How to certify academic documents obtained in the United States for foreign use
Admission to Italian Universities, Academies of Art, Conservatories
Traditional Track Academic Degrees
There are three levels of degrees offered by the Italian University System:
- First level degree (three years): Laurea
- Second level degree (two additional years): Laurea specialistica
- Third level degree (three additional years): Dottorato di ricerca
Each Italian university reserves the right to limit the number of foreign students it will admit to a specific degree program. The quota of foreign students each University will admit in any given academic year is communicated in advance to the Ministry of Universities and Research for transparency and published on the web. This informs foreign students in advance about which University in Italy has openings for foreign students in a specific course of study.
Information on the number of openings that are offered to foreign students in a specific degree program, as well as procedures, official deadline and the approved formal application is available on the web www.studiare-in-italia.it/studentistranieri/. The information is updated every year on the month of May for the next academic year starting in September.
A formal application and supporting official academic documents must be submitted, within the terms and regulations posted by the Ministry of University and Research, to the Consulate General of Italy covering the area of residence of the foreign student.
Filing the formal application requires a visit to the Consulate in person for due identification.
The Consulate General in Houston covers the territory of Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas.
ATTENTION: deadline to submit applications and supporting documents to the Italian Consulate General for the academic year 2013-2014 has been ****postponed**** to July 5, 2013.
The following academic degree programs called “Laurea Magistrale” in:
- Medicina e Chirurgia;
- Odontoiatria e Protesi dentaria;
- Medicina Veterinaria, and
- Architettura
require the student to first pass an additional entrance examination. Before they can submit the formal application for admission to the University they must register for the entrance test on line via the portal www.universitaly.it.
The student candidate must register directly not later than 3:00 PM (Italian time) of June 7, 2013. Registration on line to the entrance examination will be opened again from June 25, to July 5, 2013.
When submitting your formal application to the Consulate General of Italy for admission to one of the above degree programs on or before July 5, 2013, receipt of on line registration to the entrance examination must also be presented.
Students applying to the academic degree program in Medicine taught entirely in English language must register on line to the IMAT test, to be taken in Italy or other authorized venues, by April 15, 2013.
All academic documents required in support of the formal student application for admission must be submitted to the Consulate General that covers the State where the academic institution is located. Academic documents obtained in the United States require certification for foreign use by the Secretary of State with the Apostille. For instructions on the specific process of certification of academic documents for foreign use go to How to Certify Academic Documents
The Consulate General of Italy in Houston will verify and process academic documents issued by academic institutions located in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas.
If a student has attended high school in one State, university in another and is now residing in a third State, he/she must coordinate well in advance and with each Consulates involved how to proceed for verification of academic documents before the formal application for admission can be accepted by the Consulate that covers the State of residence.
Academic requirements
For admission to the Italian first level academic degree Laurea
Italian Universities do not scrutinize transcripts of US High School graduates to rank the academic career accomplishments of the student applicants before granting or denying admission, as it is customary in the United States.
In order to guarantee equal opportunities for admission to an Italian University or Academy of Arts or Conservatory, the first level degree program “Laurea”, to students graduating from a U. S. High School, the Italian Ministry of University has determined that the prospective candidate must have attained, at the time of submitting the application to the Italian Consulate abroad, one of the following levels of academics detailed below.
The student must have completed one of the follow academic requirements:
- US High School graduation followed by certified attainment of Junior standing (2-years) in a 4-year Bachelor degree program of an accredited US University;
or
- US High school graduation followed by certified attainment of Sophomore standing, (1-year) in a 4-year Bachelor degree program of an accredited US University, and 4 certificates of successful completion of examinations at Advance Placement level in subjects related to the degree program the student is applying to at the Italian University. Successful completion of Advance Placement exam in Italian language will count as the 4 Advance Placement certifications in different subjects;
or
- US High School graduation and the certificates of successful completion of the Advance Placement exam in Italian language plus 2 other Advance Placement subjects related to the degree program the student is applying for in Italy;
NOTE:
The above requirements apply also to students who, after graduating from High School in the US have continued their studies in a University of a Country other than the United States of America.
In this case the Italian University must evaluate the entire curriculum of studies, the one completed in the US high school and the one completed in the foreign country's University before determining the total student’s credits toward admission to the Italian academic program.
NOTE:
Students, who have obtained High School graduation in Countries other than the United States, and then continued education at a University in the United States, must submit also the official high school graduation certificate to the Consulate General of Italy in that Country and obtain the declaration of value that verifies that degree.
All students are encouraged to establish communication electronically with the director of the specific academic program in Italy for which they are interested in applying, find out the specific requirements of that program, and the academic calendar including the date of the entrance examination if established by the University.
Academic requirements
for admission to an Italian second level academic degree Laurea specialistica.
Completion of undergraduate studies and holding a Bachelor degree from an accredited university and completion of college work related to the area of academic studies the student is seeking admission to in Italy.
Academic requirements
for admission to an Italian third level academic degree Dottorato di Ricerca.
A Master degree from an accredited university and completion of college work related to the area of academic studies the student is seeking admission to in Italy.
For a list of official academic documents that must be presented in support of the formal application for admission to the Italian University System you should complete the form Questionnaire and email it to houston.education@esteri.it.
For information on how an academic document should be certified by the Registrar, acknowledged by the notary, and receive the apostille of the Secretary of State to comply with the international convention of Hague on foreign official documents and thus be accepted in a foreign country, go to How to Certify Academic Documents.
The collection by the student of all academic documents legalized as required to be presented with the formal application, has been experienced to take between one and two months.
It is strongly suggested that the students start the process of authentication of their foreign academic documents as soon as possible as the Consulate will not accept formal applications with partial documentation or academic documents that are in the process of receiving the required authentication as per International Convention of Hague.
Master Universitario I & II Livello
Each University in Italy has independently activated courses of the duration of one year only. These are called: Master universitario di I livello (level 1) and Master universitario di II livello (level 2)
Some are taught in Italian and some are taught in English.
The Master universitario academic track is different and separate from the traditional university academic track that includes Laurea, Laurea Spcialistica, Dottorato di Ricerca.
Master universitario is a course of advanced studies in science and periodic education and cannot serve as a pre-requisite to proceed or add credits to the study programs in the traditional academic track.
Each University independently proclaims year by year the activation of a Master universitario di I or II livello and sets regulations and deadlines for admission to these courses.
Therefore, a foreign student should investigate directly with each Italian University about the Master universitario offered that suits the applicant’s area of interest.
This can be done by visiting the web site of each Italian University, usually provided also in English.
By clicking on the link below you will get to a map of Italy showing all the cities hosting Universities.
Universities in Italy
Then click on the city and a page will open listing the local Universities and the links to their web sites.
Master universitari are posted quite in advance from the application’s deadline on the University’s web site.
The official proclamation of the Master universitario, including a step by step explanation of the process, list of documents, if an acceptance/placement test is required, and the deadline for submitting the application on line, should be available on the University web site. An email address of the person in charge of the Master universitario to contact in case you require more explanation is also provided.
All Universities require that the student completes the application and forwards copies of all academic papers on line (i.e.: copy of your academic transcript, letter of recommendation by a professor of yours, resume with academic career history and work experience, and a letter of motivation where to express the reasons for pursuing that specific Master universitario).
However, the Universities still require that you present the official academic documents verified and certified by the Italian Consulate covering the area at the time of registration in Italy.
It is suggested that students present the academic documents required to the Consulate at least a month ahead of their departure from the United States. This will allow the Consulate to process the academic documents and return them to the student to carry to Italy for registration.
For more information on this you can communicate with this Consulate General via email: scuola.houston@esteri.it .
Academic requirements for admission to Master universitario di I livello. The student must have completed undergraduate studies in the United States and obtained a Bachelor degree in the same or similar area of studies covered by the Master universitario di I livello pursued.
Academic documents to present to the Consulate for verification are
- official High School transcript and graduation Diploma.
- official transcript and Diploma of Bachelor Degree.
Make reference to the page How to Certify Academic Documents for legalization requirements.
- the catalogue of courses printed by the American University providing complete information about the requirements of the course of study completed and outlining a summary of the main topics mastered in each specific class or subject. The catalogue of courses should also include detailed explanation on the credit hour value adopted by the University as well as the total credit hours required for completion of your undergraduate course.
Academic requirements for admission to Master universitario di II livello. The student must have completed graduate studies in the United States and obtained a Master degree in the same or similar area of studies covered by the Master universitario di II livello pursued.
Academic documents to present to the Consulate for verification are:
- All official documents required for Master program level 1
- official transcript and Diploma of Master Degree. If you have received your Master degree and Bachelor degree from the same University, one official transcript covering the entire undergraduate and graduate studies will be accepted.
Make reference to the page How to Certify Academic Documents for legalization requirements.
- the catalogue of courses printed by the American University providing complete information about the requirements of the course of study completed and outlining a summary of the main topics mastered in each specific class or subject. The catalogue of courses should also include detailed explanation on the credit hour value adopted by the University as well as the total credit hours required for completion of the undergraduate course.
Following your application on line the Italian University should officially send you a letter of admission and communicate the date the student needs to be in Italy to start classes. This letter is required to start the student visa process and the student must make due arrangements to comply with this requirement.
