Who this guide is for
This guide is for students applying with a qualification awarded outside the Italian system. Your university, programme and qualification country determine the academic document requirements. The visa authority and scholarship provider may ask for additional evidence for their own purposes.
- Keep university admission, final enrolment, visa and scholarship checklists separately.
- Record whether each requested item is an original, certified copy, digital document or translation.
- Ask which stage needs the item: an initial application may have a different checklist from enrolment.
Build a document inventory
Start with the exact programme call and create a row for each requested document. The following is a preparation inventory, not a statement that every university requires every item.
- Identity: passport or accepted identity document, with matching personal details.
- School entry: final school award, marks and any relevant national entrance-exam evidence.
- Master's entry: degree or permitted provisional evidence, transcripts and grading information.
- Academic fit: official syllabi, course descriptions, credits or hours when requested.
- Selection: language certificate, test score, CV, motivation statement, references or portfolio when requested.
- Status: residence permit or evidence supporting the applicant category you select.
Separate translation, authenticity and value
Bologna's guidance treats these as distinct questions. A translation makes the content readable; an authenticity check addresses whether the qualification is genuine; value documentation explains its place in the original education system.
Bologna accepts specified authenticity routes, including appropriate legalisation/apostille and verification certificates. Its rules distinguish authentication of an award from certification that a photocopy matches an original. A notarised copy alone must not be assumed to satisfy the former.
- Identify the exact purpose of a requested CIMEA statement or Declaration of Value.
- Ask which alternative evidence your university accepts before purchasing a service.
- Check that any authentication concerns the signature or award the receiving institution needs verified.
Avoid a universal CIMEA or translation rule
Under Bologna's published rules, many documents already in English, French or Spanish do not need translation, with a separate rule for foreign PhD recognition. Its Declaration of Value guidance also considers the qualification's education system, which may differ from the country where the student lives. These are Bologna rules, not a promise that another university or consulate uses the same list.
Universitaly assigns the academic evaluation of foreign qualifications to the higher education institution. Supporting statements do not replace that institution's assessment.
Check files before submission
A good document folder makes later corrections easier. Preserve your originals and create clearly labelled working copies for each destination.
- Check that every page, stamp, signature and reverse-side note is readable.
- Match names, dates and award titles across the passport, forms and certificates; obtain official clarification for discrepancies.
- Keep the original-language document paired with any required translation.
- Check upload limits, required certification and any postal requirement in the receiving portal.
- Save submission receipts and retain the version of the checklist used.
What remains specific to your application
Checked 20 September 2026. This guide does not establish a complete 2027/28 document list, service price or processing time. Confirm country exceptions, acceptable provisional awards, translation rules, authentication alternatives and final deadlines with the receiving institution. If a university and a mission appear to require different documents, seek clarification from each for its own stage.
Official sources
Check the current programme call before submitting. The links below were used to prepare this guide; a prior-cycle call does not confirm the deadline for your intended intake.