MBBS in Italy for Indian Students: IMAT Entrance, Low Fees and FMGL Fit (2027–28)

Italy is the only big Western European country where an Indian student can study medicine in English at a public university for fees that can be as low as a few hundred euros a year. The price of entry is IMAT, a national test held once a year, and a lot of paperwork. This guide uses the Italian Ministry's own decrees and university pages, as of November 2026.

How does MBBS in Italy work?

Italy's medical degree is the six-year "Laurea Magistrale a ciclo unico in Medicina e Chirurgia" (class LM-41, 360 credits). Several state and private universities run it in English. Entry to every English course goes through one national test, IMAT, and one national ranking system.

Two separate quotas exist:

• EU candidates and non-EU candidates legally resident in Italy compete in a national ranking and need at least 20 points to be eligible.
• Non-EU candidates living abroad (most Indian applicants) compete in rankings drawn up by each university. They only need a score above zero, according to Ministerial Decree 1005 of 6 August 2026.

Italy changed admissions in 2025. For Italian-taught courses at state universities, the old test was replaced by a "filter semester" with exams in chemistry, physics and biology. A Ministry note states that this reform does not apply to English-taught courses or to non-state universities, which is why IMAT continued in 2025 and 2026.

IMAT: format, dates and scoring

IMAT 2026 was held on 29 September 2026 at Italian universities and test centres abroad, including India. CINECA prepares the questions for the Ministry, and the test is identical everywhere.

• Correct answer: +1.5; wrong answer: −0.4; blank: 0. Maximum score: 90.
• 2026 registration ran from 26 August to 9 September 2026.
• Ties are broken by the biology score first, then chemistry, physics and maths, logic and reading.
• Universities also check English. Parma, for example, required all IMAT 2026 candidates to send a B2 or higher English certificate.

The biology and chemistry are close to Class 12 PCB, so NEET preparation helps, but the logic and physics questions need extra practice. Negative marking means guessing is costly.

How many seats are there for Indian students?

For 2026/27 the Ministry set 2,430 English-course medicine seats for EU and Italy-resident candidates and 1,362 for non-EU candidates living abroad (Decree 1005/2026, Table B). Selected universities:

Two warnings. First, the 320 Tor Vergata seats are taught in Tirana, Albania. FMGL requires the whole course, training and internship in the same foreign institution, and reports indicate NMC has cautioned students about offshore and franchise-style programmes, so get written NMC clarity before choosing a campus outside Italy. Second, private universities set their own fees, which are outside the state income-based system.

How to apply for MBBS in Italy: step by step

The Italian process runs on two tracks at once: the IMAT application and the visa pre-enrolment. Missing either one can cost you the year.

1. Qualify NEET-UG in the same year if you might return to India (it stays valid for three years).
2. Prepare for IMAT from Class 12 biology, chemistry and physics, plus logic practice. Past-paper style practice matters because of negative marking.
3. Register for IMAT in the official window (26 August to 9 September in 2026), choose your test centre, and list your preferred universities. The choice between medicine and veterinary medicine becomes irreversible when registration closes.
4. Pre-enrol on Universitaly for each university you want and prepare an English certificate (B2 or higher where required) and your school documents. Each university assesses foreign school qualifications itself.
5. Sit IMAT on the national date. Non-EU candidates living abroad are ranked by each university.
6. Accept a place when your name comes up in a university ranking, then apply for the study visa with the enrolment confirmation.
7. Arrive, enrol and apply for the permesso di soggiorno within eight working days.

Rankings move in several rounds, and transfers from other Italian universities sometimes fill places later, as Parma's 2026/27 notices show. Keep checking the university's notice board after the first list.

How much does it cost to study medicine in Italy?

State-university tuition is income-based and often very low; living costs are the main expense. We convert at the ECB rate of 13 November 2026 (€1 ≈ US$1.105) and US$1 ≈ ₹94.

At Parma, students with income or assets abroad must have their family situation converted to the Italian system (an "equivalent ISEE") to get a reduced fee; anyone who does not apply pays the maximum. The visa amount is a legal minimum, not a comfortable budget. See cheapest countries for MBBS abroad and the cost calculator.

Is an Italian medical degree valid in India? (FMGL 2021)

We rate Italy "mixed": the English medium and six-year length fit FMGL, but the internship structure and clinical language need checking. NMC does not approve foreign universities; it applies FMGL 2021 to each graduate.

• English medium: IMAT courses are taught in English. But patients speak Italian. Parma, for example, runs a medical Italian course for fourth- and fifth-year students, limited to 50 places.
• Duration and internship: the course is 360 credits over six years. Under article 102 of Decree-Law 18/2020, the LM-41 degree itself qualifies graduates to practise once they pass a practical-evaluative traineeship (tirocinio pratico-valutativo), which normally takes place within the course. There is no separate 12-month internship year after graduation. Ask NMC, before you enrol, whether Italy's integrated traineeship satisfies FMGL's "12-month internship in the same institution".
• Licence on par with a citizen: the qualifying degree is a strength, but registration as a doctor in Italy also involves residence status and practical Italian. Confirm what a non-EU graduate must do.
• Back in India: a 12-month internship in India and FMGE. FMGE remains the licensing exam for foreign graduates in 2026–27; NExT has no confirmed start date.

Read our FMGL rules guide and internship in India before deciding.

FMGE results for Italy graduates

Almost no Italy-trained Indians sit FMGE yet. The NBEMS FMGE Performance Report 2025 lists one candidate with an Italian degree (Humanitas University) in June 2025, who did not pass, and none in December 2025. There is no meaningful pass-rate data for Italy. See the FMGE guide.

Working in Europe, the UK or the US with an Italian degree

• Italy and the EU: the qualifying LM-41 degree allows graduates to practise in Italy once registered, subject to their immigration status. Moving to other EU countries as a non-EU citizen depends on each country's rules and language.
• United States: ANVUR, Italy's university accreditation agency, holds WFME recognition until March 2034 — useful context for the US route, although USMLE eligibility itself depends on the school being listed in WDOMS as meeting ECFMG requirements. See USMLE and PLAB after MBBS abroad.
• UK: check the GMC's rules for your nationality and degree.

Visa, residence permit and life in Italy

Admission to an English course leads to a study visa, then a residence permit (permesso di soggiorno). Under the Ministry's 2026/27 procedures:

1. Pre-enrol through the Universitaly portal (the only official, free route).
2. Apply for a type D study visa; for 2026/27 degree courses the deadline was 30 November 2026. Ranked IMAT candidates' data are shared with the Foreign Ministry to schedule visa appointments.
3. Show means of subsistence of €10,179.85 a year, health insurance and accommodation.
4. Within eight working days of arrival, apply for the permesso di soggiorno at the post office; the receipt counts as a temporary permit.
5. Renew the permit each year; renewal depends on academic progress.

A permesso di soggiorno lets you make short visits to other Schengen countries. Rules on part-time work for students are set by Italian immigration law; check the current limit with your university's international office. Expect slow bureaucracy and plan document translation and legalisation early (documents guide).

Life is pleasant but not cheap in Milan, Rome or Bologna; southern cities such as Messina and Naples are usually less expensive. Indian communities exist in all big cities.

Italy compared with other European options

Should you choose Italy?

Italy suits students who can score well on a competitive single-day test, want a low-fee European degree and are willing to learn Italian. Sit NEET and IMAT in the same year, list several universities, and avoid campuses outside Italy unless NMC has confirmed they are acceptable. If you miss IMAT, a fee-paying English programme in Hungary or Bulgaria is the usual alternative.

Be realistic about the odds at popular state universities. Because non-EU applicants abroad are ranked separately by each university, a seat at a university with 13 or 15 non-EU places (Sapienza or Milan in 2026/27) is much harder to win than one at a university with 50 or 61. Spread your preferences, and never pay an agent for a "reserved IMAT seat": places come only from the official rankings.

Pros and cons of MBBS in Italy

Advantages

• Very low, income-based tuition at state universities compared with private MBBS in India
• Large number of English-taught seats reserved for non-EU applicants living abroad
• IMAT can be taken in India, and non-EU applicants abroad only need a score above zero to be ranked
• WFME-recognised accreditation (ANVUR until 2034) and an EU degree

Drawbacks

• Admission depends on one competitive test day; places at popular universities fill with high scores
• Italian is needed for patient contact, and few universities teach it in depth
• The degree has no separate post-course internship year, so FMGL internship compliance must be checked
• Bureaucracy: pre-enrolment, visa deadlines and residence permit within eight days of arrival
• Living costs of at least about €850 a month