internal medicine, surgery and community medicine, and the thesis
How the programme is taught
Attendance is mandatory. Clinical rotations start in the fourth year and take up most of the sixth year, when you also complete the 15 credits of licensing internships that form part of the Italian qualification to practise.
Career paths
The university says the international focus and training in global health prepare graduates for Italian and international specialisation, professional practice and biomedical research. Next steps in Italy or abroad include:
- Medical specialisation schools
- Training in general medicine
- Second-level university masters
- PhD programmes
Fees and scholarships
Medicine follows Parma's standard fee system. The yearly contribution is based on family finances, merit and years enrolled, and eligible students can be exempt. Students apply for the reduction through ER.GO, the Emilia-Romagna scholarship agency: for 2026/27 the call sets 5:00 pm on 4 November 2026 as the deadline, and without a request the maximum contribution applies. [1] ER.GO also runs the regional scholarship, so the course can be tuition-free for eligible students.
How to apply from outside the EU
Entry is through IMAT, set by the Ministry with the same content everywhere. For 2026/27 it was held on 29 September 2026 in Italy and abroad under Ministerial Decree 1005 of 6 August 2026, with 50 places for non-EU applicants living abroad, ranked locally by Parma. Every student also needs an English certificate at B2 or higher at enrolment, unless exempt. [1]
Non-EU applicants living abroad must also pre-enrol for Parma on Universitaly, under the Ministry's rules for international students, and register on Esse3, UniPR's student system. For 2026/27, the call sets Parma's local ranking by 26 October 2026 and enrolment from 27 October to 10 November 2026. The 2027/28 call sets the new dates. [1]
Parma's call for international bachelor's and single-cycle applicants ran from 24 February to 24 April 2026. We complete your Universitaly pre-enrolment and Esse3 steps, and you apply for a type D study 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 Parma's entry rules for this programme.
- We write your CV and a tailored statement of purpose.
- We prepare and submit your IMAT registration on Universitaly, Universitaly pre-enrolment for Parma and Esse3 enrolment.
- We help you declare your family income for reduced fees and file your ER.GO Emilia-Romagna 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 school results do I need for Medicine and Surgery at Parma?
A school-leaving diploma that gives access to university, or a foreign qualification recognised for access to Italian universities under the Ministry's rules for international students. The 2026/27 call sets no minimum grade: your place depends on your admission test score. [1]
What entrance test do I need?
The national admission test, known as IMAT: 60 questions in English in 100 minutes, on reading, logic, biology, chemistry, physics and maths. For 2026/27 it was held on 29 September 2026, and non-EU applicants living abroad qualified with any score above zero. [1]
What English level is required? Do I need IELTS?
A certificate of English at B2 or higher, handed in at enrolment. The call exempts applicants from countries with English as an official language and those who spent at least a year at an English-medium school. A certificate declared at test registration also breaks ties, so we check which proof your file can use. [1]
When is the deadline for non-EU students?
For 2026/27, test registration on Universitaly closed at 3:00 pm on 9 September 2026 (Italian time), and non-EU applicants also had to pre-enrol for Parma on Universitaly. Enrolment from Parma's local ranking runs from 27 October to 10 November 2026. The 2027/28 call sets the new dates. [1]
How many places are there for non-EU students?
For 2026/27 the call set 50 places for non-EU applicants living abroad, ranked locally by Parma, and 80 for EU and equivalent applicants. We check the 2027/28 call for next year's numbers. [1]
I have Class 12 with PCB from CBSE or a state board. Can I apply?
A Class 12 certificate counts if it gives access to university under the Ministry's rules for international students, which we check with your documents. Physics, chemistry, biology and maths then matter for the test, where they make up 51 of the 60 questions. [1]
Where is the course taught?
Classes and clinical training are in Piacenza, where a hospital system is dedicated to this degree, and the University of Parma awards the degree. For 2026/27, Parma's own admission test site was in Parma. [1]
How are fees set?
For 2026/27 the yearly contribution is based on family income. You request the reduction on the ER.GO site, by 5:00 pm on 4 November 2026 for this intake, or the maximum applies. [1] Eligible students can also apply for the ER.GO regional scholarship.
Can someone handle my whole application to Medicine and Surgery at Parma?
Yes. ApplyAZ, an Italy-based consultancy that works only with public universities, checks your school results against Parma's rules for this programme, handles the application and Universitaly pre-enrolment, helps you file the ER.GO Emilia-Romagna 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 Medicine and Surgery?
A Class 12 certificate from CBSE, CISCE or a state board can meet the school rule if it gives access to university under the Ministry's rules for international students, which we check. Your rank in the admission test decides the place, with 50 seats for non-EU applicants living abroad in 2026/27. The steps are IMAT registration on Universitaly, pre-enrolment for Parma, the test and the local ranking. [1] 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 Medicine and Surgery are the same whatever your nationality. Applicants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka follow the same steps as India: IMAT registration on Universitaly, Universitaly pre-enrolment for Parma, the admission test and a place in Parma's local ranking, 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 Medicine and Surgery are the same whatever your nationality, and Gulf residents follow the same steps: IMAT registration on Universitaly, Universitaly pre-enrolment for Parma, the admission test and a place in Parma's local ranking. 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 Medicine and Surgery 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: IMAT registration on Universitaly, Universitaly pre-enrolment for Parma, the admission test and a place in Parma's local ranking, 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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