Medical university in Italy is not free, however it is one of the most affordable places to study in the world for International students. Additionally there are numerous scholarships for international students in Italy that can completely waiver tuition fees making it free to study in an Italian Medical School regardless of nationality, or country of origin.
There are numerous Italian medical universities that offer medicine in English to choose from and the price changes in each of them, depending on the region, whether the university is private or public, and which country the applicant is from.
What Effects the Average Price of Tuition?
Tuition fees can rage drastically between being completely free and €20,000 euro a year and depends on a variety of factors such as whether the institution is public or private, annual familial income, country of origin of the applicant, and finally student merit.
Annual Family Income (ISEE)
There is a document called the ISEE that can be obtained for international students (but is required for Italian citizens). It is used to prove your annual familial income, and takes into account any property and any income that your household has. If you are in a lower income bracket your fees can be reduced or completely wavered thanks to scholarships.
Country of Origin
Tuition fees usually differ based on if the student is from a Non-EU country or an EU country, however depending on the university this can be further divided.
For example, in Sapienza University students from developing countries pay half the flat fee for international students. La Sapienza has a flat fee of €1000 Euro for international students without the presentation of the ISEE, however Italians can pay up to €3000 Euro annually without the ISEE.
Universities such as Turin and Milan Statale have different fees for every single country that is calculated based on that countries GDP. These countries are usually divided into groups, and fees are calculated by group of country for example the maximum fees of Milan Statale are below:
Student Merit
A lot of universities reward tuition reductions depending on student performance. This can be based on the initial rankings to get into University as is the case in UCBM where the top candidates will have reduced fees for 6 years, however UniCamillus Medicine in English and other private universities can also offer scholarships.
It can be based on class ranking, such as in La Sapienza where the top 5 students every year pay no fees.
Or it can be based on the number of credits you currently hold such as in Milan University, where all/any students receive a small reduction of their annual fees if they are on time with at least 90{bb8d53cabbfbfa48737bbedab9cb9b55bf5183c8f56cc8e5fd88b7a4065b00a7} of their exams.
Can You Study Medicine in Italy with a Scholarship?
Yes! There are multiple grants and scholarships that universities can offer to reduce annual fees or completely waiver them (see above). However there are also scholarships that are based regionally in Italy that will grant students free housing, meals, and perhaps even a supplemental spending allowance which completely depends on the annual income of the family (ISEE Document).
These usually need to be applied to separately from the university and have regional governing bodies to decide. Here are the links to the 2 biggest ones: LazioDisco and EDiSU
Average Cost of Private Universities in Italy (with no fee reductions)
Italy currently has 5 Private English Medical programmes which are linked here to their tuition pages: Humanitas (Milan), San Rafaelle (Milan), Uni Camillus (Rome), Universita Campus Bio Medica (Rome), Cattolica (Roma).
Prices can depend again on bursaries, but on average students can expect to pay:
– €18,000 Euro annually as a Non-EU applicant for any of these choices
– €7,000 – 20,000 euro as an EU candidate depending on income and choice
We have linked to the tuition fee page for each of the universities, and will be writing a more in-depth article soon on the price breakdowns of all of the private universities.
Average Cost of Public Universities in Italy (with no fee reductions)
It can be completely free depending on income or merit up to a maximum of €5000 Euro in Tor Vergata and Bicocca which are on the more expensive side of Public Medical Schools. However most universities range from €1000-3000 Euro annually depending on the country of origin with no further considerations or reductions.
2 thoughts on “Is Medical University Free in Italy?”
can you give a fee structure particularly for indian students?
Students from India are considered non-EU so the fee would again depend on the university, and whether they use a GDP based break down or a flat rate. Since non-EU students can only choose one university to apply to, I advice you to check the fees for the university you choose to apply to, to get a way better idea.