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Studying in Italy in Italian or in English

Italian universities admit international students for exchange semesters and full degrees. The language of the programme decides how much Italian you need.

  • Degrees taught in Italian usually require Italian at B2, the fourth of the six levels of the CEFR, the Common European Framework of Reference.
  • Degrees taught in English usually require an English certificate and no proof of Italian.
  • Exchange students follow the rules agreed between their home and host universities.

Even in an English-taught degree, Italian decides how well you handle daily life, housing, part-time work and contact with Italian students. Many universities offer Italian courses for international students alongside the degree.

Two public universities specialise in Italian for foreigners: the Università per Stranieri di Siena and the Università per Stranieri di Perugia. They run the CILS and CELI certificates and Italian courses, and Italy uses them to promote its language abroad.

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English speakers start Italian with an advantage, because many academic words share Latin roots with English, such as analisi (analysis) or metodo (method). Reading academic texts therefore comes earlier than following a fast lecture.

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Italian at B2 for admission to Italian-taught degrees

Each Italian university sets its own language rules, and the rules of the Sapienza University of Rome for the 2026-2027 academic year show the usual pattern.

Applicant groupWhat is requiredNote
Non-EU applicants living abroad, Italian-taught degreeItalian test at B2exempt with a CLIQ certificate at B2 or higher
EU citizens and non-EU residents of Italyexempt from this testthe programme may still set a level
English-taught degreeusually no Italian proofEnglish certificate instead
Exchange studentsrules of the partner universitiescheck before the learning agreement

At Sapienza the test is the online ITA L2 test of CISIA, a consortium of Italian universities that runs entrance tests, taken remotely from home. Sapienza requires at least 55 points. CLIQ is the association of the four recognised Italian testing bodies, which issue the CILS, CELI, PLIDA and CERT.IT, and Sapienza accepted CLIQ certificates at B2 or higher issued between 1 January 2022 and 30 June 2026.

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A CLIQ certificate at B2 or higher saves you a separate university test at Sapienza and other universities with the same rule. Check the dates, because the certificate must be issued before the application deadline.

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Academic Italian for written work, lectures and oral exams

Academic Italian differs from everyday Italian in three ways that a course for university should train.

1 Oral exams

Many exams at Italian universities are oral. You answer a professor's questions on the course content in structured spoken Italian, so a course should practise explaining, defining and comparing out loud as well as in writing.

2 Impersonal style and connectors

Written work uses impersonal forms with si, as in si osserva che (it can be observed that), passive forms and the congiuntivo, the Italian subjunctive, in arguments. Connectors give the text its structure.

FunctionItalian connectorMeaning
Adding a pointinoltremoreover
Contrastingtuttaviahowever
Concludingpertantotherefore
Citing a sourcesecondoaccording to

3 Lectures at natural speed

Professors speak fast and sometimes with a regional accent. Recorded lectures and podcasts on your subject train this listening long before departure.

The final thesis of an Italian degree is called the tesi di laurea, and it follows the same impersonal style.

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Italian for an Erasmus semester and university language centres

Erasmus is the EU exchange programme that funds study periods at partner universities abroad. Students who spend a semester in Italy often attend courses taught in Italian, and the partner universities agree on a recommended language level in advance.

Many Italian universities run a language centre, often called CLA (Centro Linguistico di Ateneo), which offers Italian courses for international students. Some of these courses prepare for B2, the usual level for Italian-taught degrees. These courses help once you are enrolled, and before admission an online course has to cover the gap.

An online course before an Erasmus semester should focus on three things.

  1. Listening to lectures and following discussions at natural speed.
  2. Presenting a topic orally, because oral exams and presentations are common.
  3. Emails to professors and university offices with Lei, the polite form of address, and fixed openings such as Gentile professore.
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Italy is one hour ahead of the UK and six to nine hours ahead of mainland North America, so live lessons with teachers in Italy fit a European evening or a North American morning.

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A preparation plan with certificate dates that fit the application

The US Foreign Service Institute places Italian among the languages closest to English and puts professional fluency at about 552 class hours. B2 comes well before that point, but it still needs steady study.

  1. 12 to 18 months before applying: take a placement test and start a course towards B1 and then B2.
  2. 6 to 9 months before: train academic reading, lecture listening and oral presentations.
  3. 4 to 6 months before: prepare for a CLIQ certificate at B2, such as the CILS DUE-B2.
  4. At least 4 months before the deadline: sit the exam. CILS results arrive about three months after the exam.
  5. After admission: take an academic writing course or the courses of the university language centre.

At CILS you pass only if you reach the minimum score in every skill, so the course must train speaking and writing as well as reading.

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The CILS B1 Cittadinanza certificate counts only for Italian citizenship applications. It does not prove the B2 level a degree requires.

Frequently asked questions about online Italian courses for university

Do EU citizens need an Italian test to study in Italy?

EU citizens are exempt from the Italian test that Italian universities set for non-EU applicants living abroad, as the rules of the Sapienza University of Rome show. A programme taught in Italian can still require a certain level. Check the admission rules of your degree programme.

Does a CILS certificate exempt you from the Italian test of an Italian university?

A CILS certificate at B2 or higher exempts you from the Italian test at universities such as the Sapienza University of Rome, which accepts all CLIQ certificates. CLIQ covers CILS, CELI, PLIDA and CERT.IT. Sapienza accepted certificates for 2026-2027 if they were issued between 1 January 2022 and 30 June 2026.

Are exams at Italian universities oral?

Many exams at Italian universities are oral, and students answer a professor's questions on the course content. A course for Italian-taught degrees should therefore train explaining and arguing out loud. Written exams and the final thesis, the tesi di laurea, need academic writing as well.

Do you need Italian for an English-taught degree in Italy?

For an English-taught degree in Italy you usually do not need proof of Italian. Italian still helps with daily life, housing and contact with Italian students. Many universities offer Italian courses for international students alongside the degree.

Where can you prepare for a degree taught in Italian?

You can prepare for a degree taught in Italian with an online course up to B2 and a CLIQ certificate such as CILS or CELI. The Università per Stranieri di Siena and di Perugia, two public universities for Italian as a foreign language, also run Italian courses. After enrolment, the university language centre offers further courses.

Sources

The information is based on these sources. Check fees and dates with the provider before you register.