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There has been a rumour circulating in the “medicine in Italy” circles that the Ministry of Education (MUR) will be canceling the IMAT exam starting from 2025 and onwards. Websites that only care about clicks, desperately trying to promote their mediocre IMAT courses, have used poorly written ChatGPT articles to misrepresent the situation and spread panic among hopeful students. In this article, we will summarise everything in a sourced and objective manner, as well as share our opinions on whether students need to be worried or not. We have read and translated every proposal and official Senate document to present the information as transparently as possible, and have linked our sources so you can follow along.
How did it all start?
On October 17 2023, a proposal was submitted to abolish the “closed number of seats” in medicine and other healthcare related courses. In this context, a closed programme means a preset number of seats available to study medicine at each university, locked behind an admission exam (ie – the TOLC MED exam), with the top-scoring X number of students securing these restricted spots.
Up until January 2024, other sets of laws were proposed to be changed to accommodate the proposed change for the restricted number of seats, adopting a system more similar to the French medical admission system. Under this system, the first semester of medicine would be open access to any student wishing to enroll into medicine, followed by a process that filters a certain number of students to continue into the second semester, effectively reintroducing “restricted access” in the progression of completing a medical degree. Despite concerns from physician associations and educators, the proposal has been amended multiple times and continues to move through the approval process to become an official reform.
To make it clear, as of November 4th when this article is being written, this proposal has still not been completely approved to be officially presented to either the Chamber of Senate or the Chamber of Deputies. Even if the proposal is approved to be presented, it would still need to be accepted by both chambers via a vote (without any requested modifications or contests), after which it must be sent to the President for approval and signature, with again no requests for modifications.
As of right now, while this proposal is gaining significant traction and receiving approval in certain commissions with suggested modifications, there is still not 100% certainty that the medical entrance exam will be cancelled. It has not yet been officially presented to the chambers and is still subject to many processes for approval, including a vote and the final presidential signature.
IMPORTANT TO NOTE:
Nowhere in any of the documentation or interviews with politicians is there any mention of the international medical course conducted in English or the IMAT exam. There are only references to the Italian programme so far, and while we could assume that it might also apply to the English course as the laws that govern Italian courses are meant to be applied to English courses, it’s important to understand what they’re actually proposing before we start panicking.
What are the key points from this proposal?
The proposal is actually quite complex and can be considered more of a reform across the entire healthcare education system in Italy, and not just about the cancellation of the medical admission exam. First, let’s briefly summarise each important and relevant point to understand what the proposal is actually suggesting. Afterwards, we can dissect and better understand it. We have downloaded the proposal in its most current state, pending approval from the 7th Commission, and created a version translated with Google Translate if you prefer to read the original version, which you can find here.
- Registration for the first semester of medicine, dentistry, and veterinary medicine courses will be open access.
- Criteria for sustainability will be established, and all universities must declare the maximum number of students they can realistically support.
- Key common subjects that must be taught in the first semester of all courses in the biomedical, health, pharmaceutical, and veterinary fields will be identified. These courses will have consistent and coordinated subjects, and their study plans will be aligned. A standardized total number of university credits (CFU) will be set at the national level.
- Admission to the second semester of medicine will require students to:
- Complete all university credits (CFU) set for the first-semester exams (as outlined in the previous point).
- Rank highly on a national merit list.
- Students who are not admitted to the second semester of medicine will still have their credits from the first semester recognised, allowing them to continue into the second semester of other courses in the related fields mentioned earlier.
- To ensure this possibility, students will dual-enroll in two different courses, one of which will be medicine and surgery. Dual enrollment will be mandatory and free. There will also be exceptions for late enrollment into other courses beyond the usual deadline, even if these courses have reached their capacity.
- The teaching methods and syllabus of other courses will be restructured to align with a uniform first semester while maintaining the continuity of high-quality education.
- Students will have the opportunity to participate in theoretical-practical training under the supervision of tutors. These tutors will be senior medical and healthcare workers in university and non-university hospitals and facilities, public and private accredited institutions, and Scientific Institutes for Research, Hospitalisation, and Healthcare (IRCCS).
- Internship pathways will be introduced for high school students to spark interest in the field of medicine. However, these pathways will be structured in a way that does not give students an unfair advantage.
Note: Additional points in the original document address topics related to Italy’s National Healthcare System (SSN), including discussions on post-graduation placements and sustainability as well as points on the financing and budgeting of these changes. As these are less relevant to the admissions exam discussion, we have not expanded on them here. The full document, linked above, contains all the details.
What does this realistically look like?
Instead of holding an admission exam before the start of university, a national exam will still take place but only after the first semester. This exam will be available ONLY to students who have successfully passed all the first-semester exams. If a student fails the admission exam, their time will not have been wasted, as they can continue their studies in any of the aforementioned related fields (or their other dual enrolled course).
Let’s reconstruct the proposal with a timeline
- By June 30th, students must submit a specific application to the university of their choice to DUAL-ENROLL in both a medicine course and an alternative course, such as Biotechnology (L-2) or Motor Sciences (L-22).
- Classes will be conducted from September 1st until December 15th.
- Universities can determine the delivery method for courses. Lectures may be conducted remotely, except for human anatomy exercises, which must be carried out in person in groups. Traditional universities may collaborate with online universities for remote learning options.
- The following subjects must be taught during the semester:
- Medical Physics
- Elements of Cellular and Genetic Biology
- Principles of Human Anatomy
- In December, enrolled students must complete and pass exams for all of the subjects, earning the following CFU credits:
- Integrated exam in biology (BIO/13) = 8 CFU
- Medical physics (FIS/07) = 7 CFU
- Strangely including a mandatory, anonymous psycho-aptitude self-assessment test, which is not graded of part of the final evaluation.
- Human Anatomy 1 (BIO/16) = 15 CFU
- Students who have passed all of the aforementioned exams are eligible to participate in the National Entrance Exam for Medicine Degree Courses (LM-41), held in January across all universities.
- Students can select a preferred university location in addition to their currently enrolled university.
- MUR MUST establish the date, time, and content of the written test for the LM-41 degree course by December 15th at the latest.
- The exam will be standardised nationally across all universities and consist of multiple-choice questions based on the subjects taught during the first semester..
- Students who are in a high enough position in the national ranking may proceed with the 2nd semester of the LM-41 degree course (medicine).
- Students who do not qualify or achieve a high enough ranking may continue into the second semester of their alternative degree course (e.g., Biotechnology L-2 or Motor Sciences L-22).
What will a 2025 Admission Exam look like?
There are currently no confirmed details or even official suggestions in the proposals being debated in the Senate regarding the exam. However, the CRUI (Conference of Italian University Rectors), an organisation composed of presidents from universities across Italy, have gathered to discuss what the national exam might entail. After a significant amount of research and reviewing their actual proposal, we can confidently highlight that websites sharing details of this conference as if it is a concrete plan for the exam is absolutely laughable and pathetic.
To put it simply (you can access the original document here), the CRUI’s proposal seems to be more of a counterproposal to the Senate’s plans, or lets say a better laid out plan that aligns with the wishes of the senate proposal. It outlines how they believe a reform of healthcare education should look, aligning with many of the ideas present in the Senate’s proposal. However, it’s important to emphasise that these details remain entirely speculative. This was merely a hypothetical suggestion from a group of university presidents offering their recommendations on how the reform might unfold—should the proposal move forward.
According to CRUI, they propose the following improvements:
- Mandatory, Free, High-Quality Online Course (January to September):
- The course would include blended modalities (online and in-person)
- Self-assessments
- Courses covering subjects such as physics, chemistry, and biology
- Nationwide standardized online quizzes on these subjects, allowing students to earn credits
- Standardised National Exam (Mid-September/October):
- CRUI debated the advantages and disadvantages of both September 15th and October 15th as possible dates.
- The exam would follow a similar structure as the current IMAT exam:
- Duration: 120-150 minutes
- Scoring: +1.5 for correct answers, -0.4 for incorrect answers, and 0 for unanswered questions
- Question breakdown:
- 25% Biology
- 25% Chemistry
- 25% Physics
- 25% Psycho-aptitudinal questions (e.g., logical reasoning)
- Pathways Based on Exam Results:
- Students who perform well on the ranking list will proceed into medicine.
- Those who do not qualify can use the credits earned from the free “pre-semester” course to enroll in other predetermined healthcare-related courses, such as:
- Biotechnology
- Pharmacology
- Motor Sciences
- Biological Sciences
- Additional courses yet to be defined
The entire proposal is very interesting and, in our personal opinion, a much better approach than the Senate’s current framework. We really recommend you read the full proposal which we’ve translated to English using DEEPL here if you’re interested.
A Rough Timeline for the Proposal
We think it is HIGHLY UNLIKELY that these changes will be able to be completed before the usual timeline for the 2025 IMAT exams. While the document includes a clause stating that they would like all of the changes to be completed within 12 months and applied to the academic year following the proposal’s acceptance, this feels ambitious, to say the least.
The clause reads (translated):
- The Government is delegated to adopt, within twelve months of the date of entry into force of this law, one or more legislative decrees for the review of the methods of access to the degree courses in medicine and surgery, dentistry and dental prosthetics, and veterinary medicine, in implementation of Articles 32 and 34 of the Constitution and in compliance with the autonomy of the universities.
- The provisions of this article shall take effect from the academic year following the date of entry into force of this law.
Let’s keep in mind that the proposal has not yet been officially introduced to the Senate for a vote. It is still undergoing rounds of reviews and modifications by various commissions. Each commission must agree that they have no further objections before it is sent to another chamber for approval or additional modifications.
Once it clears all these rounds and the final version is approved, it can then be presented in the Senate for a vote. If the Senate passes the proposal, it must then be sent to the president for approval. Upon the president’s approval, it must finally be published in the official gazette.
This proposal began in January 2023 and has yet to reach the stage of being approved in its final form for a vote. Considering the time needed for these approvals, votes, and final signatures, it seems unlikely that the process will conclude before 2025.
Additionally, let’s consider the massive amount of work required to implement these changes:
- A complete restructuring of every healthcare course to align the first semesters uniformly.
- Investigations into sustainability and the development of new infrastructure to accommodate all these students.
- The establishment of a new accreditation system for dual enrollment.
- The design of a syllabus that can be deployed across every university, and have the same quality of teaching to prepare students for the national exam.
While nothing is impossible, it seems highly unrealistic to expect all of this to be finalised and implemented within just seven months. Even if approved, it would be extremely difficult to meet the timeline for the 2025 intake. Realistically, the earliest feasible implementation date is likely for the 2026 academic year. It’s important to remember that this proposal isn’t solely about altering the exam structure; it involves a complete overhaul of the first semester across multiple courses nationwide, which will inevitably require significant time to achieve.
Why this proposal doesn’t make sense for the IMAT
Nowhere in the proposal is there any mention of international courses, foreign students, or the English-language exam (we searched literally 100s of pages to look). This entire system doesn’t seem feasible for the current state of international courses. Non-EU students already struggle massively with obtaining visas due to highly selective processes; we can’t imagine how much more difficult this process would be for a non-guaranteed course (ie – one that might only last a single semester). This is further complicated by the fact that the permesso di soggiorno in many cities take longer than one semester to even be issued, and when they are done so it’s for the timeframe of a year.
Given the current government’s negative stance on immigration policies, it also seems unlikely that they would make the international course open access, essentially opening the gates to any international student wishing to enroll. This would be especially problematic for those requiring visas that would potentially only cover one semester.
From a practical standpoint, supporting that many international students would also pose a significant burden on universities making it a lot less feasible, both bureaucratically and administratively. Many students also rely on scholarships to study medicine, which would bring additional complexities in providing adequate support. Most importantly, very few universities in Italy offer other English-language healthcare courses, such as Biotechnology, Nursing, or Pharmacology. As a result, there simply isn’t enough English-language options to support students who don’t qualify for medicine but might still want to continue their studies in another degree through the dual enrollment system.
When the Italian medical admission test switched to the TOLC-MED, the IMAT remained untouched. This is likely because it’s already a bureaucratic nightmare to deal with, and adapting it for English-language courses would further complicate matters. Therefore, there is a possibility that even if the Italian courses undergo changes, the IMAT might not be affected—despite the fact that any official law change for Italian courses should, in theory, also apply to English ones.
We’re not saying it’s impossible for these changes to eventually affect the IMAT. However, given the current state of affairs, it’s difficult to feel confident that this system would work for English-language courses. Additionally, the Italian government has historically shown little interest in simplifying processes for foreigners or making it easier for international students to enter the country with a study visa. Implementing such changes for the English course would be against their current (unfortunate) priorities and interests.
What are the next steps?
We have emailed members of CRUI to ask for any insights they might have into how these changes could affect the English medicine course. Unfortunately, we did not receive any informative answers, meaning they are probably just as much in the dark as the rest of us.
“Unfortunately [we] have not information yet. There is a lot of political and technical discussions on the topic.For now, nothing is changed.
Additionally, we have emailed many members of the commissions, and of the Senate, highlighting the fact that these proposals would not work for international students. We emphasised how international students are a critical backbone of the Italian education system and the importance of considering their needs in any reforms.
We hope to receive replies, and at the very least, to push members of the Senate to propose modifications that exclude the English-language course from these changes. If we receive any updates, we will of course share them in this article—so stay tuned.
In conclusion, is the IMAT cancelled?
There’s no need to panic yet about the IMAT being cancelled. While it’s certainly a possibility, the proposal has not mentioned anything specific to the English-language course, and implementing these changes for international courses would be extremely challenging. It’s not impossible that the IMAT could be abolished, but we believe it’s far too early to start worrying about it. The proposal hasn’t even been approved for the Italian course yet, and there are no direct mentions of international courses.
Additionally, the timeline for all of these changes to be voted on, approved, and brought in would realistically take much longer than the start of the 2025 academic year.
As AcadIMAT, we have emailed and written letters to dozens of senators involved in this proposal to clarify their stance on how these changes might affect the English-language course. While we may not receive clear answers, our hope is that this will at least encourage them to consider writing into the proposal an exclusion for the English course.
The next Senate meeting is scheduled for November 21st, and we will update this article with any new information as it becomes available. Stay tuned!
3 thoughts on “Is the 2025 IMAT Cancelled? The Truth Behind the Rumours”
I know to impossible to say but do you think 2026 would remain unchanged or would legislation be passed by then?
We think it is unlikely that the IMAT will be changed as the proposals in question do not make sense for the English courses and the IMAT.
Haha, I was the one who mentioned the rumour going around which this article talks about. Thank you for adressing it in such an eloquent way, really cleared things up. I also think the IMAT is highly unlikely to be affected by these changes even if, through some miracle, they do end up implementing the french system. We international students have nothing to worry about but studying.