Luigi Vanvitelli IMAT 2026 overview

Every year, the Università degli Studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli" opens a set number of seats on its English-taught, single-cycle Master's degree — the Italian equivalent of an integrated MD — to candidates who sit the national, MUR-set entrance test known as the IMAT. Luigi Vanvitelli IMAT 2026 is governed by Repertorio n. 536/2026 (Prot. n. 127182), the official call for applications issued by the Students' Office for Medicine and Surgery – Naples, and signed by the Rector, Prof. Giovanni Francesco Nicoletti, on 12 August 2026 in Caserta, covering admission for the 2026/2027 academic year to:

• Medicine and Surgery — Medicina e Chirurgia, class LM-41, taught entirely in English

This guide walks through the bando in plain English: who can apply, exactly what's due and when, how the test and rankings work, and what happens after you win a seat. It's a summary of a long, dense legal document — you can read the official bando in full, or cross-check anything decision-critical against Vanvitelli's own website before you act on it. For how this bando fits the national picture, see the IMAT 2026/2027 rulebook.

Programme & available seats

The degree runs six years, taught entirely in English, under Italy's numero programmato (capped-place) system. This particular bando covers Medicine and Surgery only — the same Students' Office also administers Dentistry and Dental Prosthodontics, but that programme is governed by its own separate call. Seats are split across two administrative categories:

Places were allocated to Vanvitelli by the Ministry of Universities and Research (MUR), per Ministerial Decree No. 1005 of 8 August 2026. Wondering how Vanvitelli stacks up elsewhere? See the full 2026/2027 seat breakdown for every public university, or vote on your shortlist in the IMAT university choice tracker.

Who's eligible

Eligibility is the same for both seat categories: a secondary school diploma of at least four years' duration or an equivalent qualification, either already obtained or due to be obtained by the end of the 2025/2026 school year.

All candidates are conditionally admitted to the competitive exam — the University can, at any time, issue a reasoned decision excluding a candidate who fails to meet the requirements or who makes a false declaration, notified by registered mail with acknowledgement of receipt.

Luigi Vanvitelli IMAT 2026 deadline calendar

This is the single most important table on this page. Miss the 9 September registration cutoff, and the bando is explicit that the payment and registration are non-refundable and valid only for this competition.

How to register for the test

Registering for Luigi Vanvitelli IMAT 2026 happens entirely through the national Universitaly portal.

1. 1

   Register on Universitaly (www.universitaly.it), providing your email address, starting 26 August 2026 and no later than 3:00 p.m. GMT+2 on 9 September 2026.

2. 2

   Rank your preferred test venues in order, and declare any language certification you hold under Annex 3 of Ministerial Decree 1005/2026. If Vanvitelli is your first preference, it is automatically assigned as your test venue — this is mandatory, under penalty of exclusion, and becomes irrevocable at 3:00 p.m. GMT+2 on 9 September 2026. If you intend to sit abroad, you must select a foreign location listed in Table A annexed to Ministerial Decree 1005/2026.

3. 3

   Pay the participation fee using the method published on Universitaly once registration opens. This payment is non-refundable and valid only for the competition you register for.

Test venues

The IMAT is a single national test, sat at the same time everywhere. The bando lists the full set of national and international test locations for A.Y. 2026/2027 (the exact classroom addresses for locations outside Italy were still to be announced at the time of publication):

If you choose Vanvitelli as your first preference and intend to sit in Italy, your registration on Universitaly automatically assigns you here in Naples. Vanvitelli will confirm the exact classroom address by notice on unicampania.it no later than 15 September 2026.

Luigi Vanvitelli IMAT 2026 test format & scoring

60 questions, five options each (one correct answer), 100 minutes on the clock, starting at 1:30 p.m. Italian time on 29 September 2026 (adjusted for the local time zone at foreign venues). Content is identical nationwide, prepared by the MUR with the assistance of CINECA, based on the syllabi in Annex A of Ministerial Decree 1005/2026.

Scoring (90 points max):

Plug your practice numbers into our IMAT score calculator to see how they'd translate under this scoring system.

Test-day rules

Candidates sitting at Vanvitelli must present themselves at 10:00 a.m. with a valid ID document, the Universitaly application receipt, and the payment receipt. Rooms are assigned by age, with an exception for twins. Candidates without an ID will not be admitted unless they present a valid police report of loss or theft; candidates without proof of registration and payment will not be admitted unless they appear on the eligible candidate lists. Anyone who arrives after identification has closed cannot take the exam, and any absence for any reason counts as withdrawal from the competition.

Candidates must use only the black, indelible pen provided by the University (or the foreign host institution). No bags, backpacks, books, notes, blank paper, personal writing instruments, mobile phones, smartwatches, tablets, earphones, headsets, webcams or laptops are allowed in the exam room, and no communication between candidates is permitted at any point.

The exam is cancelled, and the candidate excluded from the competition, if they:

• Sit the test in an exam room other than the one assigned, without prior authorisation
• Bring phones, handheld electronic devices, smartwatches, manuals, textbooks or reference materials into the room
• Sign or otherwise mark the answer sheet, front or back
• Interact with other candidates or attempt to exchange personal data or answer sheets
• Use a pen, pencil or other writing instrument while inserting the personal data sheet or answer sheet into the sealed containers

Luigi Vanvitelli IMAT 2026 minimum scores & ranking

To appear in the ranking at all, your final score has to clear a threshold:

• EU and non-EU candidates covered by Article 26 of Law 189/2002: ≥ 20/90 points. Score below this and you are not eligible and will not appear in the ranking.
• Non-EU candidates residing abroad: > 0 points (no fixed minimum threshold, but candidates who leave every question blank are excluded from the ranking).

CINECA compiles a single national ranking for EU and Italy-resident non-EU candidates, using the procedures in Annex 1 of Ministerial Decree 1005/2026. A separate ranking for non-EU candidates residing abroad is compiled directly by Vanvitelli. If two candidates tie on total score, the bando breaks the tie in this order:

1. Higher combined score across biology, chemistry, physics/maths, logical reasoning and reading skills
2. Possession, by the registration deadline, of a recognised language certification listed in Annex 3 of D.M. 1005/2026 (self-certified)
3. Preference for candidates with a certified disability of 66% or higher, or disability status under Law 104/1992, Art. 3 comma 3 (documentation must be submitted within 15 days of assignment)
4. If still tied, the younger candidate prevails

"Eligible but unsuccessful" status applies only to this specific selection cycle — it confers no right to access the programme in future years. Curious where past cut-offs landed? See our guide to what counts as a good IMAT score.

Enrolling

From 26 October 2026, and no later than 12:00 noon on 29 October 2026, ASSIGNED or RESERVED candidates who intend to enrol at Vanvitelli must submit — exclusively to the Student Office for Medicine and Surgery, Via L. Armanni n. 5, Naples (Complesso di S. Patrizia) — a duly completed enrolment application in block capitals, plus the additional documents indicated on the same form. Given the tight deadlines, successful candidates may also send the required documentation directly to imatenrollment@unicampania.it.

Candidates wishing to shorten their study programme (e.g. transferring credits from a prior degree) must submit supporting University documentation alongside their enrolment application, for evaluation by a specially appointed Teaching Committee.

Within 5 days of each ranking publication or update — no later than 12:00 noon on the fifth day — all candidates still in the running (except those already enrolled, withdrawn, or with "sold out" status) must confirm their interest in enrolling in the dedicated area of the Universitaly website. Failing to confirm removes you from the national ranking with no right of appeal on the timing.

The following results in permanent forfeiture of the right to enrol: missing the mandatory enrolment deadlines, failing to confirm interest at each ranking update, submitting a withdrawal from the programme, or the University discovering a false statement made during the procedure — even after exams have already been taken.

Special situations & support

Disability support

Candidates with a certified disability, under Articles 16 and 20 of Law 104/1992 (as amended by Law 17/1999), may request necessary aids and up to 50% extra time, depending on the type and degree of disability. Documentation must be an original or certified copy issued by the competent local medical commission.

Specific Learning Disorders (SLD/DSA)

Candidates diagnosed with a Specific Learning Disorder, certified under Law 170/2010, must submit a certification issued no more than three years ago, or issued after the candidate's eighteenth birthday, by local healthcare facilities or accredited professionals of the Regional Health Service. These candidates are granted up to 30% extra time.

Candidates residing in foreign countries must submit a certificate attesting to their disability or SLD issued in their country of residence, accompanied by a certified translation into Italian or English; the University will verify that it corresponds to a condition recognised under Italian law. All aid requests must be submitted, along with supporting documentation, through the University's online form (linked from the bando) by the deadline for this call for applications. Candidates may be admitted provisionally with a non-updated medical certificate if the delay is due to limitations of the National Health Service, with the University reserving the right to request updated documentation later.

Luigi Vanvitelli IMAT 2026 FAQ

Who to contact at Vanvitelli

The university's legal seat is Viale A. Lincoln 5, 81100 Caserta.

Any appeal against the content of this bando may be lodged with the competent Regional Administrative Court (TAR) within 60 days of publication.