Non-EU students who got a pre-admission letter from our admission committee through our online admission website must next apply for an entry VISA to enter Italy for study purposes. You need an Italian VISA type D (for long stay). Official information is found at this ministry website.
Past experience shows that getting the VISA requires a long time, even months, hence we warmly recommend starting it as soon as possible.
Moreover, often the VISA is rejected. Many students failed to enroll in our University just because they failed in satisfying some key requirements, such as providing evidence of personal or financial resources.
Here we summarize some important requirements:
- Evidence of personal or financial resources (check the most updated minimum required yearly amount from your reference Embassy/Consulate website). The ministry website for 2024 reports no less than € 460.28 for each month of the academic year). You can either submit official documentation of a bank account in your name (a bank’s letter on bank letterhead), or have a parent/close relative sign a bank guarantee (in Italian, Fidejussione bancaria or Polizza fidejussoria. Source: https://visaguide.world/europe/italy-visa/proof-of-financial-resources/). Your financial statements must be not older than one month from the application date for the VISA. Some Italian Consulates in the US suggest the following: “If parents are financially responsible for you: present their notarized affidavit stating their financial commitment for expenses incurred in Italy. (Present also) a letter (not a bank statement) from their bank, on the bank’s letterhead, signed by a bank official and with a recent date, indicating account balance” (source: https://conslosangeles.esteri.it/consolato_losangeles/it/i_servizi/per_chi_si_reca_in_italia/italian-national-visa-for-study.html). Some other Embassies/Consulates (e.g. Karachi, Pakistan) do accept official bank statements of either the student account or his/her parents account. So it is important that you check with your Embassy/Consulate on this delicate point.
- The applicant must show proof of adequate accommodation in Italy, such as Campus accommodation, a rental agreement, or a confirmed hotel booking of at least 30 days. In the case of accommodation in a private house, the owner must provide a declaration of hospitality signed in front of a notary public.
- Your English proficiency must be certified with a level of at least B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment. Alternatively, you must provide a certificate from the Institution that issued your Bachelor’s degree stating that the program used English as the medium of instruction.
- You need a copy of a confirmed flight booking.
- The Italian Embassy or Consulate in your country will interview you. This is not a minor step, since leaving a good impression and presentation of yourself during the appointed visa interview is important! We suggest reading the suggestions before the interview. Please, carefully check the deadlines and all the required documents before attending the interview.
Detailed information about the reasons for the VISA refusal is available at this link.