Italian Language Certificates CILS, CELI and PLIDA: Which One You Need for University and When to Sit It

For an Italian-taught degree, applicants from outside the EU need at least B2 Italian. You prove it with the university's own test or with a CLIQ certificate: CILS, CELI, PLIDA or CERT.IT. A B2 certificate exempts you from the university test, and C1 or C2 does so even outside the quota of places for visa applicants. Italian universities treat all four certificates as equivalent, so choose by the nearest exam date, the location and how fast results arrive. To start a degree in 2027, you need to register for a December 2026 session in October.

Euro and rouble amounts are official; dollar figures are approximate, at the ECB rate of 23 September 2026 (€1 = $1.1411) and the Bank of Russia rate of 23 September 2026 ($1 = RUB 84.07).

Do you need an Italian certificate?

The Ministry of University and Research (MUR) rules for 2026/27 and 2027/28 require every university to check Italian at B2 or above for all Laurea, Laurea Magistrale and single-cycle programmes (such as medicine). The check takes place before the visa, preferably online, and the university uploads the result to your Universitaly pre-enrolment. Consulates usually do not re-test, but they may. Individual programmes can ask for more than B2.

What each level gets you

CLIQ (Certificazione Lingua Italiana di Qualità) is the association of Italy's four state-recognised certifiers:

• University for Foreigners of Siena, CILS;
• University for Foreigners of Perugia, CELI;
• Società Dante Alighieri, PLIDA;
• Roma Tre University, CERT.IT.

How universities check Italian: two examples

University of Bologna. You can meet the requirement with its online ITA-L2@HOME test delivered by CISIA (72 questions in 120 minutes covering listening, reading and language structures; registration $21 [€18]) or with a certificate. Accepted group-one documents include CELI, CILS, PLIDA and CERT.IT at B2, and a CISIA ITA L2 result from another university with at least 48 points for 2026/27. The pass mark for Bologna's own test is 48 for 2026/27. Seats are scarce: in 2026 the spring and summer dates filled up before registration closed, and the autumn dates (September to November) were open only to students who had already paid the first tuition instalment. Certificates must go through Bologna's own upload procedure; a certificate attached only to Universitaly is ignored. For 2026/27 open-access programmes, the requirement must be met by 19 November 2026. See our University of Bologna profile.

Sapienza. For 2026/27, Sapienza checks Italian with CISIA's ITA L2 test in the @CASA online format: 120 minutes, three sections, a pass mark of 55, a $20 (€19.52) fee (≈ $22) and no more than 100 seats per session. A CLIQ certificate at B2 or above exempts you if it was issued after 1 January 2022 and obtained before Universitaly pre-enrolment, by 30 June 2026 at the latest. See our Sapienza profile.

The lesson: CILS and CELI certificates do not expire, but a university can limit the issue date and set a submission deadline. Check both on your programme page before you book an exam.

How CILS, CELI and PLIDA differ

For admission all three work equally well; Bologna lists them side by side. The practical difference is format. With CILS and PLIDA a failed skill does not wipe out the ones you passed, while CELI keeps the written or oral part as a whole. If your reading and grammar are strong but listening is weaker, CILS and PLIDA let you resit just that skill.

When to register for the exam

CILS. All levels run together only in June and December. Siena closes registration for 3 December 2026 on 24 October. In 2027, B2 runs on 8 April (register by 8 March), 10 June (by 1 May) and 2 December (by 23 October); C1 on 10 June and 2 December. Local centres may close earlier or not run every date.

CELI. All-level sessions run in June and November; March covers levels up to B2. The next one is 11 November 2026, with registration by 9 October. In 2027: 9 March (by 9 February), 11 June (by 11 May) and 16 November (by 16 October). Centres may close registration earlier.

PLIDA. In 2026, B2 and C1 ran on 18 March and 10 June; the remaining session is 19 November (B2, C1, C2). Each centre sets its own registration deadline.

What the exam costs

There is no single price: the exam centre sets the fee.

St Petersburg accepts only exact cash in roubles and does not refund fees; a transfer to a later session is possible only for a documented serious reason. For CELI and PLIDA centres elsewhere, ask the centre directly.

Where to sit the exam: Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan

St Petersburg, December 2026. CILS on 3–4 December, levels B1–C2. Registration opens in late September or early October and closes on 23 October 2026. You register in person or through a representative at Teatralnaya Square 10, after booking a slot by email. Bring the form with your name in Latin letters, a copy and the original of your passport, and the exact fee in roubles.

The St Petersburg institute runs its April A2 and B2 session only if at least 8 candidates sign up, closes registration 45 days before each exam and plans to publish the 2027 CILS calendar in December 2026.

Moscow. The institute publishes December registration details in early October.

No centre nearby? Weigh three options: travel to a city or country with a centre, sit the exam in Italy, or take the CISIA ITA L2 online test for universities that accept it, including Bologna and Sapienza.

Applicants from other countries can search Siena's and Perugia's centre lists by country; Italian Cultural Institutes abroad often host CILS or CELI.

When results and the paper certificate arrive

CILS results appear online after about 3 months (the St Petersburg institute says 3–4 months). The online printout can be used as a self-declaration, while original certificates in St Petersburg are handed out 6–11 months after the exam. The online result is usually enough for a university application, but check your programme page. CELI results take about 90 working days; PLIDA centres receive results within 60 working days.

How to plan the exam backwards from the university deadline

1. Find the university's language deadline. For 2026/27 it was 30 June at Sapienza and is 19 November for open-access programmes at Bologna; restricted-access programmes follow the date of their entrance competition. Universities publish 2027/28 rules later, so until then plan from last year's dates with a margin.
2. Subtract the time to results: 3 months for CILS, about 4–5 calendar months for CELI, up to 3 months for PLIDA.
3. Pick a session that leaves room for a resit. Each of the three exams runs B2 about three times a year, so a failed attempt usually costs 3–6 months. You can shorten the gap by booking the next session of a different CLIQ exam.
4. Test yourself before registering. Siena publishes official CILS sample papers, and CVCL offers registered CELI candidates an online pre-test. Do a sample under timed conditions.
5. Train every skill. On CILS and PLIDA a failed skill means no certificate, so strong reading will not make up for weak listening.

Example for a September 2027 start: if your university accepts certificates until spring, realistic dates are CELI on 11 November or CILS on 3 December 2026. Registration closes on 9 and 24 October respectively, and on 23 October in St Petersburg. June 2027 sessions only suit universities that accept language proof until late summer or autumn.

Common mistakes

• Aiming for B1 "to start with". Italian-taught degrees need B2; B1 only covers foundation courses.
• Ignoring the university's rules on certificate dates. Sapienza, for example, accepts certificates issued after 1 January 2022.
• Uploading the certificate only to Universitaly. Bologna counts certificates submitted through its own procedure.
• Confusing migration modules with standard exams. CILS "A2 integrazione", "B1 C" and CELI "immigrati" are for residence and citizenship, not university.
• Registering late. Centres close about 1–1.5 months before the exam and seats are limited.
• Expecting CELI resits to work like CILS. CELI keeps the written or oral part as a whole, and only for a year.

Who decides, and how StudyU helps

MUR and each university set the level and deadlines, the certifying body runs the exam and issues the certificate, and the consulate checks the file at the visa stage. How language fits into the visa file is explained in our student visa guide, and the wider plan is on our Italy country page. StudyU matches programmes to your language level and supports applications under a paid contract; exam results and admission decisions are not in our hands.

FAQ

Sources

• MUR: procedures for international students, 2026/27 and 2027/28, section 6 "Language knowledge"
• University of Bologna: Italian test and certificates
• Sapienza: Italian language test for international students 2026/27
• CILS Centre, Siena: 2026 dates, 2027 dates, assessment, FAQ
• CVCL, Perugia: CELI calendar 2026–2027, Perugia fees, CELI regulations, centres abroad
• PLIDA: 2026 calendar and regulations
• Italian Cultural Institute in Moscow: CILS and in St Petersburg

Facts checked against official sources on 23 September 2026.

During the free initial consultation, we clarify your goal, profile, timing, and budget and identify the next realistic step.