Studying Medicine in Italy: A Get-Started Guide for International Students

Over the last few years Italy has quietly become one of the most popular places in Europe to study medicine in English. The reasons are practical: full six-year degrees taught entirely in English, public tuition that is a fraction of what you would pay in the UK, Ireland or the United States, and a degree that is recognised across the European Union. If you are weighing up where to train as a doctor, here is what you need to know before you start.

Medicine in English: the IMAT route
Italy's public medical schools run their English-taught "Medicine and Surgery" programmes through a single national entrance exam, the IMAT (International Medical Admissions Test). Competition is real and growing: in 2025 a record 13,495 candidates sat the test for roughly 952 places in medicine across the country. The exam covers logical reasoning, biology, chemistry, physics and maths, and your score decides both whether you get in and which university you can choose.

What makes Italy attractive
The pull is a rare combination. Tuition at public universities is income-based and low by international standards, the clinical training is solid, and you get to spend six years living in Italy. The trend shows in the numbers: students holding a foreign qualification enrolled at Italian universities have passed 110,000 in the 2024/25 academic year, more than double the figure of six years earlier. Medicine is the sharpest edge of that pull.

Where students come from
International applicants arrive from across the Mediterranean, the Middle East and South Asia. A large share come from countries where getting into medical school at home is extremely hard because of a strict domestic cap on places. Israel is a clear example: roughly six in ten practising physicians in Israel trained abroad, the internal numerus clausus is among the most selective anywhere, and Italy has become one of the main destinations for Israeli students who want an English-taught medical degree close to home. If you are an Israeli student looking at studying medicine in Italy, you are part of a well-established and growing community here.

Getting started: your checklist
Choose your city and shortlist universities early, since seats and score thresholds differ from one campus to the next. Prepare seriously for the IMAT. Budget realistically for tuition plus living costs. And sort your accommodation well before the September intake, because in the big university cities rooms go fast once term approaches.

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