MBBS & Medicine Abroad
MBBS in Italy for International Students
Italy's Medicine and Surgery degree is a single six-year cycle, and the University of Bologna runs an English-taught program. Entry comes down to one exam: the IMAT, sat through the Universitaly portal. Places go by ranking, not open enrollment.This guide tracks 38 verified programs in Italy, with sourced tuition from EUR 150–23,206 a year.
Quick facts
- Degree
- Medicine and Surgery (single-cycle, LM-41 class)source
- Duration
- 6 years — based on Bologna's English-taught programsource
- Verified programs
- 38
- Tuition range
- EUR 150–23,206
- Intake months
- January, February, September, October
- Entrance requirement
- IMAT is the official Universitaly admission test for English-taught single-cycle Medicine and Surgery; admission is nationally restricted by ranking.source
- Language reality
- English-taught tracks exist at named institutions (e.g. Bologna), but B1 Italian is required to access clinical clerkships.source
per year, sourced — 5 more priced in other currencies
Tuition, sourced
34 of 38 verified Italy programs with published tuition, cheapest first
Università degli Studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli" · Caserta
Medicine and Surgery2,548 EUR per year
Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore · Milano
Medicine and Surgery REPLICA - BOLZANO18,150 USD per year
UniCamillus - Saint Camillus International University of Health Sciences · Roma
Medicine and Surgery19,500 EUR per year
Fees as recorded from university-published data; verify on the university page before budgeting.
Who can apply
IMAT is the official Universitaly admission-test process for English-taught single-cycle Medicine and Surgery in Italy, and for the University of Bologna's named program, admission is nationally restricted by the resulting ranking, and the ministerial notice, cut-offs, and each university's own eligibility rules are set annually — confirm the current cycle before applying. Two of the largest sending markets add their own pre-departure requirements on top of whatever IMAT and a specific university ask for: Indian citizens intending a primary medical qualification abroad must qualify NEET-UG, which the Indian government treats as their Eligibility Certificate once they otherwise meet MBBS admission criteria, and Pakistani students must verify the institution against PM&DC's own list and obtain a PM&DC Student Registration Certificate before accepting a place.
English-taught tracks exist at named institutions: the University of Bologna states its Medicine and Surgery program is delivered entirely in English. But the same program requires Italian at B1 level or higher to access clinical clerkships, so an applicant without Italian needs a realistic plan for reaching B1 well before clinical years start rather than picking it up on arrival.
Scholarships, honestly
Our scholarship data lists 2 named medicine scholarships for Italy: the University of Milan Regional Scholarship (DSU) (Lombardy Region / University of Milan — income- and merit-tested; the official page excludes postgraduate medical schools but doesn't name the undergraduate-entry Medicine and Surgery course either way, so confirm in the current DSU call); and the Padua International Excellence Scholarship (University of Padova — up to three years for bachelor's/single-cycle degrees; Medicine isn't named in the eligibility text, so confirm before applying).
Merit-based tuition waiver — attainable with strong academic scores.
Italian universities run income- and merit-tested regional (DSU) and university excellence scholarships that can cover part of the cost — real and recurring, though the official pages don't always confirm Medicine and Surgery by name, so check the current year's call.
Coming home licensed
What a Italy medical degree takes to turn into a practicing license back home, for three of the largest origin markets, each with its own regulator and exam chain.
Coming home to India▾
- 1
Does a Italy medical degree qualify?
NMC's Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations, 2021 set conditions for an Indian licence after a foreign primary medical qualification, including at least 54 months of study, 12 months of internship in the same foreign medical institution, and eligibility for registration to practise in the country of training. This is a regulatory criterion, not confirmation that a named school is recognised.
source - 2
Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE), also called the Screening Test
The Government of India identifies FMGE as the screening test for registration to practise in India after obtaining a primary medical qualification overseas. NMC's Screening Test Regulations require a screening test for an Indian citizen seeking provisional or permanent registration after a foreign primary medical qualification.
source - 3
National Exit Test (NExT), or another test mandated by NMC for the applicable cohort
For graduates governed by the Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations, 2021, NMC lists clearance of NExT or another test mandated by NMC as a condition for permanent registration. This condition should not be read as proof that every foreign-graduate cohort must take both FMGE and NExT.
source - 4
No separate named examination
NMC's registration guidance says that a foreign medical graduate who clears FMGE and fulfils the stated criteria may receive provisional registration from a State Medical Council for a 12-month internship or the balance period, as applicable.
source - 5
No separate named examination
For graduates governed by FMGL Regulations 2021, permanent registration requires a supervised internship in India for at least 12 months. NMC's Screening Test Regulations also describe permanent registration after the required one-year internship for eligible candidates.
source - 6
No separate named examination beyond the applicable licensing-test requirement
Permanent registration is the registration that permits independent practice of modern scientific medicine in India. A foreign medical graduate may not practise in India without permanent registration under FMGL Regulations 2021.
source
Coming home to Pakistan▾
- 1
Does a Italy medical degree qualify?
PM&DC's policy for Pakistani students seeking undergraduate foreign medical admission requires them to verify that the institution is on the PM&DC list, obtain a PM&DC student registration certificate before study, and pass the National Registration Examination for full PM&DC registration after qualification. This is not confirmation that any named school is recognised.
source - 2
MDCAT where applicable; no additional named examination for the certificate
Before accepting study at a foreign undergraduate medical or dental institution, the PM&DC policy requires the student to obtain a PM&DC Student Registration Certificate and verify that the institution is on PM&DC's list.
source - 3
No separate named examination
A Pakistani foreign medical or dental graduate with an undergraduate qualification from a foreign university or institution recognised by PM&DC may be granted provisional registration to undertake a house job after the granting institution verifies the qualification.
source - 4
National Registration Examination (NRE)
Passing NRE is mandatory for full registration for Pakistani foreign graduates. The official NRE medical syllabus states that eligible candidates must pass both its theory and Clinical Skills Examination components separately.
source - 5
No separate named examination
PM&DC requires a minimum one-year, assessed, hands-on clinical internship, foundation year, or house job in an approved hospital or institution for conversion of provisional registration to full registration.
source - 6
No separate named examination beyond NRE
For Pakistani foreign graduates, full registration depends on satisfying the NRE requirement and the mandatory training requirement associated with provisional registration.
source
Coming home to Nigeria▾
- 1
Does a Italy medical degree qualify?
MDCN says it will not recognise graduates who complete unregulated clinical rotations outside the country where their university is domiciled, or who study medicine online. Its notice says graduates are expected to be registrable to practise in the country of training; this is not confirmation of recognition for a named university.
source - 2
Primary-source verification (PSV)
MDCN says foreign-trained Nigerian medical and dental graduates seeking registration in Nigeria, including people sitting the MDCN assessment examination, may apply for primary-source verification of their credentials through DataFlow.
source - 3
MDCN Assessment Examination (application route; individual applicability must be confirmed)
MDCN lists Assessment Examination as an online application service and provides its application route. The cited notice does not say that every foreign-trained graduate must sit or pass it, so the individual requirement must be confirmed with MDCN.
source - 4
No separate named examination at this step
MDCN states that newly graduated medical and dental practitioners must complete 12 uninterrupted months of housemanship at an MDCN-accredited training centre to be eligible for full registration.
source - 5
No separate named examination at this step
MDCN identifies completion of the accredited 12-month housemanship requirement as the condition for eligibility for full registration.
source - 6
Annual practising licence
MDCN says registered practitioners must pay the prescribed annual practising fee and that practising without paying it is an offence under section 14 of the MDCN Act.
source
What to weigh
The gap between "English-taught" and the lived program is mostly about timing: coursework runs in English at named institutions like Bologna, but B1 Italian becomes a hard requirement once clinical clerkships start, and Bologna's own clerkship information places its qualifying clinical clerkship in Year 6 — so the language work needs to happen well before then, not after arrival.
Sourced tuition also spans a wide range rather than one "Italy price," so the specific university and program matter more than the country label: check Global Admissions' sourced Italy fee table for what a given budget actually reaches. And whether an Italian medical degree converts into a license back home depends on your national regulator, not the degree alone — India's NMC sets conditions including years of study and a same-institution internship, Pakistan's PM&DC checks institutional recognition before departure and after return, and Nigeria's MDCN won't recognize graduates whose clinical rotations happened somewhere unregulated or outside the country where the university sits, covered step by step below.
The U.S. Department of State advises travellers to exercise increased caution in Italy because of terrorism. source
Upcoming deadlines
- Medicine and Surgery.Feb 9, 2027
Humanitas University
- MD in Medicine and Biomedical EngineeringFeb 9, 2027
Humanitas University
- Medicine and SurgeryApr 1, 2027
Catholic University of the Sacred Heart
- Medicine and SurgeryApr 29, 2027
Sapienza University of Rome
- Medicine and SurgeryMay 1, 2027
University of Pavia
- Medicine and SurgeryJun 1, 2027
Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome
Frequently asked questions
What is the medium of instruction?
Is qualifying NEET compulsory?
Can I practice medicine in India after my graduation?
What is FMGE?
Can I practice in Pakistan with a degree from abroad?
CAN A NIGERIAN STUDENT THAT STUDIED MBBS IN FOREIGN COUNTRY DO INTERNSHIP / HOUSEMSNSHIP AND PRACTICE IN NIGERIA ?
What does MBBS abroad cost for Indian students?
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How to verify this page
- unibo.it
- corsi.unibo.it
- universitaly.it
- nmc.org.in
- pmdc.pk
- mdcn.gov.ng
- travel.state.gov
- pib.gov.in — NEET/FMGE for foreign medical qualifications
- nmc.org.in — Screening Test Regulations, 2002
- nmc.org.in — Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations, 2021 (full text)
- pmdc.pk — National Registration Examination syllabus
- mdcn.gov.ng — primary-source verification (DataFlow)
- mdcn.gov.ng — housemanship requirement
- University of Milan Regional Scholarship (DSU)
- Padua International Excellence Scholarship
- Confirm the university appears on your home country's medical regulator list (e.g. NMC, PMDC, MDCN) before applying.
- Cross-check the tuition figure on the university's own official fee page — not a third-party agent site.
- Confirm the teaching language matches what you can actually study in (English-medium vs local-language track).
- Check the exact degree title awarded (MBBS vs MD vs Bachelor of Medicine) and whether it's recognized back home.
- Ask about the internship and clinical-rotation structure — some programs require it happen abroad, not at home.
- Understand your home country's return-home licensing rule (e.g. NEET, MDCAT, a screening exam) before you commit.