The IMAT ranking & scrolling system can be quite confusing for prospective international medical students. In this article, I want to establish all of the facts about the scrolling system and debunk some commonly misunderstood conceptions.
This article, while still touching on non-EU issues, will focus on scrolling for EU candidates. You can check out Non-EU IMAT Ranking and Scrolling to learn more about that specifically.
First of all, let’s understand what each status means when it comes to the ranking, by looking at the image below containing all of the definitions.
When you are ASSIGNED to a university, it means that you have been given an offer from your highest possible choice university. It means that there are no longer any seats available in any of your higher choice universities as candidates above you in the ranking have all accepted and enrolled into their offers. If you are ASSIGNED to a university you must accept and enroll. If you do not enroll you are considered to have renounced your offer, and you are no longer entitled to any placements in any Italian medical schools.
When you are BOOKED into a university, it means that you have received an offer to enroll into that university, but it is lower on your ranking list and there are still seats left in higher choices. It is important to note that if you are BOOKED into a choice, all the choices you ranked below it are now “deleted” which is why your personal ranking of universities matter. If you are booked into your 3rd choice, all the choices below 3 are now impossible to be considered for.
Let’s try to clarify this with an example:
I have been BOOKED into Tor Vergata. If I have Medicine in English at La Sapienza as my first choice, and Tor Vergata as my second choice, but every single seat available for La Sapienza has been filled because higher ranking candidates have enrolled into them, I become ASSIGNED to Tor Vergata. As long as there is still 1 seat remaining in La Sapienza that hasn’t been filled by an enrolled student, I will not become assigned to Tor Vergata. I will be BOOKED into Medicine in English at Tor Vergata, and remain BOOKED for subsequent rounds until every single La Sapienza seat is filled. This follows through all the way down to your last choice; if there are no remaining seats in one of your higher choice universities you become ASSIGNED even if it was your eighth or ninth choice.
When you are BOOKED into a university, it means that you have received an offer from a university that isn’t your highest possible choice, but given your score it is the CURRENTLY highest available choice for you. There are still unassigned seats remaining in one of your higher choice universities. Once you have been booked into a higher choice, all lower choice options are now removed as options.
Following the same example from above: imagine my score is 45 with Sapienza University as my first choice, and Tor Vergata as my second choice. Currently the candidate above me in the ranking (that has Sapienza as a choice) is offered a seat and has a score of 45.1, but the candidate below me who has Tor Vergata as a choice has a score of 44.9. I am BOOKED into Tor Vergata, as my current score is competitive enough to receive an offer from them, but only slightly below that needed for Sapienza. I now have 2 options.
- I enroll and accept my seat that I have been BOOKED into, so to start medical school at Tor Vergata OR
- Wait in case a candidate ranking above me who has been offered a seat in La Sapienza renounces it, allowing me to receive an offer in the next round.
Will I lose my seat in a booked university if I wait?
NO YOU WILL NOT LOSE YOUR SEAT IN A BOOKED UNIVERSITY IF YOU CHOOSE TO WAIT FOR A HIGHER CHOICE. Note though that you will lose a chance at every university lower in your ranking.
You can wait for weeks and even months with a BOOKED status for a seat from a higher choice university to open up. However, if you become ASSIGNED while waiting you will only have 1 week to accept your offer before you lose it to another candidate below you in the ranking. If you don’t accept your offer when you are assigned you are withdrawn from the entire ranking and have no more opportunities to enroll.
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER IS TO CONTINUE CONFIRMING YOUR INTEREST IN THE NEXT ROUND, OTHERWISE YOU WILL BE DROPPED OUT OF THE RANKING. This is just a button you need to press when you log-in to your reserved area on Universitaly.
If your score is not high enough to receive an offer from any of the Italian medical universities in the first few rounds this doesn’t mean you should lose hope, especially as an EU student. The scrolling for EU students continues for months (2016 scrolling lasted until March 2017, and the 2020 scrolling lasted until August 2021) with every week a new round offering seats to new students. In 2016 there were just under 200 seats being offered to the top 200 ranking candidates, however the last person to get a seat in March of 2017 was 825th on the ranking. This means that over 600 candidates gave up their seats over a couple of months.
You may be wondering, why does this happen anyways? (read on in Part 2)
36 thoughts on “EU Scrolling for the IMAT Explained”
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If i enroll in a university now is it possible for me to transfer in the first year?
Theoretically possible yes, realistically it’s quite difficult as the competition is incredibly high now.
Do you know how many choices that the EU applicant can have? I heard someone told they have 5 choices but the other said 16 choices
EU applicants can select all universities, and have a chance to enter all of their choices. Non-EU students can only choose 1 university.
Hi Serra,
I am an international student, but regarding my living status, I have finished first two years of my high school in a non- EU country and I am finishing last two years in the UK. So, the reason I am writing this message is to ask you what diplomas do I need in order to apply to Italian universities? Additionally, how can I certify my diplomas so the Italian universities can approve them during my application?
Kind regards!
You will need to apply for a DoV
Hi Serra,
I am an Eu-student, and I have finished 2 years of high school in Serbia, and now I am finishing the last year of an A- level program in the UK. I would like to study Medicine at the university of Milan, but I am not quite sure about the validity of my grade certificates. First thing I would like to ask you is about the verification of those diplomas, as some diplomas are from Serbia and some of them from the UK and where should I verify them? My second question wold be, considering the fact that A level exams are sat in June of 2024 and results are released around the August 20 2024, would I be too late to apply for the university as I would have to verify my grades in first place? As I am an Eu- student, but I am not an Italian resident, when is the deadline for my university application?
Kind regards!
As long as you’re an EU student you don’t need to provide any grades/results etc. verification until you enroll. To get them certified you would need to apply for a DoV in the local consulate of where you completed your final schooling. It’s best to shoot an email to the Italian consulate in your own EU country, and in the UK to find out what’s the best way.
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Hi Serra.will you not ,miss the start of the semester? Also if a really want a certain school how many weeks should i wait for scrolling?
Hi Rian, there’s an article written by a student who started a whole semester late because of scrolling and still graduated at the top of the class. You can wait for scrolling as many weeks as you want as long as you keep confirming your interest, and haven’t been “assigned”.
Hi Serra, how long did you have to/chose to wait during scrolling until you were assigned a seat to Sapienza? Also, when does the first year usually start? Thanks
1st Year usually starts late October/early November. If I remember correctly I had to wait about 4-5 rounds.
What if my first choice is Bologna and got into Bologna in first round with my mark but I don’t want to go to Bologna after exam and I want to my second choice Padova.Then What should I do?
You can’t reject a higher choice university for a lower one once you’ve been offered a space for it.
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Hey Serra,
I’m currently residing in Germany since last 2 years on study Visa and I’m planning to take IMAT this year. Will i be considered as EU?
Cause it’s really confusing as only University of Milan & Parma considering me as EU(i got to know this from their website)
Unfortunately usually study visas do not count towards EU status; it needs to be a valid residency permit. You can always check with the universities by sending them an email to confirm what status they would consider you, but it does also depend on the university.
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Hi do I have to do anything before the Imat registration on the 2nd of September? I’m a UK student who has finished their A-levels I also have a valid residency permit in the UK
Since UK is no longer a part of the EU, you must complete pre-enrolment as a non-EU student and choose your first choice uni on Universitaly, all prior to the IMAT registration.
What should I do if I am placed in my first choice but want to be placed in my second choice? If I don’t book my first choice will the lower ones be still options?
If you are “assigned” or “booked” to a uni, all choices below disappear! Moreover, if you are “assigned” to your first choice or top choice uni, then that is the only seat you can accept henceforth.
Hi Serra
I have chosen Bologna first choice, if I am assigned to it, I must accept it. As a EU student, I chose all the uni that were available in a certain order of preferred to less preferred with the unknown in the middle. As I don’t speak Italian, I mistakenly put 2 dentistry uni in the middle of my choices (I know). If my score assigned me in one of dentistry, I am allowed to reject it and still benefit from medical uni after them? If I wait 4 days, would I be automatically rejected but still on the rank for other choices?
Hello, if you reject your “assigned” spot, you will be completely removed from the EU scrolling. If you are “booked,” you can stay in the EU scrolling to wait for higher ranked seat.
Hi Serra!
Could you tell me if the enrollment process has to be in person? I am worried because, currently I don’t live in Europe and the first rankings are going to be published in about two weeks
Hope all is well,
Sofía
Hello, pretty much all unis now have online enrollment procedures! For specific information, please refer to the medicine in English bandos and enrollment procedures on each uni’s website.
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Hi Serra,
I am booked at Catania, and want to confirm by enrolling but I can’t fill the application form on Catania enrollment website as it says ‘your ranking not found’. I used the correct temporary tax number provided through universitaly and correct and personal details. Should I perhaps stop scrolling so that Catania can find me in the ranking? I find that rather risky though as I would lose my entire ranking under IMAT. Or is the problem perhaps with Catania who did not prepare their own ranking list? I am concerned that I will loose the possibility to enrol within 4 working days and would scroll up, which I don’t want to happen.
Thanks for your advice
Yanna
Hello, please email Catania as soon as possible! This is not something we can provide good guidance on because it is out of our scope. Just keep in mind that if you neither confirm your interest in the EU scrolling nor complete enrollment at Catania, you will lose any and all seats.
Does this scrolling system also apply to non eu?
No, it does not. Please read the article on applying for the IMAT as a non-EU linked in article above.