Medicine Schools and Programs in Italy

Medicine Studies in Italy

In Italy, medicine is studied as a six-year single-cycle degree, the laurea magistrale a ciclo unico in Medicina e chirurgia (Medicine and Surgery). Students enter directly after secondary school, and the degree leads to the medical profession. Admission is selective and organised nationally. Since the 2025-26 academic year, entry to the Italian-taught programmes has worked through an open first semester followed by national exams.

SpainExchange lists 3 schools in Italy with medicine programmes: the Università degli Studi di Udine, the Università degli Studi di Genova and the University of Ferrara (Unife).

How the medical degree is organised

According to Universitaly, the portal of the Ministry of Universities and Research, the single-cycle degree in medicine lasts six years and carries 360 CFU; 1 CFU equals 1 ECTS credit. The official degree class is LM-41 (Medicina e chirurgia). At Genoa, the programme is built around 36 integrated courses that move from the basic sciences to clinical subjects. Udine and Ferrara teach the same six-year, 360-CFU degree.

The degree includes a practical-evaluative clinical traineeship; Unife lists it as the TPVES. According to Genoa, the degree allows graduates to practise as a doctor (medico chirurgo).

Admission: the open semester and IMAT

For the Italian-taught degrees, the old entrance test has been replaced by the semestre aperto (also called semestre filtro). It works as follows, according to Universitaly:

• students enrol in the open semester and, at the same time, in a related degree such as biological sciences or biotechnology
• the semester has three courses, chemistry and introductory biochemistry, physics and biology, of 6 CFU each (18 CFU in total)
• the exams are written and identical across the country, and each exam can be repeated once
• the scores form national merit rankings for admission to the second semester of medicine
• students who are not admitted can continue in the related degree, keeping their credits

The open semester is open to EU and non-EU students resident in Italy and to non-EU students resident abroad. Competition is strong: 64,825 students enrolled in the open semester for 2025-26, and 54,313 of them chose medicine. According to the ministry's admissions site, the semestre filtro also applies in 2026-27.

English-taught medicine programmes keep a separate admission test, IMAT. For 2026-27, its rules and the number of places are set by a ministerial decree of 6 August 2026. Non-EU candidates in the IMAT rankings are passed to the Foreign Ministry so that visa appointments can be scheduled.

The three programmes in this list are taught in Italian. Places for non-EU students resident abroad are limited: Genoa lists 325 places for EU students and 5 for non-EU students for 2026-27. Non-EU students apply for a student visa at the Italian embassy or consulate; for 2026-27, the deadline for visa applications is 30 November 2026. CIMEA, the Italian ENIC-NARIC centre, gives information on recognition of foreign school qualifications.

After the degree

Most graduates continue with a specialisation school (scuola di specializzazione) in a medical, surgical or diagnostic area, or with the training course in general practice (Medicina Generale). According to Universitaly, specialisation courses in the health field last between two and six years. Genoa also lists clinical and basic research, the pharmaceutical industry, health management and science communication as career paths.

Doctors who plan to practise outside Italy should check how the destination country recognises an Italian medical degree before they enrol.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to study medicine in Italy?

The degree in Medicine and Surgery lasts six years and carries 360 CFU. Most graduates then spend further years in a specialisation school or in general-practice training.

Is there still an entrance test for medicine in Italy?

For the Italian-taught programmes, the entrance test was replaced in 2025-26 by an open first semester with national exams in chemistry, physics and biology. English-taught programmes still use the IMAT test.

Can international students apply?

Yes. The open semester is open to EU students and to non-EU students resident in Italy or abroad, but places reserved for non-EU students are few; Genoa offers 5 for 2026-27.

Do I need Italian to study medicine in Italy?

The programmes at Udine, Genoa and Ferrara are taught in Italian. English-taught programmes exist elsewhere and use the IMAT admission test.