MBBS in Italy 2027/28 for Indian Students: Admission, IMAT, Costs and NMC Rules

MBBS in Italy is the six-year degree in Medicine and Surgery, taught in English at Italy's public universities and entered through one test, the IMAT. For the 2027/28 intake, the realistic plan starts now: the 2026/27 round set out 525 places for non-EU applicants living abroad at 16 public universities, and the 2027/28 decree usually follows the same pattern. Every figure on this page comes from MUR Decree 1005 of 6 August 2026, the rules of India's National Medical Commission (NMC) and each university's own published lists.

In short

• The degree: Medicine and Surgery (Medicina e Chirurgia, class LM-41), six years and 360 ECTS, taught in English. Italy does not award a degree called MBBS or MD; graduating qualifies you to practise in Italy.
• Places: 525 for non-EU applicants living abroad in 2026/27, on 17 English-taught courses at 16 public universities, from 11 at Bari to 61 at Messina. There is no separate quota for India.
• Entry: the IMAT, held once a year in September and also run at centres in India. You are ranked only by the one university you choose when you register.
• NEET-UG: not asked by Italian universities, but required by the NMC if you are an Indian citizen or OCI holder who wants to practise in India later.
• Money: tuition is set by each university, often by family income, and study can be tuition-free for eligible students through a regional DSU scholarship. For the visa you show at least €10,179.85 a year for living costs.
• ApplyAZ: an Italy-based consultancy that works only with public universities. For eligible students from countries like India, we take care of the whole process, from the university choice to the visa file.

What is MBBS in Italy?

MBBS in Italy is the Italian single-cycle master's degree in Medicine and Surgery, class LM-41: six years and 360 ECTS credits, including a three-month practical evaluative internship (TPV). The English-taught courses belong to the same degree class as the Italian-taught ones, and the final exam counts as the state exam that licenses you to practise medicine in Italy. Indian students call it MBBS, but the Italian title is the Laurea Magistrale a ciclo unico in Medicina e Chirurgia.

How do you get into MBBS in Italy for 2027/28?

You get in by meeting the school and NEET requirements, choosing one university, registering for the IMAT on Universitaly and scoring high enough in that university's ranking for non-EU applicants living abroad. The 2027/28 dates are not official yet, so the plan below follows the 2026/27 calendar, which is the best guide to what comes next.

Sources: MUR Decree 1005 of 6 August 2026 and its Allegato 2 for the 2026/27 calendar; university calls as linked; Universitaly for the 2027/28 visa date. Expected 2027 timing is our reading of the 2026/27 pattern, not an official date.

For eligible students, we handle each of these steps: the shortlist, the Declaration of Value, the Universitaly pre-enrolment, the IMAT registration, the DSU application and the visa file. See our IMAT registration guide for how the Universitaly steps work.

Which universities offer MBBS in Italy in English?

Seventeen public universities teach Medicine and Surgery in English in 2026/27, and 16 of them have places for non-EU applicants living abroad: 525 on 17 courses. Messina has the most places (61) and Bari the fewest (11). The last score admitted in 2025 shows how much demand differs: from 50.90 at Bari to 67.60 at Parma, out of 90.

Sources: MUR Decree 1005, Table B for places; each university's own 2025 non-EU list or enrolment notice for scores, linked in the table. Florence also teaches the course in English, with no places for non-EU applicants living abroad in 2026/27.

Our IMAT cut-off scores by university page links every past figure to its official list, and our list of medical universities in Italy adds rankings and DSU bodies for each course.

Why does your choice of university matter so much?

It matters because non-EU applicants living abroad are ranked only by the university they picked when registering for the IMAT. There is no national list for this group and no second choice, so the same score can win a place at one university and miss at another. In 2025, Messina ranked 341 non-EU applicants for 56 places and Catania 402 for 60, while Bari admitted 11 from a corrected list of 44.

We weigh places, past lists and fee rules with you before the choice is locked. Our guide to a good IMAT score turns these official lists into score bands by university group.

How does the IMAT work?

The IMAT is a 100-minute test of 60 multiple-choice questions with five options, held once a year. A correct answer scores 1.5 points, a wrong one loses 0.4 and a blank scores 0, for a maximum of 90. Biology carries the most weight with 23 questions. Non-EU applicants living abroad need only a score above zero to be ranked, but places go in score order.

Source: MUR Decree 1005 of 6 August 2026, art. 2(2), 2(4) and 3(4). Test centres abroad, including India, are listed in Table A.

Our IMAT exam guide covers the syllabus and scoring in depth, and the 12-week IMAT preparation plan uses only official past papers.

How much does MBBS in Italy cost?

Tuition at Italian public universities is set by each university's fee rules and, at many, follows family income (ISEE). Families with income abroad can file an ISEE or request the flat amount set for their country, and DSU scholarship winners are exempt from tuition, so study can be tuition-free for eligible students. Living costs are the larger part of a six-year budget.

For the study visa, the 2026/27 checklist of the Consulate General of Italy in Kolkata asks you to show at least €10,179.85 a year for living costs, about ₹11.2 lakh, or about €61,079 over six years. Treat it as a floor, not a full budget: rent differs a lot between Milan and smaller cities such as Messina or Bari.

Sources: Consulate General of Italy in Kolkata, study visa checklist 2026/27, item 6; rupee figure at the FBIL reference rate of 21 September 2026, €1 = ₹109.90.

Can a DSU scholarship pay for MBBS in Italy?

Yes, for eligible students. The DSU scholarship is need-based: your family's ISEE must be under the regional limit, and from the second year it also depends on the credits you pass. Winners are usually exempt from tuition and receive a yearly grant, with a national minimum of €7,171.11 for students living away from home in 2026/27. The region decides each year, so a grant is possible, never promised.

Sources: each body's 2026/27 call, linked on its ApplyAZ page; national limits in MUR Directorial Decree 175 and 176 of 10 February 2026. The 2027/28 calls usually open in June and July 2027.

India is not on the list of particularly poor countries used in the DSU calls, so an Indian family needs documents on its income and assets to claim the grant. We prepare those documents and the application with you; our MBBS scholarships in Italy guide covers each medical university.

Is MBBS in Italy valid in India?

An Italian medical degree can lead to registration in India only if every condition of the NMC's Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations 2021 is met, and the NMC decides that, not the Italian university. The six-year English-taught degree meets the rules on length and language. The condition to weigh most carefully is the 12-month internship in the same foreign institution, because the Italian course has a 3-month internship inside the six years.

Sources: NMC Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations 2021, NMC Screening Test Regulations, NMC notice of 13 July 2023 and NMC information for students studying abroad. Verified on 28 September 2026.

The NMC keeps no list of approved foreign universities, so no Italian university can honestly be called NMC approved. Our guide Is MBBS in Italy valid in India? explains each rule in full.

Which common claims about MBBS in Italy are wrong?

Many pages about MBBS in Italy repeat figures that do not match the official rules. The claims below come up often in counselling calls, and each is checked against the decree, the NMC or the consulate.

MBBS in Italy or MBBS in India: which fits you?

MBBS in India is the simpler route if you plan to practise in India and your NEET rank wins a seat you can afford. MBBS in Italy suits strong science students who want a public European degree in English, who accept the extra NMC steps and who will learn Italian for the clinical years.

Sources: MUR Decree 1005, Table B; NTA NEET (UG) 2026 results release, 16 July 2026; NMC seat matrix 2026/27; FMGL 2021.

Our full comparison, MBBS in Italy vs MBBS in India, covers internships, time limits and licensing in more detail.

Do you need Italian for MBBS in Italy?

You do not need Italian to be admitted to the English-taught courses, and teaching and exams are in English. You will need it once clinical work brings you into contact with patients, and to practise in Italy after graduating. Some universities build it in: Pavia's Harvey course, for example, teaches Italian to foreign students without a B1 certificate in years 1 and 2.

Source: University of Pavia, Harvey course study plan.

What can you do after MBBS in Italy?

After graduating, the LM-41 degree qualifies you to practise as a doctor in Italy, because the final exam counts as the state licensing exam. To practise in India, you follow the NMC route: the FMGL 2021 conditions, the screening test and a supervised internship of at least 12 months. Other countries set their own rules for foreign graduates.

What should you weigh before choosing MBBS in Italy?

How does ApplyAZ help with MBBS in Italy?

ApplyAZ is an Italy-based consultancy that works only with public universities, based in Milan with operations across all 20 regions. For eligible students, we take care of the whole MBBS application: the shortlist against places and past lists, the NEET and NMC check, the Declaration of Value, Universitaly pre-enrolment, the IMAT registration, the DSU application and the visa file.

We helped Harshit Chaudhary from New Delhi through his application to Medicine and Surgery at the Marche Polytechnic University, where a regional DSU scholarship pays him €6,000 a year: read Harshit's story. We do not promise outcomes: the university decides admission, the region decides the DSU scholarship, the consulate decides the visa and the NMC decides registration in India.

Frequently asked questions

When is the IMAT 2027?

The date is not official yet: it is set by the MUR decree for 2027/28, which has not been published. In 2026 the decree came out on 6 August and the test was held on 29 September, with registration on Universitaly from 26 August to 9 September. If the pattern holds, expect the IMAT in September 2027 and registration from late August.

Can I study MBBS in Italy after 12th?

Yes. You need a school-leaving qualification that gives access to university, assessed through a Declaration of Value or a CIMEA statement, and then a place through the IMAT ranking of the university you choose. Indian citizens and OCI holders who want to practise in India also need to qualify NEET-UG before joining.

Is NEET required for MBBS in Italy?

Italian universities do not ask for NEET, but the NMC does. Under the NMC Screening Test Regulations, regulation 4(2)(A), Indian citizens and OCI holders who start a medical degree abroad must have qualified NEET-UG to practise in India later. The NMC says the result is valid for three years.

Is MBBS in Italy free for Indian students?

Tuition at public universities is set by each university and often follows family income, and study can be tuition-free for eligible students who win a regional DSU scholarship. The DSU grant for students living away from home was at least €7,171.11 a year in 2026/27. It is need-based and decided by the region each year.

How many seats are there for Indian students in Italy?

There is no separate quota for India. In 2026/27, 525 places were reserved for non-EU applicants living abroad across 16 public universities, and Indian applicants compete for those, ranked by the one university they chose. Places per university ran from 11 at Bari to 61 at Messina (MUR Decree 1005, Table B).

What IMAT score do I need for MBBS in Italy?

It depends on the university you choose. In 2025 the last non-EU applicant admitted scored 50.90 at Bari, 58.20 at Messina, 61.60 at Catania and 67.60 at Parma, out of 90, in each university's own list. Non-EU applicants living abroad need only a score above zero to be ranked, but places go in score order.

Is MBBS in Italy valid in India?

Only if every condition of the NMC's FMGL 2021, regulation 4, is met: at least 54 months of study in English, a 12-month internship in the same institution, a licence in the degree country, then a 12-month supervised internship in India and the screening test. Italy's six-year English degree meets the length and language rules; the internship rule is the point to weigh.

How long is MBBS in Italy?

Six years. The Medicine and Surgery degree, class LM-41, carries 360 ECTS credits and includes a 3-month practical evaluative internship worth 15 credits. Passing it and the final exam qualifies you to practise in Italy (MUR Decree 8 of 2 April 2020).

Can I take the IMAT in India?

Yes. The IMAT runs in Italy and at centres abroad, and MUR Decree 1005 lists India among the countries with test centres for 2026 in its Table A. You pick the centre when you register on Universitaly, and centres abroad start at the local time matching the Italian start time.

Sources

• MUR Decree 1005 of 6 August 2026, with Table A, Table B and Allegati 1 to 3
• MUR Decree 8 of 2 April 2020, class LM-41
• MUR Directorial Decree 175 and 176 of 10 February 2026 (DSU grants and limits)
• NMC Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations 2021, Screening Test Regulations, notice of 13 July 2023 and information for students studying abroad
• NMC MBBS seat matrix 2026/27 and NTA NEET (UG) 2026 results release
• Universitaly, international students and Consulate General of Italy in Kolkata visa checklist
• University calls and 2025 non-EU lists, linked in the tables above

Written by İrem Yılmaz, Student Experience Lead, and reviewed by Reeya Sharma. Published 19 October 2026; figures verified against the official sources above on 19 October 2026.

Further reading

• MBBS in Italy 2026/27: fees, IMAT, universities and NMC rules
• IMAT exam: date, scoring, seats and cut-offs
• IMAT results 2026: dates, ranking and scorrimento
• Is MBBS in Italy valid in India?
• MBBS scholarships in Italy
• Choosing a consultant for MBBS in Italy