Medicine in Italy, 2026/27

How to get into medicine in Italy

There are three routes. Italian-taught courses at public universities admit through the semestre filtro: open enrolment, a first term of Biology, Chemistry and Physics, and national exams on 10 December 2026 and 11 January 2027. English-taught courses are outside that reform, and the public ones admit through the IMAT, sat on 29 September 2026. Private universities set their own entrance tests, in Italian or English, and their next ones run from February 2027 to May 2027.

The three routes

  1. Route 1 · Public, in Italian

    Semestre filtro

    • Open enrolment: anyone could register for the first term, which began on 1 September 2026 (fee €250).
    • Three courses, Chemistry and biochemical propaedeutics, Physics and Biology, each examined on the same day at every public university.
    • Exams on 10 December 2026 (results 23 December 2026) and 11 January 2027 (results 20 January 2027), then a national ranking decides who continues.

    Source: MUR, Decreto Ministeriale n. 941 del 10-7-2026 (semestre filtro 2026/27); MUR, "Medicina, al via le iscrizioni al Semestre aperto" (13/07/2026)

  2. Route 2 · Public, in English

    IMAT

    • One national test for the English-taught courses in Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Medicine.
    • Sat on 29 September 2026: 60 questions in 100 minutes on reading, logic, Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics.
    • Places go by one national ranking, and EU candidates need at least 20 points to be ranked.

    Source: MUR, Decreto Ministeriale n. 1005 del 06-08-2026 (IMAT 2026/27)

  3. Route 3 · Private, in Italian or English

    A private university's own test

    • Private universities are outside the semestre filtro this year and set their own entrance tests, with their own subjects, dates and places.
    • Their next tests run from February 2027 to May 2027, after the IMAT and the semestre filtro's exams.
    • IvyTest covers 9 of them, each with its own study guide and exam simulator.

    Source: MUR, Università non statali riconosciute

The 9 private medical schools IvyTest covers

Each sets its own test, so each needs its own preparation. Every test below has a free guide. The month is the next sitting, with ~ when it is expected from past years.

Fees are per year, as each university publishes them. The national rules were read on the ministry's own pages on 6 October 2026.

Choose your Italian schools

Questions

Does the semestre filtro apply to English-taught medicine?
No. The reform (Legislative Decree 71/2025, art. 8(3)) excludes courses taught in English at public and private universities. Public English-taught courses admit through the IMAT, which was sat on 29 September 2026.
Does the semestre filtro apply to private universities?
Not in 2026/27: the ministry's decree on the semestre filtro (DM 941/2026, art. 1(4)) excludes non-state universities, which admit through their own entrance tests.
When are the semestre filtro exams?
On 10 December 2026, with results on 23 December 2026, and on 11 January 2027, with results on 20 January 2027, on the same day at every public university.
When are the private universities' entrance tests?
Their next tests run from February 2027 to May 2027, each on its own date. The list on this page gives each school's month, and the 2027 admissions calendar has them all.
Is a private university an option if the IMAT or the semestre filtro doesn't work out?
Their tests are separate from the national procedures and come later, from February 2027. Each university sets its own entry requirements, so read its admissions guide on IvyTest before you apply.