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FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Pre-arrival and after-arrival

Lessons at Politecnico di Milano start in September in the 1st Semester and in February in the 2nd Semester. Details here.

Students should go to the Police Office (Questura) within 8 working days after their arrival in order to obtain their residence permit (permesso di soggiorno), as described at the following link: Residence Permit

Milano offers a wide range of job opportunities. Politecnico di Milano offers to international students the opportunity to work on campus up to 200 hours/year, while it's also possible to get employed off campus.

'Informagiovani' is an institution of the Comune di Milano offering different services to help young people looking for a job.

Italian and European citizens can work full time, while non-European citizens can sign contracts that allow them to work for a maximum of 20 hours per week, until their residence permit expires. Knowledge of the Italian language is generally required to get a job. However, speaking other languages is usually positively evaluated in reviewing your CV.

Yes, it's possible. For further information check the Language courses page.

Yes, Politecnico di Milano supports international students for finding accommodation. For further info please visit our Accommodation website.

Laurea Triennale (equivalent to BSc)

Information about the contents of the programmes can be found on the Programmes Catalogue section.

To enter a Laurea (equivalent to Bachelor of Science) programmes in Architecture, Design or Engineering it is necessary to take an entrance test to evaluate the qualification of the applicants.

For more information check the Application Procedures section.

Yes, it is necessary to contact the Italian Embassy or Consulate to present your original documents which need to be translated into Italian, legalized and provided to Politecnico di Milano.

For more information on documentation requested, check the Application Procedures section.

The main deadlines to respect after arriving in Italy are:

  • 8 working days to ask for residence permit to the Police Office (Questura)
  • the last date to enrol and pay tuition fees

Laurea Magistrale (equivalent to MSc)

Educational offer

Yes, it is. The list of these programmes is available on the Programmes Catalogue section.

Select the programme you are interested in from the list available here. At the bottom of the programme page select “Programme description“.

Application

Applications are open from one year before the beginning of classes. For instance, If you wish to start in September (1st semester) you can fill the application from the previous September to November or from January to March. Application for 2nd semester is usually open from May to July. Please have a look at the deadlines.

There is no difference between the two application calls, except for the result publication, which is earlier if you apply in the first call. The number of available scholarships and the chance to get one are the same.

Fill out the enquiry form specifying your issue and we will follow with instructions.

This occurs because the application is not open in this moment. Students can register on our website at any time, but applications to the programmes are only open at certain periods. Check here for more info on the application deadlines.

If you have an Italian passport and a foreign degree, you will have to apply during the EEA students deadlines.

You will have to deselect the “qualification attained” box, and provide an attendance certification, specifying your current student status.

Starting from 2021/22 academic year, in order to submit the application, all candidates are required to pay a non-refundable € 50 application fee. Submitted applications will be assessed for admission only once the application fee payment is received.

The application fee is a non-refundable fee, compulsory for all candidates, and it must be paid in order to submit the online application. This fee amounts to € 50 regardless wether you apply to one or two postgraduate programmes.

Submitted applications will be considered for the evaluation only once the application fee payment has been received. 

The administrative fee is non-refundable regional tax that must be paid to confirm your place at Polimi. It will be deducted from the 2nd installment of the tuition fees. It should be paid after the admission and within a set deadline. This payment is compulsory in order to complete the enrollment.

Deadlines

There are two intakes a year for the MSc programmes, corresponding to the 1st and to the 2nd semester. The first semester starts in September/October, the second semester starts in February/March. For updated information, please check here.

The evaluation of international prospective students’ applications is a 2-step process. First, the applications are evaluated by the International Admissions Office, then a Committee of Professors of the relevant Department takes the final decision about the outcome of candidatures. Some selectors wait until the program application deadline has passed before considering all applications together or in a number of different rounds. Other selectors consider applications as soon as they are received.
Students may periodically check online the status of the application.

The language certificate is compulsory in order to obtain the admission letter, to be considered for scholarships, for Visa obtainment and for the enrolment to Politecnico di Milano. However, it does not influence the outcome of your evaluation and therefore a different deadline for providing the language proficiency certificate has been set. 

If the document is not provided by the deadline, we cannot guarantee that you will be considered for the available merit based scholarships and/or that your name will be included in the lists of admitted international students sent to the Italian Diplomatic Representatives for your pre-registration and Visa procedures.

Students who applied during the first application intake but were rejected, may NOT apply for any other Master’s degree programme in the second application intake.

It is not possible to be evaluated twice during the same semester.

Transfer from another university

If you have a foreign Bachelor Degree and you are studying a MSc programme at another university in Italy or abroad, you should fill the normal application for our programmes. Only at a later stage you will be able to ask for the credit validation to our Registrar’s Office.

Application documents

University qualification

Just upload it in the same section dedicated to the University qualification within your online application. (Certificate of attendance)

Language certificate

We only accept the English certificates listed on our website, at this page.

Only students who have studied their entire Bachelor programme in English are not required to provide the English language certificate.

There is no need for you to send it officially. Just upload a screenshot or scan copy of the results page within your online application.

Students who can prove that English was the medium of instruction of their Bachelor Degree (at least for 3 years) are exempted from providing any English language certification. In this last case, students are required to upload a document certified by the university attesting that their programme was entirely taught in English.

Academic transcripts

Transcripts must be uploaded onilne. Original transcripts must be scanned front and back: grading scale and GPA verified by your university must be included in the document or attached to it (combined in a single PDF file). There is no need of translation if the original transcript is in Italian, French, Spanish or English. Otherwise, you must also provide a certified translation together with the original (or certified copy). Check out some examples of accepted certified copy of transcripts: Example 1, Example 2

You can apply even if you have not finished the university yet, but you plan to graduate by July (for the 1st semester intake) or by December (for the 2nd semester intake). In this case, instead of your Diploma, you have to provide us with a certified document in English issued by your University (or a letter from the Head of your Department) and stating when is you graduation due. Regarding your transcripts, you should provide us with the last available version.

Course description

You can write it yourself and make it signed by the Head of the Department of your study programme.

Please note that by course descriptions we mean brief but detailed descriptions clearly explaining the contents and the basic topics covered in each course taken. It also must contain the number of hours of the courses or training activities that you have completed according to your academic curriculum.

The file must be compressed to reach the maximum size of 4MB. You might include only the core subjects and take out the ones which are not related to the programme you selected.

Recommendation letter

There isn’t a specific format but it should clearly contain the institutional contacts of the professor. University Letterhead and/or original stamp are welcome. In case you have completed your studies a few years ago and it is not possible to get a letter from your former professor, a letter written by your manager or employer may be accepted. Only one recommendation letter is required. If you wish to upload more than one document, you should merge the letters into a single PDF file.

At this page you’ll find the descriptions of all the documents we require for the application, and the submission methods, for more info.

The preferred format is a letter written by one of your former bachelor professors. If it’s difficult to get it, you may also submit a letter by your employer.

You must upload them during the online application. In case your professor wishes to send the letter directly to us, please contact us through the enquiry form.

Yes, it is possible. In this case, it is necessary to merge the different files into one PDF.

Portfolio

We don’t have specific content requirements. However, here you are few tips:

  • Choose works you have done at your university and which are related to the MSc programme you apply for. The professors want to check your academic background, more than your working experience
  • Do not include too many works in your portfolio. It should not be a catalogue of your works but a selection.
  • Lastly, be sure to explain what you have done: the reasoning process at the origin of each work you present

Check here for more info on the required documents

Documents submission

The official university documents (Academic transcript, University qualification, Detailed study programme and letter of recommendation) are accepted in Italian, English, French or Spanish.

Any translations must be certified, with original university stamps or made by an official translator and submitted along with the documents in the original language.

Motivation letter(s), Portfolio and CV must be provided in English or Italian.

Requirements

In order to apply for any Master of Science programme, you should have an undergraduate background in the same field of studies, a valid English language certificate (+ an Italian certificate for programmes held in Italian), and for some countries, a minimum GPA. You find these info in the section Requirements. Specific requirements are listed in the programmes pages (MSc Programmes Catalogue).

If you have an Italian university qualification, you should follow the procedures of Italian students listed on the relevant page. For any doubts, please contact the Registrar’s office.

Students who can prove that English was the medium of instruction of their Bachelor Degree (at least for 3 years) are exempted from providing any English language certification. In this last case, students are required to upload a document certified by the university attesting that their programme was entirely taught in English.

Scholarships

Politecnico di Milano offers merit-based Scholarships depending on academic performance. All the students admitted to a Laurea Magistrale programme with a complete dossier (language certificate included by the deadline) will be automatically considered for the available merit based scholarships (there is no separate application for scholarships).

Students can also apply for DSU Scholarships, which are financial and merit based granted. They are assigned by a yearly call of grant. 

Italian Government offers some scholarships for international talented students. 

For more information, please check here.

A number of merit-based scholarships is available for talented students without application. All admitted students will be automatically considered for a possible scholarship.

Financial-based scholarships, called DSU, are also available.

Merit based scholarships are awarded on the basis of your academic background. The main factors considered are your CGPA and the coherence of bachelor studies with MSc of interest. For Architects and Designers the portfolio is another important criteria.

There is no additional application in order to be considered for a possible merit-based scholarship. Just fill the online application for MSc and be sure to have uploaded or sent all required documents by the right deadlines specified on our website.

The number and value of scholarships available is published around October and February at this page.

DSU Scholapships are provided by a yearly call of grant. For announcement, specific requirements and deadlines visit Financial based DSU scholarships.

To be considered for Merit-Based Scholarships, deadlines are the same as those for the programme you are applying for.

For DSU Scholarship prospect students can apply yearly during June and August. Announcement, specific requirements and deadlines are published every year by a call of grant. For more information visit Financial based DSU scholarships.

The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation allocates every year scholarships for foreign students. Application must be completed during March and May. Please visit here for further information.

After admission: Visa and other procedures

In case of admission, your admission letter will be available on your online profile when we verify your English language certificate. 

If you have applied for a scholarship provided by other institutions, please note that you still have to fill the application to Politecnico di Milano (and meet our entry requirements) in order to get your admission.

After receiving your admission letter, you will be able to apply for the visa. You should contact the local Italian Diplomatic Representative to book an appointment for pre-enrollment and visa procedure. Usually you can do so from May till July (1st semester entry) and from October till December (2nd semester entry).

You may postpone your entrance only from the 1st to the 2nd semester of the same academic year. In order to do so, you have to contact the International Admissions Office using the "Need Help?" section in your online application.

In this case, you should obtain a new visa for your studies at Politecnico di Milano.

Accomodation and life in Italy

The online accommodation booking will open in June for the 1st semester entry. If you will start in the 2nd semester, the application for our residences will open in December.

For more info, check: www.residenze.polimi.it/en

Please, check this page, where you can also find detailed info concerning life in Italy and in Politecnico di Milano.

Yes, you can work within your campus for a maximum of 200 hours per year, with a minimum salary of €13 per hour. Instructions are available here. Once at Politecnico di Milano, you will be able to apply for this position.

Furthermore, the study visa allow students to work part-time for a maximum of 20 hours per week.

The University Career Service offers constant support and guidance to students and graduates (even ones with experience) for all the services related to their professional career, acting as bridge between the University and the job market.

In detail, the services offered are:

  • support in the job search, online CV, interviews with experts in order to address a sector or professional profile
  • an updated database of jobs and internships both in Italy and abroad 
  • 3 job fairs each year
  • info on internship programmes and international internships
  • an online training channel to effectively prepare to the job market (such as writing a CV, facing a selection interview ...)

Career Service website: www.careerservice.polimi.it

The visa will allow you to stay for one more year after graduation in order to search for a job.