Foreign secondary school diplomas are valid for admission to First Cycle Degree Programmes and Single Cycle Degree Programmes in Italian Universities if:
• they are obtained following a period of schooling of at least 12 years;
• they are obtained following a final period of at least two years of successful attendance in a foreign educational system;
• they grant access to a programme at a university in one’s country of reference which is similar to that being applied to in Italy.
In calculating the above-mentioned twelve years, if necessary, a pre-school year may be considered provided that:
• the attendance during the year is compulsory and an integral part of the curriculum;
• the programme includes the teaching of mother tongue literacy and the first elements of arithmetic calculation.
If you hold a qualification obtained at the end of schooling lasting less than 12 years, in addition to the original secondary school diploma, you must present an academic certificate stating that you have passed all the required exams:
• for the first year of university studies, in the case of local school systems of eleven years;
• for the first two years of university studies, in the case of local school systems of ten years.
In Italy, such academic certification (in addition to secondary school diplomas obtained following less than twelve years of schooling) permits matriculation only in the first academic year of the programme. Enrolment in a shortened programme may be possible only if the duration of previous university attendance is greater than the period required to integrate the missing school education.