Italian language knowledge test

Non-Eu citizens residing abroad, who intend to enrol in a first cycle (bachelor's) degree (corsi di laurea triennali - L) and single cycle degree (laurea magistrale a ciclo unico LM c.u.) and second cycle (master's) degree (corsi di laurea magistrali) course taught in Italian, must take an Italian language proficiency test.

The test is unique for admission in all courses.

Important: For the first cycle degree programme in Lingue, Letterature e Studi Interculturali, it is mandatory to hold a B2 level certification of Italian as a foreign language, issued by the organizations recognized by the Ministry, which are part of the Italian Language Quality Certification Association - CLIQ (Società Dante Alighieri PLIDA, Università per Stranieri di Perugia CELI, Università per Stranieri di Siena CILS and Università degli Studi Roma Tre CERTIT).

Candidates who do not pass the test, and who do not fall into one of the cases of exemption provided below can not enroll in study programmes taught in Italian.

Students are exempt from the Italian language knowledge test if they have:

• Been admitted to a program taught in English;
• Submitted a pre-enrollment application for a degree programme offered entirely in English as part of an Italian-language degree programme, subject to the admission requirements of the degree programme;

• A certification of Italian language, no lower than level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages CEFR, issued within the framework of the Italian Language Quality Certification (CLIQ) system:

  • CELI certificate, issued by the Università per Stranieri di Perugia, 
  • CILS certificate, issued by the Università per Stranieri di Siena,
  • CERT-IT certificate, issued by the Università di Roma Tre, 
  • PLIDA certificate, issued by the Società Dante Alighieri;

  These certifications can also be obtained in the country of origin, in affiliated examination centres worldwide;

• passed an Italian L2 test provided by CISIA, for a university or institution of higher learning other than the University of Florence, with at least 55 out of 72 points;
• passed an Italian language test of at least B2 level at the Centro Linguistico di Ateneo (CLA) of the University of Florence, or another Italian university language centre;

Exempt from the Italian language test and, for admission to restricted access programs, compete with EU and non-EU equivalent student quotas, the students with:

• a secondary school diploma of four or five years awarded by an Italian School abroad;
• one of the final secondary school qualifications listed in the Ministerial Provisions (see the Ministerial Provisions on the Ministry website, Annex 2);
• a complementary certificate to the final title of middle school obtained in Argentina, certifying the completion of a course of study that includes a minimum of five years of Italian language instruction (according to Law No. 210 of June 7, 1999, Official Journal No. 152 of July 1, 1999);
• a certificate of Italian language proficiency at a C1 and C2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages CEFR, issued within the framework of the Italian Language Quality Certification CLIQ system (University for Foreigners of Perugia, University for Foreigners of Siena, Roma Tre University, Società ‘Dante Alighieri’);
• the Italian language and culture diploma awarded by the Universities for Foreigners of Perugia and Siena;
• a bachelor’s degree program awarded by an Italian university;
• a certificate of completion for a Foundation Year delivered in Italian, demonstrating an output language level of no less than B2 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

For the 2025/2026 academic year, the Italian language proficiency test is held remotely using the Test@Home mode on the CISIA.

The minimum passing score for the test is 55 out of 72 points.

To register for the test, follow the procedure below:

• Complete the registration (Registrati nel sistema) on the Admissions Unifi portal to get the login credentials;
• Log in to Admissions Unifi by clicking on “Entra nel sistema”, choose “Prova di lingua italiana”;
• Complete the registration and payment of the required fee of EUR 20. Registration without payment is not valid.

For more details on the test, candidates may consult:

• the CISIA miniguide on what to do before the test
• information on the structure and topics of the Italian language test available on CISIA's Test italiano L2 and sample test papers (registration required).