This article was written by a student who transferred from Luigi Vanvitelli to La Sapienza but preferred to stay anonymous
Is it possible to transfer from any medical university to any other medical university?
It is not possible to transfer from any medical university to any other medical university in Italy. The transfer possibility ultimately comes down to the compatibility of the course layout for both universities.
For example, if you were studying in a university such as Luigi Vanvitelli or Sapienza (who teach individual subjects for a specific amount of credits) you would not be able to transfer to IMS Milan since they have a course block model, in which several courses are taught inside one overarching block.
You can take a look at these course lists to see what I mean:
As a general rule though, it’s best to contact the university you’re intending to transfer to directly and ask them if the possibility of transfer exists and what are the appropriate requirements and procedures for that particular institution.
How Common is it to Transfer?
I don’t have any factual numbers to provide, so take this with a grain of salt, but I personally feel that transferring is quite common. It usually tends to happen from newer universities to more “established” ones, or just based on a preference of location.
Having said that, each university has a set number of transfer spots available per year, so the process can be competitive. From my experience, it is mainly based on the number of credits acquired and not necessarily on the grades earned in individual classes.
Some years universities will have no transfer spots available, so that is something to keep in mind. They will only open up spots if the number of actual students in the course is below the number of students the course is supposed to have.
Can I transfer in 1st year?
To my knowledge you are able to transfer into second year of your selected university after completing first year in your university of origin. However, I don’t think that people are able to transfer in the middle of first year.
Do I have to resit the IMAT?
You don’t have to resit the IMAT for the official transfer process between two Italian universities. However, some students choose to resit the IMAT in order to get accepted into their university of choice and then have their prior credits validated so they’ll be later placed in their respective year.
This is not the official transfer process, but some people do it that way.
What are the reasons a student might consider this option?
Transferring universities is a very personal decision. You might decide to transfer into another university that you feel is stronger in an aspect of medicine you’re very interested in. You might want to change cities, because you’re not enjoying your stay in the city of your university of origin.
Another reason to consider transferring is the recognition of the degree you will be obtaining. For example, only certain universities have recognition in the US in order to take the USMLE and pursue a specialty over there.
If you’re considering transferring really explore all of your options, and don’t just go for reputation. Consider where you want to be after graduating, and check if the university you want to transfer to would be able to provide you the means of getting to that “next step”.
Are there costs associated to transferring?
When I transferred I had to pay two fees: An application fee of €65 Euro and a registration fee of €156 Euro.
What documents are needed to transfer?
You need the IMAT page confirmation with all of your personal details, the results of your IMAT, a copy of your ISEE, your ‘dichiarazione di valore’, a copy of your documents (passport) and codice fiscale, and a copy of your high school diploma.
These were the things that were asked of me by Sapienza, but make sure to check the requirements of your university of choice, as these may change throughout the years.
How long does the process take?
This process can take anywhere from two to five months because sometimes the universities are behind schedule, or the ministry of education hasn’t released the proper documentation for them to post the availability of spots.
For example, the year I transferred we were supposed to apply in July and receive notice of acceptance in September, but we did not find out anything until November and were given around one or two weeks to move and start classes.
Normally, to my knowledge, this is not usually the case but be aware that it can happen.
What are the steps?
This will really depend on the university that you want to apply to, but you basically fill in an online form and upload the documents there. I advise you to check the transfer requirements of each university on their website.
16 thoughts on “Transferring to Another Medical School in Italy”
Which universities are recognised in the US to sit the USMLE? Also do you know if any of the universities are recognised by the Australian Medical Council?
All of them
MY ORIGINAL HOUSE IS IN MILAN AND I GOT IN UNIVERSITY OF MESSINA.THEN IF I TRY TO TRANSFER IN THE SECOND YEAR,IS IT POSSIBLE TO TRANSFER FROM MESSINA TO MILANO?AND MY FATHER IS SICK AND HAS 100% DISABILITY CERTIFICATE ,SO IT IS IMPORTANT FOR ME TO STAY WITH HIM.AND I ALSO WANT TO KNOW IF THE CERTIFICATE CAN BE HELPFUL IN TRANSFERRING.KIND REGARDS
Transferring is highly dependent on number of seats and average, as far as I’m aware a disability certificate won’t apply a concorso ranking, but you can always ask the university to be sure. I would recommend not writing your entire email in caps lock, best of luck!
Ok,thank you so much.
I saw another thing that i cannot transfer to all the universities. I can only transfer to those universities which has the same teaching system as mine.Can u please tell me which has the same study system as University of Messina?
Unfortunately I don’t have a running list of what universities share similar systems, but from off the top of my head Milan is one of the only ones that are “unique”
I am a student of third year in kyrgyzstan medical university
Can I get migration after my third year in Italy medical universities???
Is it possible?
Theoretically possible, but practically very difficult given the competition of other students trying to do the same. The priority will be given to english medstudents in Italy, than in EU, than in non-eu.
Hello I was wondering what are the odds to transfer from Luigi university to lasapienza university by taking the imat exam again and not having to repeat the study’s you did in Luigi
It’s possible but quite difficult.
I’m studying in Bologna. Will it be possible to transfer to Milan for the second year?!
Can I ask why you want to transfer out of Bologna?
Does the USMLE step 1 affects the post first year admission ranking?
Nope
i was wondering if i can enroll into a bachelor’s programme as an international student in an italian university and then get transferred into a medicine and surgery programme by giving imat this year… Is it possible?
Yes, you won’t be able to get a scholarship though since you will have already completed 1 year