Medical Universities in Italy Teaching in English (2026/27)

In Italy, medicine is taught at universities rather than separate medical colleges. For 2026/27, 17 public medical universities in Italy teach Medicine and Surgery in English, on 19 courses, and all of them admit students through the same test, the IMAT.

This list covers every course: places for non-EU applicants living abroad, official last-admitted scores from 2023 to 2025, yearly fees, the DSU scholarship body and the QS 2027 rank. Places come from MUR Decree 1005 of 6 August 2026, and each cut-off links to the university's own list.

In short

• Which universities: 17 public universities teach Medicine and Surgery in English in 2026/27, on 19 courses. They have 845 places for non-EU applicants living abroad: 525 in Italy and 320 on Tor Vergata's course in Tirana, Albania (our sum of MUR Decree 1005, Table B).
• Cut-offs: on the official 2025 lists we could read, the last non-EU applicant admitted scored from 50.90 at Bari to 67.60 at Parma, where the list is read at the seat count, out of 90. Several universities' lists are login-only, taken down or not found.
• Fees: yearly tuition runs from €146 (₹16,000) in a no-tax area to €7,406 (₹8.1 lakh) at Tor Vergata's top band, and study can be tuition-free for eligible students through a regional DSU scholarship.
• This year's exceptions: Florence has no places for non-EU applicants living abroad, and its course and Padua's MedTech course are awaiting accreditation.
• ApplyAZ: ApplyAZ, with offices in Milan and India, works only with Italian public universities and takes care of the whole process for eligible students from countries like India: university checks, applications, Universitaly pre-enrolment, the DSU scholarship and the visa file.

Which medical universities in Italy teach in English?

Seventeen public universities teach Medicine and Surgery in English in 2026/27, on 19 courses. Padua runs two, in Venice and a MedTech course in Padua, and Tor Vergata teaches in Rome and in Tirana, Albania. The table below lists every course with its places, official cut-offs, fees, DSU body and QS 2027 rank.

How to read the cut-offs: each figure is the lowest score, out of 90, among non-EU applicants living abroad marked as admitted on the university's own list, and it links to that list. Where a list shows no admitted status we could read, the figure is the score at the last seat and says "at seat count".

"Not public (login only)" means the list appears only in each candidate's personal area. "No longer online" means the university has taken past lists down, and "Not found" means we found no list on its pages when we checked. "Score not read" links a list that exists but did not open as text for us.

Sources: places from Table B of MUR Decree 1005; cut-offs from each university's list, linked in the table; QS World University Rankings 2027. Fees are yearly totals with the regional tax and €16 (₹2,000) stamp duty, from each university's 2026/27 fee rules as read for our university pages, or 2025/26 where marked.

Verified on 28 and 29 September 2026. Rupees use the FBIL reference rate of 21 September 2026, €1 = ₹109.90.

How many places are there for non-EU students in 2026/27?

There are 845 places for non-EU applicants living abroad on English-taught Medicine and Surgery at Italy's public universities in 2026/27, our sum of Table B of Decree 1005. Tor Vergata's course in Tirana holds 320 of them, so courses in Italy have 525. EU and Italy-resident candidates have 1,207 places.

In Italy, Messina has the most, 61, followed by Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Parma and Marche Polytechnic with 50 each. Bari has the fewest, 11, then Sapienza with 13, and Milan and Padua's MedTech course with 15 each.

Some universities keep part of their quota for the Marco Polo programme for students from China: 3 of Bari's 11, 2 of Cagliari's 18 and 5 of Pavia's 40. Table B shows one figure per course, and the split is in each university's own call.

Sources: University of Bari, Medicine and Surgery 2026/27; University of Cagliari call, art. 2; University of Pavia call, art. 1.

Table B's national total of 1,362 places for non-EU applicants living abroad also counts private universities, which this list leaves out, as ApplyAZ works only with public universities.

Source: MUR Decree 1005, Table B, total row.

How have non-EU places changed since 2024/25?

Places for non-EU applicants living abroad at courses in Italy have barely moved: 495 in 2024/25, 530 in 2025/26 and 525 in 2026/27, by our sums of each year's MUR table. The growth is in Tirana, which went from 150 places to 320 in its second year.

Catania swung the most: 30 places in 2024/25, 60 in 2025/26, when it had no EU places at all, and 40 in 2026/27. Messina rose from 56 to 61, Parma from 45 to 50 and Milano-Bicocca from 18 to 20, while Marche Polytechnic fell from 60 to 50 and Cagliari from 20 to 18.

In 2024/25, Bari's own rector's decree admitted 8 non-EU applicants, against 11 places in the MUR table.

Sources: MUR Decree 1101 of 29 July 2024, Table B (2024/25); MUR Decree 599 of 7 August 2025, Table B (2025/26); MUR Decree 1005, Table B (2026/27); Bari's corrected 2024 list. The totals are our sums of the rows.

What IMAT score did the last admitted non-EU student get?

In 2025, the last non-EU applicant admitted scored 50.90 at Bari, 57.80 at Messina after two extra rounds, 61.60 at Catania and 67.60 at Parma, read at the seat count, all out of 90. These are the only 2025 scores we could read on universities' own lists.

Scores swing hard between years. Messina's first-list cut-off was 36.90 in 2023, with 236 applicants ranked, then 61.80 in 2024 with 469 ranked and 58.20 in 2025 with 341. Bari went from 37.60 to 65.80 and then 50.90, and Parma, read at the seat count, from 50.40 to 59.10 and then 67.60.

A later round can only lower a cut-off, because it reaches further down the list: Messina's 2025 figure fell from 58.20 to 57.80 over two extra rounds. Past lists show what happened in those years, not what the 2026 lists will show.

We use only the universities' own lists and notices, never figures from coaching or forum sites. Our IMAT cut-offs and seats page sets out every official list by year, and the IMAT guide covers the test itself.

Why do some universities show no official cut-off?

Because their lists are not public, are no longer online or could not be read. Bologna shows its non-EU ranking only in each candidate's Studenti Online area, and Turin in MyUniTo. Pavia and Padua have taken past lists down, and for Milan, Sapienza and Cagliari we found no list.

Tor Vergata publishes its non-EU lists for Rome and Tirana, and Milano-Bicocca published its 2024 list, but these files did not open as text for us, so the cells link each list and say the score was not read. Federico II's 2025 closure notice for its 45 non-EU places is linked the same way.

Campania Luigi Vanvitelli's admissions pages showed no documents when we checked, and Marche Polytechnic's results archive stops at 2024/25. Cagliari's 2026/27 call puts its list on the Faculty of Medicine student office site, which would not open for us. Florence, Padua's MedTech course and Tirana before 2025 have no past lists, because the courses are new.

For the students we work with, we read their university's list on the day it appears and follow every later round.

What happens after the IMAT of 29 September 2026?

Three national dates come next: anonymous scores on Universitaly on Thursday 8 October 2026, each candidate's own paper on Monday 19 October and the named national ranking on Monday 26 October. Non-EU applicants living abroad are not in that ranking; each university publishes its own list, on its own date.

The national ranking covers EU candidates and non-EU candidates resident in Italy, who need at least 20 points out of 90. For non-EU applicants living abroad any score above zero counts, and their rankings "are defined by the universities", in the words of article 3(5).

Sources: Decree 1005, arts 3(2), 3(3) and 3(5); Allegato 2, points 4, 6 and 7.

Bologna, Padua, Cagliari and Marche Polytechnic name 26 October 2026 for their non-EU lists. Parma opens enrolment from its local list on 27 October, and Pavia's admitted applicants enrol by 29 October at 23:59. Messina, Catania and Milan say only that the university draws up the list.

Sources: 2026/27 calls of Bologna, Padua, Cagliari, Marche Polytechnic, Parma, Pavia, Messina, Catania and Milan.

Each applicant living abroad competes only at the university where they pre-enrolled. The deadline for 2026/27 study visa applications at Italian consulates is 30 November 2026, and our IMAT results guide dates every step in between.

Sources: Decree 1005, art. 2(3) and Universitaly.

How much does medicine cost at Italy's public universities?

Yearly tuition for Medicine and Surgery at Italy's public universities runs from €146 (₹16,000) in a no-tax area to €7,406 (₹8.1 lakh) at Tor Vergata's top band in 2026/27. For a family living abroad, each university's own rule sets the fee: a country band, a flat fee or an ISEE parificato.

Totals include the regional tax and the €16 (₹2,000) stamp duty. An ISEE parificato is an income and assets figure built from the family's translated and legalised documents; where a university accepts it, the normal income bands apply.

Florence is not in the table because it has no places for non-EU applicants living abroad this year, and our fee data does not cover the Tirana course. Bari's country-group amounts sit in an annex we could not read, so we work out that figure for each student before enrolment.

Study can be tuition-free for eligible students who win a DSU scholarship: winners are exempt from the university contribution at Bari, Cagliari, Florence and Pavia, for example. Tor Vergata's flat Medicine fee for income abroad applies even with a DiSCo Lazio scholarship. We prepare the family's income documents for the route that costs least, alongside the Declaration of Value for admission.

Which DSU body runs the scholarship at each medical university?

At the 17 universities, 14 bodies decide the DSU scholarship: 11 regional agencies and 3 universities that run their own call, Milan, Milano-Bicocca and Padua. For 2026/27, the family ISEE limits run from €22,500 (₹24.7 lakh) at ERSU Messina to €28,339.88 (₹31.1 lakh) at DiSCo Lazio and ERSU Cagliari.

National rules for 2026/27 cap the family ISEE at €28,339.88 (₹31.1 lakh) and set a minimum grant of €7,171.11 (₹7.9 lakh) a year for a student living away from home. The DSU body decides the scholarship, and at Milan, Milano-Bicocca and Padua that body is the university itself.

Sources: MUR Directorial Decree 176 and Directorial Decree 175 of 10 February 2026.

Several bodies, such as ADISU Puglia, EDISU Piemonte and DSU Toscana, take the application only from the student, so we prepare it and the family documents with the student, who submits it. Our DSU scholarship guide explains how each body works.

Which is the best medical university in Italy?

No single ranking settles it for medicine. The QS World University Rankings 2027 rank whole universities, and among these 17 Sapienza is highest at =111, then Bologna at =123, Padua at 204 and Milan at =270. For a non-EU applicant, places, past lists and fees usually matter more than rank.

Next in QS 2027 come Tor Vergata (=342), Pavia (=395), Turin (397), Naples Federico II (401) and Florence (=409). The THE World University Rankings 2026 put Bologna at 130 and Sapienza at =170.

"=" marks a joint rank, and lower positions are bands, such as 741 to 750 for Bari.

Sources: QS World University Rankings 2027, published 18 June 2026; THE World University Rankings 2026. Our best universities in Italy page covers every ranking.

Which English-taught medicine courses are new or awaiting accreditation?

Two courses are new in 2026/27 and awaiting accreditation: Florence and Padua's MedTech course in Padua. Under article 7(2) of Decree 1005, their places depend on a positive accreditation outcome. Florence has 50 places for EU and Italy-resident candidates and none for non-EU applicants living abroad; MedTech has 15.

Tor Vergata's course in Tirana, Albania, first appeared in the 2025/26 MUR table with 150 places, marked as awaiting accreditation. In 2026/27 it has 320 places, all for non-EU applicants living abroad, and no accreditation note. It is run by an Italian public university, but the campus is outside Italy.

Naples Federico II's new Veterinary Medicine course is also awaiting accreditation. Cagliari's Medicine course carried the same note in 2024/25 and no longer does.

Sources: Table B of Decree 1005; Table B of Decree 599; Table B of Decree 1101.

Where can you study Dentistry or Veterinary Medicine in English?

Four public courses outside Medicine use the same admission test in 2026/27. Dentistry in English runs at Sapienza, with 6 places for non-EU applicants living abroad, and at Siena, with 5. Veterinary Medicine runs at Bologna, in Ozzano dell'Emilia, with 5, and at Naples Federico II, with 2.

These are the only English-taught Dentistry and Veterinary courses in Table B, public or private. Dentistry shares the national ranking with Medicine, while Veterinary Medicine has its own, and both degrees qualify graduates to practise under Law 163/2021.

Sources: Table B of Decree 1005; Decree 1005, arts 1(1) and 3(5); Law 163 of 8 November 2021, art. 1(1).

Non-EU applicants living abroad are ranked by the university, as for Medicine. We do not show cut-offs for these courses, because we have not read their official lists.

Does a medical degree from Italy meet the NMC rules?

Not automatically: the NMC decides, not the Italian university. Italy's six-year English-taught degree meets the Regulation 4 rules on course length and language in the NMC's Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations 2021. No NMC document we found says how its separate 12-month internship rule applies to Italy, so we do not call the degree compliant.

The NMC's Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations 2021 set the conditions in Regulation 4. The degree course must last at least 54 months, with a 12-month internship in the same foreign institution, in English. The graduate needs a licence in the country of study, then a supervised internship in India and the NMC's licensing test.

Italy's degree runs six years and 360 credits, with a 3-month practical internship inside the course, and the degree qualifies a graduate to practise in Italy once that internship is passed. Indian citizens and OCI holders also have to qualify NEET to take a medical degree abroad.

Sources: MUR Decree 8 of 2 April 2020, quoting Decree-Law 18/2020, art. 102(1); NMC Screening Test Regulations 2002, reg. 4(2)(A).

For the Tirana course, Schedule I, paragraph 2(iii) also matters.

We go through each condition with every student before an application. The NMC decides registration in India, and our MBBS in Italy guide covers the rules in more depth.

How do you choose a medical university in Italy?

Choose by places, past lists and cost rather than by rank alone. A non-EU applicant living abroad competes only at the one university chosen at pre-enrolment, so that university's places, its official past lists and its fee rule for a family abroad matter most. Accreditation status and the city come next.

• Places against past lists. This year's places sit beside the official cut-offs above; where no list is public, the places are the only firm figure.
• The fee rule for a family abroad. A country band can cost less than an ISEE route, or more, so the fee table matters more than the top band.
• The DSU body and its limits. The ISEE limit and the grant differ by body, and with a DSU scholarship, study can be tuition-free for eligible students.
• Accreditation and campus. Florence and Padua's MedTech course await accreditation, and several courses sit outside the main city: Orbassano for Turin, Bergamo for Milano-Bicocca, Piacenza for Parma, Venice for Padua and Tirana for Tor Vergata.
• Your eligibility. We review your academic profile first, then compare the universities with you before Universitaly pre-enrolment, which fixes the one university where a non-EU applicant living abroad is ranked.

Related guides: MBBS in Italy, IMAT exam 2026, IMAT cut-offs and seats by university, IMAT results 2026, public universities in Italy, best universities in Italy and the A to Z directory of universities.

Frequently asked questions

Which universities in Italy teach medicine in English?

Seventeen public universities teach Medicine and Surgery in English in 2026/27: Bari, Bologna, Cagliari, Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Catania, Florence, Marche Polytechnic, Messina, Milan, Milano-Bicocca, Naples Federico II, Padua, Parma, Pavia, Sapienza, Tor Vergata and Turin. Padua runs two courses, and Tor Vergata teaches in Rome and in Tirana, Albania.

How many medical colleges in Italy accept non-EU students?

Sixteen of the 17 public medical universities have places for non-EU applicants living abroad in 2026/27, 845 in all by our sum of MUR Decree 1005, Table B. That includes 320 on Tor Vergata's course in Tirana, so courses in Italy have 525. Florence has none this year.

What IMAT score do I need for medicine in Italy?

It depends on the university and the year. On the official 2025 lists we could read, the last non-EU applicant admitted scored 50.90 at Bari, 57.80 at Messina, 61.60 at Catania and 67.60 at Parma, read at the seat count, out of 90. At Bari and Messina the figure rose by more than 20 points between 2023 and 2024.

Which is the cheapest medical university in Italy?

It depends on the family's income and each university's rule for families abroad. In 2026/27, some of the lowest first-year totals for a family living abroad are €156 (₹17,000) at Marche Polytechnic for non-OECD citizens, €167 (₹18,000) at Naples Federico II and €256 (₹28,000) at Messina for Group B, which covers countries like India.

Can medicine in Italy be tuition-free?

Study can be tuition-free for eligible students who win a regional DSU scholarship, which is decided on family income and, after the first year, credits. The national minimum grant for 2026/27 is €7,171.11 (₹7.9 lakh) a year for a student living away from home. Without the scholarship, fees follow each university's own rule.

Does Florence accept non-EU students for medicine in 2026/27?

Not from abroad. Florence's new English-taught Medicine and Surgery course has 50 places for EU and Italy-resident candidates and none for non-EU applicants living abroad in 2026/27, in Table B of Decree 1005. The course is awaiting accreditation, so its places depend on a positive outcome under article 7(2).

What is Tor Vergata's medicine course in Tirana?

It is the University of Rome Tor Vergata's English-taught Medicine and Surgery course, taught in Tirana, Albania. In 2026/27 it has 320 places, all for non-EU applicants living abroad, up from 150 in 2025/26, its first year in the MUR table. We go through the NMC rule on training outside the degree country with each student first.

Can non-EU applicants apply to more than one university?

No: under article 2(3) of Decree 1005, non-EU applicants living abroad compete only in the local ranking of the university where they submitted pre-enrolment. EU candidates and non-EU candidates resident in Italy instead list several preferences for the national ranking. That is why we compare places and past lists before pre-enrolment.

When are the 2026 non-EU rankings published?

Each university sets its own date: Bologna, Padua, Cagliari and Marche Polytechnic name 26 October 2026, the day of the national ranking, and Parma opens enrolment from its local list on 27 October. Messina, Catania and Milan give no date in their calls. Anonymous scores appear on Universitaly on 8 October.

Is NEET required for medicine in Italy?

Italian universities do not ask for it: Decree 1005 does not mention NEET, and non-EU applicants are ranked on their IMAT score. Indian citizens and OCI holders who plan to practise in India, though, have to qualify NEET to take a medical degree abroad, under regulation 4(2)(A) of the NMC's Screening Test Regulations.

How long is the medicine degree in Italy?

Six years. The single-cycle degree in Medicine and Surgery (class LM-41) has 360 credits over six years, including a 3-month practical internship, under MUR Decree 8 of 2 April 2020. Passing that internship and graduating qualifies a doctor to practise in Italy, under article 102(1) of Decree-Law 18/2020.

Can I study Dentistry or Veterinary Medicine in English in Italy?

Yes, at four public universities in 2026/27, through the same admission test. Dentistry has 6 places for non-EU applicants living abroad at Sapienza and 5 at Siena. Veterinary Medicine has 5 at Bologna and 2 at Naples Federico II, whose course is awaiting accreditation.

Which is the best medical university in Italy?

No ranking measures English-taught medicine alone. In the QS World University Rankings 2027, which rank whole universities, the highest of the 17 are Sapienza (=111), Bologna (=123), Padua (204) and Milan (=270). For a non-EU applicant, places, official past lists and the fee rule usually weigh more than rank.

How does ApplyAZ help with medical admissions in Italy?

ApplyAZ, with offices in Milan and India, works only with Italian public universities. For eligible students from countries like India, we take care of the whole process: the choice of university, Universitaly pre-enrolment, every ranking deadline, the Declaration of Value, the DSU scholarship application and the visa file. The university decides admission.

Sources

• MUR Decree 1005 of 6 August 2026: decree text, Allegati 1 to 3 and Table B, places
• MUR Decree 599 of 7 August 2025, Table B and MUR Decree 1101 of 29 July 2024, Table B, places in earlier years
• Each university's non-EU lists for 2023 to 2025, 2026/27 calls and fee rules, linked in the tables above
• QS World University Rankings 2027 and THE World University Rankings 2026
• MUR Directorial Decree 175 and 176 of 10 February 2026, DSU scholarship limits
• MUR Decree 8 of 2 April 2020 (LM-41), Law 163/2021 and Legislative Decree 71/2025
• NMC Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations 2021 and NMC Screening Test Regulations 2002
• Universitaly, international students and the FBIL reference rate of 21 September 2026
• Written by İrem Yılmaz, Student Experience Lead at ApplyAZ. Published and last updated on 29 September 2026; facts verified on 28 and 29 September 2026.

Further reading

• MBBS in Italy: medicine in English at public universities
• IMAT exam 2026: date, scoring, seats and cut-offs
• IMAT cut-off scores and seats by university
• IMAT results 2026: dates, ranking and scorrimento
• Public universities in Italy: full list and fees
• DSU scholarship in Italy, 2026/27