Overview

The University of Cagliari opens one English-taught, single-cycle Master's degree programme — Italy's equivalent of an integrated MD — to candidates who sit the Cagliari IMAT 2026 admission test, governed by Ministerial Decree No. 1005 of 6 August 2026. The bando di ammissione for A.Y. 2026/2027 is Decreto Rettorale n. 858/2026, dated 27 August 2026 and signed by the Rettore, Prof. Francesco Mola, for:

• Medicine and Surgery (Classe LM-41), Cagliari seat, in lingua inglese

This guide walks through what the bando actually says about the Cagliari IMAT 2026 process: who can apply, exactly what's due and when, how the test and rankings work, and what happens after a candidate wins a seat. It's a summary of a long, dense legal document — read the official bando PDF in full, or cross-check anything decision-critical against Cagliari's own admissions page before you act on it. For how this fits the national picture, see the IMAT 2026 hub.

Seats available

The Cagliari IMAT 2026 admission call runs under Italy's numero programmato (capped-place) system, taught entirely in English. 98 places are available for 2026/2027, split across three candidate categories:

Choosing Cagliari as a first preference locks in the test location for candidates sitting the test in Italy — there are no exceptions to sitting the test wherever a candidate's first choice is. For how Cagliari's seat count compares elsewhere, see Locomotive's full list of IMAT universities in Italy.

Who's eligible

Admission requires an upper-secondary school diploma, or a foreign qualification recognised as valid for university access under current Italian rules (also valid: a foreign qualification earned after at least 12 years of schooling that grants university access in the country where it was obtained), plus passing the admission test.

EU and non-EU candidates residing in Italy

Ranked on a single national list per Article 39(5) of Legislative Decree No. 286/1998, as amended by Article 26 of Law 189/2002. First preference determines both the target site and, for candidates testing in Italy, the test location.

Non-EU candidates residing abroad

Eligible only for the local ranking list of the single university where they submitted their Universitaly pre-enrolment application — a separate ranking list from the one used for EU/Italy-resident candidates, published at the same time.

The full Cagliari IMAT 2026 deadline calendar

This is the single most important table on this page. Missing the registration window or the enrolment window after a ranking round permanently forfeits a place — the bando allows no exceptions for delay.

All deadlines run on Italian time (GMT+2). The 4-day enrolment window and the 5-day confirmation-of-interest window both exclude Saturdays and public holidays, per the bando.

How to apply, by candidate category

Registration runs entirely through Universitaly, the Ministry's national platform — the same mechanics used for every Italian university offering the IMAT (see the IMAT 2026 hub for the general process). Cagliari's bando adds the following category-specific steps.

All candidates, at registration

1. Register and pay the test fee on Universitaly by 9 September 2026, 15:00 (GMT+2).
2. Indicate, in order of preference, the university sites you're competing for — irrevocable after that same deadline.
3. If testing in Italy, your first preference automatically becomes your mandatory test site — no exceptions.
4. Optionally declare any recognised language certification held (relevant for tie-breaks).

Non-EU candidates residing abroad

1. Complete the Universitaly pre-enrolment application choosing Cagliari, within the terms Cagliari sets, to obtain an entry visa.
2. Register for and sit the Cagliari IMAT 2026 test, as above.
3. Separately submit the local-ranking application exclusively online through Cagliari's own portal (not Universitaly) — instructions at segreterie.unica.it/medicinaechirurgia/ammissioni-medicine-and-surgery/.

After being assigned or booked a place

1. Submit the online enrolment application per the instructions published at Cagliari's admissions page.
2. Non-EU candidates residing abroad must also present, in person at the Segreteria Studenti Facoltà di Medicina e Chirurgia, the documentation needed to verify the validity of the foreign qualification.

Test day & format

A single test of identical content at every location: 60 multiple-choice questions (five options each, one correct answer), completed in a maximum of 100 minutes:

• Reading skills and knowledge acquired during studies — 4 questions
• Logical reasoning and problems — 5 questions
• Biology — 23 questions
• Chemistry — 15 questions
• Physics and mathematics — 13 questions

Candidates must arrive at the test site at least 90 minutes before the start, with a valid ID and (if requested) the fee-payment receipt. Only a black pen supplied by the university or foreign test site may be used to fill in the answer form — no personal pens, pencils or writing implements are allowed in the room.

Strictly forbidden during the test (grounds for exclusion or annulment): phones, smartwatches, tablets, earphones, webcams and similar devices; textbooks, manuals, notes or any consultation material; bags or backpacks; and any interaction, copying, or exchange of material between candidates.

Full conduct rules and grounds for exam annulment are set out in Art. 5 of the official bando — see also Locomotive's IMAT 2026 hub for the general national format.

Scoring, minimum eligibility & OFA

Out of a maximum 90 points:

• +1.5 points per correct answer
• −0.4 points per incorrect answer
• 0 points for a question left unanswered

EU candidates and non-EU candidates resident in Italy need a minimum of 20 points to appear on the ranking list. Non-EU candidates resident abroad only need a score above 0 — they're excluded only if they answer no questions at all.

In the event of a tie, subject scores decide first (biology, chemistry, physics/maths, in that combined block, then logical reasoning, then reading comprehension), then possession of a recognised language certificate, then preference for candidates with a certified invalidity of 66% or more (or Law 104/1992 art. 3 co. 3 disability), and finally the youngest candidate.

"Assigned" vs "Booked": securing your place

This is the part of the process that catches people out. Once rankings are published — and rescrolled as places free up — every eligible candidate holds one of two live statuses:

Every candidate not enrolled, withdrawn, or marked "posti esauriti" (seats exhausted) must actively confirm interest in staying on the ranking list within the same 5-working-day window after each round, or be automatically excluded from future assignments — the bando is explicit that being unavailable is not accepted as a justification, since the confirmation can be delegated to a trusted third party.

Support for candidates with disabilities or DSA

Candidates with disabilities (Law 104/1992) or Specific Learning Disorders / DSA (Law 170/2010) who want accommodations should present their documentation to S.I.A. (Servizi per l'Inclusione e l'Apprendimento) – Ufficio Disabilità, ideally well in advance, and in any case by 21 September 2026, via tutor.sia@unica.it.

• Disability accommodations require original or authenticated certification from the competent territorial medical commission, proving the type/degree of disability — entitles up to 50% extra time.
• DSA accommodations require a diagnosis issued by public local health structures or accredited providers, no older than 3 years if issued before age 18 (or issued after turning 18) — entitles up to 30% extra time, with further measures possible for particularly severe certified cases.
• Candidates residing abroad need legalised certification (where required) with a sworn/certified translation into Italian or English, via Italian diplomatic representations.
• After completing online registration, candidates must submit a formal request to S.I.A., with a specialist report, via the form at people.unica.it/disabilita/modulistica/, attaching the relevant medical documentation.

Aids are granted following evaluation by S.I.A.'s experts, possibly with an interview to define the exact support needed.

Recognised language certificates (tie-break advantage)

Possessing one of the certificates below, self-declared at registration, gives priority in a tie. These are set nationally in Allegato 3 of D.M. 1005/2026, so the same list applies at every Italian university sitting the IMAT, Cagliari included.

Full list, including City & Guilds, Edexcel/Pearson and EDI, is in Allegato 3 of D.M. 1005/2026.

Foreign qualification holders

Students holding a foreign qualification are admitted per Italian Ministry of University and Research rules, after passing the test and submitting the required qualification-verification documentation to the Segreteria Studenti Facoltà di Medicina e Chirurgia. All documentation relating to the foreign secondary-school qualification — including the Dichiarazione di Valore or CIMEA Attestato di Comparabilità — must be submitted by 30 December 2026.

If the Italian entry visa is issued late by the competent Embassy or Consulate, this deadline extends to 30 March 2027 at the absolute latest. Past that, enrolment is archived by the office ex officio.

Being eligible ("idoneo") for admission in a given selection round carries no right to enrolment in later years or future editions of this call — that's a separate procedure governed by Art. 15 of the bando.

Contacts & who's in charge

All official communications go to the email address given at registration — it's the candidate's responsibility to keep it updated. The administrative procedure is led by Roberto Marica, Responsabile della Segreteria Studenti della Facoltà di Medicina e Chirurgia, who is also the contact for document-access requests under Italian Law No. 241/1990.

Frequently asked questions