How Grades Work in Italian Medical Schools

Universities in Italy have chosen a rather interesting and unusual grading system that definitely sets them apart from others.

In fact, while most countries opt for a percentage based grading system, a letter based system (A – F), or a system that gives a mark out of 10, in Italy grades are awarded out of 30, and to pass an exam, you must achieve a minimum of 18.

This means that when you receive your final grade for a subject, it is going to be a number out of 30. Yeah, it might seem like an awkward conversion, but this system is surprisingly simple to get used to.

A 30 out of 30 is technically a perfect score, however, it’s possible get a grade above 30. Italians call it 30 e Lode (trenta e Lode), which translates to “30 with honors”. It’s a score awarded by professors to students who have shown remarkable preparation, and have exceeded expectations. Lode while rare, is not impossibly difficult to obtain, especially if you talk confidently in your exam.

Thanks to the Lode system, the maximum grade you can get is a 31 out of 30, which can boost your academic average. Some universities, however (or should we say unfortunately?), count the Lode still as 30.

Do Grades matter in Medical Schools?

Depending on which country you choose to go to when you graduate, the grading system can make or break a potential doctor. In most countries, your grades throughout medschool will not matter, as you will need to sit a standardised test in order to be able to practice in that country.  In the specific case of Italy, yes, having good grades can play a significant role in your career.

The grades you receive throughout medical school in Italy, in fact, can determine your chances of doing a more desirable specialisation that is harder to get into (since every naive student dreaming of medicine wants cardio or brain surgery). Furthermore, something to keep in mind is that your grades play a big role in the earning of scholarships and securing opportunities to study abroad with Erasmus programmes.

Every subject from every year will be calculated in a special way (weighted average with CFUs, namely university credits) to give you an overall graduating average, which will determine your chances of your desired specialisation if you choose to stay in Italy. For example, the grade you get from an exam that is worth 6 CFUs in your academic career will not be as valuable as the grade you get from a 12 CFUs one.

Getting good grades in Italy isn’t particularly difficult, since you can reject an oral exam result if it’s too low. To understand the level of your grade, you can refer to the ECTS (European Credit Transfer system) of your university, which allow you to see the equivalent of your grades in an international perspective (A – F system). Having every university its own ECTS, it’s hard to give you a universal system, here is shown a “standard” table to give you an idea.