This article was written by a student who transferred from Luigi Vanvitelli to La Sapienza but preferred to stay anonymous
Is it possible to transfer from any medical university to any other medical university?
It is not possible to transfer from any medical university to any other medical university in Italy. The transfer possibility ultimately comes down to the compatibility of the course layout for both universities.
For example, if you were studying in a university such as Luigi Vanvitelli or Sapienza (who teach individual subjects for a specific amount of credits) you would not be able to transfer to IMS Milan since they have a course block model, in which several courses are taught inside one overarching block.
You can take a look at these course lists to see what I mean:
As a general rule though, it’s best to contact the university you’re intending to transfer to directly and ask them if the possibility of transfer exists and what are the appropriate requirements and procedures for that particular institution.
How Common is it to Transfer?
I don’t have any factual numbers to provide, so take this with a grain of salt, but I personally feel that transferring is quite common. It usually tends to happen from newer universities to more “established” ones, or just based on a preference of location.
Having said that, each university has a set number of transfer spots available per year, so the process can be competitive. From my experience, it is mainly based on the number of credits acquired and not necessarily on the grades earned in individual classes.
Some years universities will have no transfer spots available, so that is something to keep in mind. They will only open up spots if the number of actual students in the course is below the number of students the course is supposed to have.
Can I transfer in 1st year?
To my knowledge you are able to transfer into second year of your selected university after completing first year in your university of origin. However, I don’t think that people are able to transfer in the middle of first year.
Do I have to resit the IMAT?
You don’t have to resit the IMAT for the official transfer process between two Italian universities. However, some students choose to resit the IMAT in order to get accepted into their university of choice and then have their prior credits validated so they’ll be later placed in their respective year.
This is not the official transfer process, but some people do it that way.
What are the reasons a student might consider this option?
Transferring universities is a very personal decision. You might decide to transfer into another university that you feel is stronger in an aspect of medicine you’re very interested in. You might want to change cities, because you’re not enjoying your stay in the city of your university of origin.
Another reason to consider transferring is the recognition of the degree you will be obtaining. For example, only certain universities have recognition in the US in order to take the USMLE and pursue a specialty over there.
If you’re considering transferring really explore all of your options, and don’t just go for reputation. Consider where you want to be after graduating, and check if the university you want to transfer to would be able to provide you the means of getting to that “next step”.
Are there costs associated to transferring?
When I transferred I had to pay two fees: An application fee of €65 Euro and a registration fee of €156 Euro.
What documents are needed to transfer?
You need the IMAT page confirmation with all of your personal details, the results of your IMAT, a copy of your ISEE, your ‘dichiarazione di valore’, a copy of your documents (passport) and codice fiscale, and a copy of your high school diploma.
These were the things that were asked of me by Sapienza, but make sure to check the requirements of your university of choice, as these may change throughout the years.
How long does the process take?
This process can take anywhere from two to five months because sometimes the universities are behind schedule, or the ministry of education hasn’t released the proper documentation for them to post the availability of spots.
For example, the year I transferred we were supposed to apply in July and receive notice of acceptance in September, but we did not find out anything until November and were given around one or two weeks to move and start classes.
Normally, to my knowledge, this is not usually the case but be aware that it can happen.
What are the steps?
This will really depend on the university that you want to apply to, but you basically fill in an online form and upload the documents there. I advise you to check the transfer requirements of each university on their website.
55 thoughts on “Transferring to Another Medical School in Italy”
Which universities are recognised in the US to sit the USMLE? Also do you know if any of the universities are recognised by the Australian Medical Council?
All of them
MY ORIGINAL HOUSE IS IN MILAN AND I GOT IN UNIVERSITY OF MESSINA.THEN IF I TRY TO TRANSFER IN THE SECOND YEAR,IS IT POSSIBLE TO TRANSFER FROM MESSINA TO MILANO?AND MY FATHER IS SICK AND HAS 100% DISABILITY CERTIFICATE ,SO IT IS IMPORTANT FOR ME TO STAY WITH HIM.AND I ALSO WANT TO KNOW IF THE CERTIFICATE CAN BE HELPFUL IN TRANSFERRING.KIND REGARDS
Transferring is highly dependent on number of seats and average, as far as I’m aware a disability certificate won’t apply a concorso ranking, but you can always ask the university to be sure. I would recommend not writing your entire email in caps lock, best of luck!
Ok,thank you so much.
I saw another thing that i cannot transfer to all the universities. I can only transfer to those universities which has the same teaching system as mine.Can u please tell me which has the same study system as University of Messina?
Unfortunately I don’t have a running list of what universities share similar systems, but from off the top of my head Milan is one of the only ones that are “unique”
Hi I am a first-year student at Luigi, I wonder what kind of horizontal transfer can be done? Taking the IMAT exam again and passing it, I think it will cause a loss of year, so I need to transfer. I wonder which universities’ systems are similar to Luigi’s in general, because I also need a scholarship. Is it possible to keep the scholarship? By the way, after I transfer. If we give credits
From what I’ve heard from other students it’s essentially impossible to keep the scholarship, but who knows, with enough validation of credits it might be possible. You can check all of the university websites to see what kind of course structures they have!
hi! did you get to know if the Messina syllabus is compatible with Milano? If you learn anything about this could you please let me know as well, thank you!
Hey, I want to study dentistry at Sapienza or Siena and I’ve already registered for the IMAT. If under any circumstances I don’t get into these 2, but into another medical school in Italy (I’ve ranked them all), is there a chance that I could transfer to dental school in the second year? With or without losing a year (would I have to start again from year 1 or could I continue to year 2 dental school)? I’m EU. Thank you in advance!
It is definitely possible to transfer without losing a year, but it highly depends on the compatibility between your old and new unis’ curriculum!
I am a student of third year in kyrgyzstan medical university
Can I get migration after my third year in Italy medical universities???
Is it possible?
Theoretically possible, but practically very difficult given the competition of other students trying to do the same. The priority will be given to english medstudents in Italy, than in EU, than in non-eu.
The priority for medstudents in italy then EU. It’s for a normal transfer without taking the IMAT, right ? I’m EU studying in first year in Bulgaria. I want to take the next imat to transfer easier to napoli. If I pass the IMAT, do you know if i’m guaranteed to go in second year in napoli ? Thank you so much.
Hi! 🙂
Unfortunately, nothing is ever guaranteed and every university has their own procedure for validating credits from other universities.
If you want to be 100% certain, you should contact Napoli with a copy of your transcript and your curriculum.
Hello I was wondering what are the odds to transfer from Luigi university to lasapienza university by taking the imat exam again and not having to repeat the study’s you did in Luigi
It’s possible but quite difficult.
May I know exactly where the difficulty is coming from?
There are a lot of students who are applying to transfer and very limited numbers of free seats!
I’m studying in Bologna. Will it be possible to transfer to Milan for the second year?!
Can I ask why you want to transfer out of Bologna?
Does the USMLE step 1 affects the post first year admission ranking?
Nope
i was wondering if i can enroll into a bachelor’s programme as an international student in an italian university and then get transferred into a medicine and surgery programme by giving imat this year… Is it possible?
Yes, you won’t be able to get a scholarship though since you will have already completed 1 year
Hi, if I enroll in a university for a bachelor’s course this year, can I also pre-enroll for medicine in the same university and take the Imat this year itself? I saw a gazette saying that a student can enroll in 2 degrees from 2022 onwards.
Hi 🙂
it depends on your embassy and visa application.
I am at a bit of a dead end. I have been accepted to Cattolica University, but I was told that I cannot register for the IMAT because I am non-EU and I can register to one school only. I got a score of 48.4 on the IMAT. Supposing I register to Cattolica how difficult would it be to transfer into a public? Also, can I apply for a transfer to one university only or multiple? What criteria are taken in consideration for a transfer: 1st year grades, high school diploma, motivation letter, CV, etc?
Transferring is hard in general, since there are many students who want to transfer and only few free spots. You can apply for a transfer to as many universities as you want, but keep in mind that each of them has a unique procedure and consideration criteria. 🙂
I am a medical student in Latvia, 4th year. I tried to transfer to Italian Universities and couldn’t make it due to unclear responses from universities and even more difficult websites. Any tips for the next time?
Your best bet is to check the “call to applicants (bando)” throughout august on the universities website. Unfortunately it’s the only safe bet.
Hi serra
would it be possible to transfer after first year from one uni to another with and maintain the scholarship
and does Sapienza transfer vanvitelli first year credits
Hi 🙂 it is extremely difficult to maintain it unfortunately.
Yes, it should transfer the credits.
Hello,
I am studying in Turkey (in english program) and I want to transfer to Italy for my 2nd year of Medicine (english). I am the top student of medical faculty and I have a high GPA. Do you think I have any chance to be accepted to International Medical University of Milan?
Theoretically it’s possible, but it’s quite difficult as a lot of students are applying for transfers. You can check on their website if they have any spots available, and what their application criteria is to be sure 🙂
Hello
I’m trying to get transfer. I have completed my 3rd year of medicine in Kazakhstan. Is it valid to get transfer to any university in Europe (Italy)
While possible, it’s extremely difficult. Might be easier to just do the IMAT, and try to get your credits recognised, but you do run the risk of having to start from 1st year. You should contact the university you want to transfer to, and ask their exact procedure and requirements.
Hello. I am a first year non-EU student in Luigi Vanvitelli. Is it possible for me to transfer to any university and get my credits recognized/transferred? It is ok, if i need to repeat the courses but i don’t want to lose a year and i want to start from the second grade. and also do i need to sit IMAT again for it?
Hello, it is possible to transfer as an upper year, but that relies on seats being open at your new uni. If you take the IMAT, begin as a first year, and request a recognition of credits to start as an upper year, that is another possibility. However, unis tend to frown upon the second option. Please contact your new uni for the most accurate information!
Can I transfer from Messina to La sapienza? Do you have any information about this?
Theoretically yes, but it is very competitive since there are not many seats 🙂
Hello, is it possible to transfer from another country.
It is possible but very competitive since there aren’t many seats.
Hello, have a nice day. İs it possible to transfer sapiens med school from Turin med school?
Hi 🙂 it is possible but competitive.
I’m in Luigi Vanvitelli I completed first year,if I transfer is it possible to apply for borsa di studio for the year we enroll there? Or in next years
It’s extremely difficult to keep the borsa as the credit requirements are hard to reach right after a transfer.
Hi is unicamillus (private uni) recognised by the USA as in is it ecfmg certified? If I finish medicine in unicamillus, can I sit the usmle exams and do residency in USA?
Is it possible to transfer from unicamillus to Turin or Bologna?
Hi 🙂
yes, you can. As of now, every university in Italy should be approved to apply for the US.
Hi
I wonder if Luigi Vanvitelli University is a good choice and its graduates are recognized worldwide? We chose it because of the number of places available for non-EU students, then we were surprised that it was not listed among the recommended universities in the country we currently live in. So we hesitated to proceed.
The Diploma from Luigi Vanvitelli is the exact same in value as any other university diploma. To be certified in Italy all of the universities need to meet all the same minimum requirements, so they are certified in the same way. 🙂 So theoretically same recognition, but that’s not a reflection of the experience to expect.
Hi
I am in Humanitas University right now. Can I transfer to another medicine course in a public university?
Theoretically yes, realistically it’s a lot more difficult. You need to apply to each university individually.
Hi. Hope this post still gets answers. I got a little bit confused about the credits part acquired during the course. What does it mean exactly? Like, if I use less credit, it’s better for a transference?
Credits correspond the courses and exams that you have taken at a university. For transfer students, their goal is for their new uni to accept as many credits as possible, to hopefully meet the threshold to move into an upper year and avoid repeating classes. However, each uni has different thresholds and criteria for accepting credit, varying procedures on credit transference, and often a preference for EU credit over non-EU ones. These factors make transferring an unpredictable process.