The Ministry of Universities and Research (MUR) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 17 July launched **updated procedures for foreign students who wish to enrol in Italian universities, conservatories and academies** during the next two academic years. All non-EU candidates must now submit pre-enrolment applications exclusively through the upgraded ‘Universitaly’ platform, which is synchronised with Italy’s consular visa-management system. Key innovations include: • A single digital dossier that follows the student from online application to embassy visa interview and, once in Italy, to the local ‘questura’ for the residence permit; • Automatic verification of foreign diplomas via electronic apostille and blockchain timestamping, cutting document-checking times by up to 40 %; • Extended deadlines—30 November 2026 for the 2026/27 intake and 31 October 2027 for 2027/28—giving applicants more time to secure funding and accommodation; • Integration with the new Entry/Exit System (EES), so that first registration at the border will automatically notify universities of the student’s arrival. For global mobility teams the message is clear: **sponsoring a study visa is about to become a fully paperless, portal-based exercise**, but failure to pre-register means consulates will refuse a long-stay ‘D’ visa. Universities are being urged to brief their international offices, while corporate HR departments that co-sponsor executive MBAs should ensure candidates complete the online steps well before travel. The reform is part of Italy’s National Attraction Strategy, which aims to raise the share of international students from 6 % to 10 % by 2030 and plug skills gaps in engineering and life sciences.
Source: IntegrazioneMigranti.gov.it
