Italian Education
System
If you decided to study in Italy, here you can find some useful information about country’s educational system. In Italy there are both public and private institutions and education can be free for anyone.
After 12 years of school, it is possible to continue studying at the university getting a Bachelor’s Degree (Laurea Triennale) which usually lasts 3 years and then – Master’s Degree (Laurea Magistrale) which lasts other 2 years. Students who are interested in science or academic career can proceed with PhD programs (Dottorato di Ricerca) with duration of 3-4 years. Moreover, there are Single Cycle Degree Programs (Laurea a Ciclo Lungo ) which last 5 years and post-graduate qualification of Professional Master which lasts at least one year.
Any international student can apply for the scholarship which at the beginning depends on the family income and from the second year – on the student scores.
However, tuition fees vary from one university to another (for example, studying on south of the country is much cheaper than on north). However, comparing to fees in other European countries, education in Italy is considered to be relatively not expensive.
Moreover, all the students can have a part-time job (4 hours per day) to partially cover the required expenses.
Grades and Credits
Italian grading system ranges from 0 to 30, with 18 as a lowest mark to pass the exams. The highest mark is “30 e lode” which means that a student showed an excellent preparation. Students get their final score for the entire degree program as well. The minimum passing mark is 66/110, whereas the maximum is “110 e lode”, equivalent to “Diploma with honors”.
Every subject has its “weight” regulated by the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). To graduate successfully students should accomplish 180 credits for Bachelor’s Degree, 120 credits for Master’s Degree, 360 credits for Single Cycle Degree and at least 60 credits for Professional Master.
Italy has the oldest universities in Europe and in the world: University of Bologna (1088), University of Padua (1222), University of Naples Federico II (1224) and University of Siena (1240). Country’s high standards of education have always been the example of a deep and qualitative studying.
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