Master's in Italy: How to Apply for a Laurea Magistrale in 2027

A master's degree in Italy (Laurea Magistrale) takes two years and 120 CFU credits. You apply with a bachelor's degree whose courses match the programme's entry requirements, and many strong public universities teach most of their master's programmes in English. For applicants from outside the EU the route has four separate decision-makers: the university admits you, Universitaly records your pre-enrolment, the Italian consulate issues the visa, and the Questura (police immigration office) issues the residence permit.

Timing is tighter than it looks. The first application rounds for a September 2027 start open in October 2026, and the visa application for the 2027/28 intake must be filed by 31 October 2027 at the latest (MUR circular for 2026/27 and 2027/28). This guide covers requirements, the calendar, official fees at three universities and the mistakes that most often cost applicants a year.

Master's in Italy at a glance

Dollar amounts use the ECB reference rate of 29 September 2026 (€1 = $1.1355) and are rounded.

Laurea Magistrale, Master universitario or MBA?

In Italy the word "master" covers three different products. Mixing them up is expensive: a student can pay for a one-year course and only later discover that it does not give access to a PhD.

Source for the first three rows: Study in Italy, the Italian higher education system. The class code tells you what you are looking at: second-cycle degrees carry codes starting with LM (for example LM-32 or LM-56).

The distinction also matters for the visa. The fixed visa deadline applies to Laurea and Laurea Magistrale programmes; for Master universitario, PhD and foundation courses there is no fixed cut-off, but the application must be filed before classes start.

Who an Italian master's suits

Italy works particularly well for:

• STEM graduates. Politecnico di Milano and the universities of Padua and Bologna each teach dozens of engineering and science master's programmes in English.
• Economics or management graduates on a budget. Public universities charge international students a fixed or calculated fee; in the examples below it is 4.7 to 13.7 times lower than Bocconi's annual fee.
• Designers and architects with a portfolio. For these programmes the portfolio is mandatory and weighs more than the grade average.

It is harder if you want to switch field completely. Italian admission offices check the actual courses in your bachelor's transcript, and a motivation letter cannot replace missing subjects.

What universities require from applicants

Subject match

This is the main filter. Politecnico di Milano (Polimi) requires a bachelor's degree containing "subjects closely related to the MSc programme", giving access to EQF level 7, and issued by an institution that belongs to the official education system of its country. A degree in a different field or from a vocational school cannot be used to apply directly (Polimi requirements).

Many programmes express requirements as a minimum number of credits in specific subject groups. Data Science at the University of Padua, for example, looks for mathematics, probability, programming and algorithms.

Prepare in advance:

• a transcript with hours or credits for each course;
• course descriptions (syllabi): optional at Polimi, but advised because they make the subject match easier to assess;
• a cumulative GPA statement and your university's grading scale: mandatory for all Polimi applicants.

Grade point average

Some universities publish minimum GPAs by country. Polimi lists them in its country-specific requirements and will not assess applications below the threshold. Examples: 80% for China, 70/100 for India, 7.5/10 for Serbia. For Russian degrees there is no minimum, but the degree must be a bachelor's (bakalavr) with closely related subjects, plus an official GPA statement with translation if the transcript does not show one.

Language

For the visa, the minimum is B2 in the language of instruction, certified across all four skills: reading, writing, listening and speaking. Universities set their own thresholds. Polimi's list for 2026/27:

Source: Polimi document list. At Polimi the certificate does not affect the admission decision, but without it you receive no admission letter and cannot be considered for merit scholarships. For programmes taught in Italian, or in Italian and English, Polimi also requires Italian at B2 from a CLIQ-system body (CILS, CELI, PLIDA, CERT.IT).

Tests and portfolio

• GMAT, GRE or the Bocconi online test is compulsory for most Bocconi master's programmes (Bocconi admissions).
• An optional GRE can be uploaded for Polimi engineering and architecture programmes; there is no minimum score.
• A portfolio is mandatory for architecture, urban planning and design at Polimi (maximum 20 MB).
• Interviews are used by some programmes, usually online.

Motivation letter and references

At many public universities these weigh less than the subject match. Polimi lists them as optional documents that make an application more competitive and asks for a separate letter for each of the two programmes you may apply to.

Deadlines for the 2027/28 intake

There is no national deadline. Each university runs its own rounds; the state procedures (Universitaly and the visa) start after a positive decision.

Sources: Bocconi, Polimi, University of Milan, University of Pavia, MUR circular.

A new rule for 2026/27 and 2027/28: a university can validate on Universitaly no more pre-enrolments than its places for international students plus 20%. Once the cap is reached, new applications wait until a place frees up after a visa refusal. A late applicant can be left without validation even with a complete file.

Step-by-step plan for a September 2027 start

Plan backwards: the visa application is due by October 2027, so you need the university decision in spring and should start the documents on your degree in autumn 2026.

1. September – October 2026: shortlist. Pick 4–6 programmes and note subject requirements, language, tests, rounds and application fees.
2. October – December 2026: language and tests. Take IELTS or TOEFL and, if needed, GMAT or GRE. Note the validity date of each result.
3. October 2026 – January 2027: apply in early rounds. Bocconi allocates most places on popular programmes and most scholarships in early rounds; Polimi recommends early-bird applications for better chances and faster results.
4. In parallel: degree documents. Apostille or legalisation, translation and, if you choose CIMEA, an application on the DiploMe platform. CIMEA's authenticity check takes up to 60 working days and has no fast-track option. See our guide to documents for admission in Italy.
5. Spring 2027: decision and Universitaly. After the decision, submit the pre-enrolment on Universitaly and wait for the university to validate it. You can pre-enrol for one programme at one university only.
6. Summer 2027: consular file. If you use a Declaration of Value, some consulates (Moscow, for example) accept the request only after pre-enrolment is validated. Arrange housing at the same time: an application for a student residence does not count as proof of accommodation. See student housing in Italy.
7. July – October 2027: visa. Book the appointment early; since 11 January 2025 fingerprints are taken for national visas as well. The file is covered in our student visa guide.
8. September – October 2027: arrival. Within 8 working days, apply for the residence permit (permesso di soggiorno) and complete enrolment at the university.

How much a master's in Italy costs

Public universities use different fee models: some apply a fixed rate by citizenship, some charge the maximum to international students with a foreign bachelor's degree, others calculate fees from family income (ISEE parificato). Three official examples for first-year students in 2026/27:

Sources: UniBo reduced fixed fee, Polimi fees, Bocconi fees 2026/27.

These figures cannot be transferred to other universities. Sapienza, for example, stated at the time of checking that its 2026/27 fees would be published after 30 September 2026.

Also budget for:

The consulate assesses the funds together with family income and account history. An application for a regional grant does not count until the grant is awarded.

Scholarships and fee reductions

The main sources of support are regional DSU grants (based on income and merit), university merit scholarships and Italian government (MAECI) scholarships. Each has its own application and deadline, often earlier than the academic one. Amounts and deadlines are covered in our scholarships guide, and the family-income calculation in our guide to the ISEE parificato.

Two rules affect your admission plan right away:

• a university scholarship can remove the international maximum rate: at Polimi the maximum does not apply to holders of a Polimi or other institutional scholarship;
• for the visa, a scholarship counts only with a document confirming it has been awarded.

English-taught master's: where the choice is wide

English is far more common at master's level than at bachelor's level. University catalogues in September 2026:

Sources: Polimi, UniBo, Padua. "Bilingual" means some courses may be taught in Italian, and Polimi requires Italian B2 for these programmes. Our guide to English-taught degrees in Italy explains how to tell a fully English programme from an English track. University profiles on StudyU: Politecnico di Milano, University of Bologna, Sapienza.

Common mistakes

• Choosing by programme title. "Data Science" can require heavy mathematics at one university and target economists at another. Read the subject requirements and study plan.
• Applying in the last round. Scholarships and places on popular programmes go earlier, and Universitaly validations are capped.
• Starting degree documents late. CIMEA's authenticity check takes up to 60 working days, the platform accepts a limited number of requests per day and in 2026 closed to new requests for a week in July and in August.
• Pre-enrolling too early. Universitaly allows one programme at one university. Some universities let you pre-enrol before the decision, but changing it later goes through the university.
• Budgeting with an unconfirmed grant. The consulate and your family need a plan that works without it.
• Confusing Master universitario with Laurea Magistrale. The one-year Master universitario does not lead to a PhD.

How StudyU helps

During the free initial consultation, we clarify your goal, profile, timing, and budget and identify the next realistic step. Programme selection against your transcript, subject-requirement checks, an application calendar, document preparation and application support are provided under an agreement with StudyU. Admission decisions are made by the university, visa decisions by the consulate, residence permits by the Questura, and grants by the funding body. See our overview of studying in Italy.

FAQ

Sources

• MUR circular on international students, 2026/27 and 2027/28 — checked 23 Sep 2026
• Universitaly: international students — checked 23 Sep 2026
• Study in Italy (Italian Foreign Ministry): higher education system — checked 23 Sep 2026
• Politecnico di Milano: requirements, deadlines, documents, fees — checked 23 Sep 2026
• University of Bologna: reduced fixed fee 2026/27 — checked 23 Sep 2026
• University of Bologna: Universitaly pre-enrolment guide — checked 23 Sep 2026
• Bocconi: rounds and selection criteria 2027/28 and fees 2026/27 — checked 23 Sep 2026
• Politecnico di Milano: deadlines and document list and language thresholds — checked 23 Sep 2026
• University of Milan and University of Pavia: 2026/27 pre-enrolment deadlines — checked 23 Sep 2026
• CIMEA DiploMe: timelines and prices — checked 23 Sep 2026
• ECB euro reference rates — 29 Sep 2026

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