Post-admission steps

Non-EU admitted students, who need to apply for a study visa in order to enter Italy and enroll to Università Cattolica, are required to comply with the following procedure:

If you are eligible for admission, the International Admissions Office will inform you sending an e-mail to the address you indicated on the online application (remember to check your spam box as well!). The e-mail will outline:

• If you have been awarded with a scholarship;
• The instructions to pay the first installment of the tuition fee in order to accept Cattolica’s offer and reserve a place on the indicated degree program.

Upon receipt of the deposit, the International Admissions Office will send you by courier the official admission letter (Italian and English version) addressed to the Italian Consulate/Embassy in your country,  to the address indicated on the application form.

Please note that we can send only one original copy of the admission letter. You are therefore required to double check the address provided and let us know as soon as possible if you need the letter to be couriered to a different one. For further certificates or request of a second shipment of the admission letter, a fee will be applied to cover the shipment expenses.  
 
 

You can submit an application for a long-term entry visa - “D” type – issued for study reasons (“Immatricolazione Università”) at the Italian Embassy/Consulate of your jurisdiction (1).

Check directly with them the documents they require to apply for the visa, as a general guide they will ask for:

• Your passport
• 2 passport-sized photos
• Università Cattolica's admission letter (Italian version);
• Bachelor-level Diploma, if you already graduated;
• Transcript of academic records issued by the University you attended/are attending; as an alternative, you can provide the Diploma Supplement (2): this is only possible if you already graduated and your university issues it.

Please note: Italian Embassies/consulates usually requre that diplomas and transcripts are legalized (3) by the relevant local Ministries and translated into Italian before they are submitted for pre-enrollment.

Additionally, you will have to satisfy the following requirements:

• Proof of economic means of about 6.000€. Please note however that the cost of living in Italy per annum is higher;
• A return ticket;
• Proof of accommodation in Italy.
• Health insurance for medical expenses and hospital stays;
• Passport or travel document valid for at least three months after visa expiry date;
• Successful completion of university studies (you will have to provide the graduation certificate).

If your application is accepted, the Italian Embassy/Consulate will:

• Stamp the study visa on your passport;
• Issue the “Dichiarazione di Valore” (4) of your qualification - this can be asked as requierement to issue the Visa.

It is also suggested that, while requesting the visa, you also apply to the Italian Consulate for the issuing of your “Codice fiscale” (Italian tax registration No.) . It is a 16-character alphanumeric code issued free of charge by the Revenue Agency to identify Italian nationals and foreign residents. You need to have your own "codice fiscale" to enroll in any Italian university, open a bank account and sign any type of contract (rental, phone line, ...).

The enrollment procedure will be finalized upon arrival. Your enrollment to Università Cattolica will be possible only if you submit the Diploma supplement or the Dichiarazione di Valore.

Within eight days from arrival to Italy, you will have to request a permit of stay (“permesso di soggiorno”). UCSC International will provide support in completing the application form during the Orientation Event.
 

KEY

(1) The Italian Embassy of the country issuing your passport and responsible for the area where you reside (eg. in Turkey or the USA there are several Italian Embassies, and each of them is responsible for a specific state/region in the country). Find here a list of the Italian Consular Offices. If you temporarily live in a country that you are not a citizen of, you may submit your pre-enrolment request to the Head of Italian Consulate/Embassy of that country, who will decide whether to accept it or not.

(2) The Diploma Supplement is a document attached to a higher education qualification, with the aim of improving international transparency and facilitating the academic and professional recognition of qualifications (diplomas, degrees, certificates). It is designed to provide a description of the nature, level, context, content and status of the studies that were successfully completed by the individual. The Diploma Supplement is produced by national Higher Education institutions according to a template developed by a Joint European Commission - Council of Europe - UNESCO working party that tested and finalized it. Download a few examples.

(3) Legalisation is the official confirmation that a signature, seal or stamp on a public document is genuine. It does not authenticate the content of the document. Legalisation is usually required by Italian authorities before they will allow a document issued in a third country to be used for official purposes in Italy. If your country signed the La Haye Convention of 05/10/1961, the competent authorities will stamp the Apostille on your qualification. In other countries, specific Ministries are appointed to legalise documents through a stamp. If you studied in Belgium, Denmark, France, Ireland, Germany, Austria or Estonia legalisation of documents is not required according to international agreements.

(4) The Dichiarazione di Valore in loco (DV) is an official document which provides a short description of your qualification, its validity in the awarding country to academic and/or professional ends, and the legal status of the awarding institution. In order to obtain the DV, you have to contact the Italian Consulate/Embassy of the country that awarded the qualification. For example, if you studied in a British university in Ghana, you should refer to the Italian Embassy in the UK for the DV issuing.