Secondary School Diploma Requirements
 

To apply for a Bachelor programme at Università Cattolica, you need to meet the following requirements set by the Italian Ministry for University and Research (MUR):

1. You must finish high school and get your Secondary School Diploma by August 30, 2025.
2. You need to have at least 12 years of education. The last 2 years must be in the school system of the same country.

If you have only 11 years of education, you can still apply if you meet one of these conditions:

1. You completed at least one year of university studies and passed all the required exams. You can’t transfer any credits from these studies.
2. You finished a recognized Foundation Course at an Italian university. Foundation courses from non-Italian universities will be evaluated case by case.

Access to university-level studies

Your high school qualification must satisfy the requirements for access to university-level studies in the awarding country.

If you need to pass a special exam to enter university in your country, you must show that you have passed it with the required scores.

Some examples are:

• Selectividad/EBAU in Spain
• Veveossi Prosvassis in Greece
• Vestibular / ENEM in Brazil
• Gao Kao in China
• YKS (TYT and AYT/YDT) in Turkey

High School qualifications that must satisfy additional criteria

• International Baccalaureate Diploma
  Carefully read Universita Cattolica IB admission policy.
   
• US High School Diploma
  To apply, you need your US high school diploma, and you must also meet one of these additional requirements:
  1. Advanced Placement (AP) Exams: Pass at least 3 AP exams with the College Board in different subjects with a minimum score of 3 on each within the graduation year. If you already passed one or more exams, upload the official AP score report to your application. If you are still at high school and have not taken these exams yet, please fill out the AP exam declaration form and include it with your application.
     Note for Italian Speakers: If Italian is your first language, do not choose the AP Italian Language and Culture exam, as it will not be considered.  
  2. University Studies: Complete at least one year of academic studies and pass all required credits. Note that you cannot transfer any credits from these studies.
  3. Foundation Course: Complete a Foundation Course at an Italian university. Courses from non-Italian universities will be evaluated case by case.

Important: Your diploma must be obtained after at least 2 years of attending the US education system.
 

• British qualifications 
  A-levels: you need to obtain at least 3 subjects at Advanced level. Each A-level must be relevant to the chosen degree course. If you have not obtained the A levels yet, please fill out the A-levels declaration and include it with your application.
  Note for Italian Speakers: If Italian is your first language, do not choose A-level Italian, as it will not be considered. 

Besides the above-listed qualifications, other high school diplomas may need additional requirements. The ARDI database provides information on the requirements of most national diplomas to access Italian universities. Should your qualification not be listed and you have any questions about its validity, you can contact us.

Read our recognised English language certificates and exemption policy.   

You must satisfy the English language requirement at the time of application and upload the proficiency certificate to the online application. If the results are not included or do not meet the required conditions, your application will be considered unsuccessful and there will be no opportunity to re-submit them for a second evaluation.

Due to the quantitative and competitive nature of the programme, applications will be evaluated on performance in Mathematics and high school grades.

Priority consideration for admission  will be given to candidates whose high school transcripts show a minimum  GPA of 75% or above at the time of applying. This equals, for example, to CCC for A-levels, 31 points for the IB Diploma curriculum (see the IB undergraduate admission policy), 13 points for the French curriculum, a GPA of 3.0 for the US curriculum.
 

For this reason, all applicants must demonstrate strong academic performance in Mathematics, particularly in the final two years of high school.

Below are the specific requirements and recommendations based on your type of diploma.

1. IB Students
   If you are completing/have completed the International Baccalaureate (IB), your transcripts must show the following minimum grades in Mathematics:
   • Mathematics: Analysis & Approaches (AA) or Applications & Interpretation (AI)
   • Standard Level (SL): minimum grade of 5
   • Higher Level (HL): minimum grade of 4
     
     You are welcome to submit a standardized test score (SAT or ACT) to further support your application, although it is not mandatory.
      
2. American or Canadian High School Diploma
   If you are studying/have studied under an American or Canadian curriculum, you must submit the results of a standardized test (SAT or ACT) as part of your application.
    
3. Applicants who have not studied Mathematics in the last two years of high school
   If Mathematics is/was not part of your curriculum in the final two years of high school, you must submit a standardized test score (SAT or ACT).
    
4. All other diplomas (with Mathematics in the final two years)
   If you hold or are about to obtain any other national diploma and have studied Mathematics in your final two years of high school, you are encouraged to submit a standardized test score (SAT or ACT) to strengthen your application. However, it is not mandatory.

Minimum Requirements for Standardized Test Scores

If you choose or are required to submit SAT or ACT results, make sure the scores meet the minimum requirements:

• SAT: Minimum 560 in each section (Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, and Math)
• ACT: Minimum 23 in both the Composite score and the Math section

Please note:

• Superscores are not accepted.
• If you have taken the test multiple times, you must upload the full set of scores for each test date.
• At least one complete test sitting must meet the minimum required score in both sections.

If your test results do not meet the minimum scores, you will not be considered eligible to apply based on test scores. In that case, we recommend you submit your high school transcripts only, if applicable.

Alternative Option: Cattolica Admission Test

You must take the Cattolica Admission Test if:

• You have not studied Mathematics in the last two years of high school; or
• You are applying with an American or Canadian high school diploma

Please note:
If you choose to take the Cattolica Admission Test, your application cannot later be reassessed based on your high school transcripts or SAT/ACT scores.