The IMAT 2026 exam date is now official. In an Avviso signed on 4 July 2026, the Ministry of University and Research (MUR) — via the Direzione generale del diritto allo studio — published the dates of the national admission tests for nationally-programmed degree courses for the academic year 2026/2027. Among them is the test that matters most to LOCOMOTIVE's students: the admission exam for single-cycle master's degrees in Medicine and Surgery, Dentistry and Dental Prosthetics, and Veterinary Medicine delivered in English — the exam commonly known as IMAT.
This post walks through exactly what MUR confirmed, what is still outstanding, and what it means for how you plan the months ahead.
Only the exam date has been set. The test's format and content will be defined by a separate decree that MUR has not yet released.
The Official IMAT 2026 Exam Date (English-Taught Medicine)
For single-cycle master's degree courses in Medicine and Surgery, Dentistry and Dental Prosthetics, and Veterinary Medicine delivered in English, MUR has set the national admission test for:
IMAT · A.A. 2026/2027
Wednesday, 30 September 2026
Medicine and Surgery · Dentistry and Dental Prosthetics · Veterinary Medicine — English-taught
This is the single most important date on the calendar for anyone applying to English-taught medicine, dentistry, or veterinary programmes at Italian public universities for the 2026/2027 intake.
IMAT 2026/2027 Full National Admission Test Schedule
MUR published dates for five groups of nationally-programmed degree courses in the same avviso. Here's the complete picture, in the order the ministry itself lists them:
| Course | Test Date |
|---|---|
| Primary education science (single-cycle master's) | Thursday, 11 September 2026 |
| Healthcare professions (bachelor's degree) | Italian: Wed, 16 Sept 2026 English: Thu, 17 Sept 2026 |
| Architecture (single-cycle degrees) | By 30 September 2026 (set individually by each university) |
| Medicine, Dentistry & Veterinary Medicine — English-taught (IMAT) | Wednesday, 30 September 2026 |
| Healthcare professions (master's degree) | Italian: Mon, 5 Oct 2026 English: Wed, 7 Oct 2026 |
Note: IMAT (Wed 30 Sept) falls before the English-language healthcare professions master's test (Wed 7 Oct) — the two are separate exams roughly a week apart, not the same date.
IMAT 2026 Exam Date: What's Confirmed vs. Still Pending
It's important to be precise about what this avviso actually locks in, because MUR is explicit that not everything is settled yet.
Confirmed
- ›The IMAT exam date: 30 September 2026
- ›Format and content for Architecture, via Decreto Ministeriale n. 706 of 4 June 2026
- ›Format and content for Primary education science, via Decreto Ministeriale n. 931 of 3 July 2026
Still Pending
- ›Test format and content for Medicine, Dentistry, and Veterinary Medicine in English
- ›Format and content for all healthcare professions courses, Italian and English
- ›MUR's own wording: these "saranno definite con successivi decreti" — will be defined by upcoming decrees
In Practice
You now have a fixed date to build your study calendar around, but the official IMAT syllabus, question count, subject weighting, and scoring rules for 2026/2027 have not yet been published. LOCOMOTIVE will not publish assumptions as fact — this page will be updated the moment the relevant decree is released.
What This Means for Your IMAT Preparation
With the IMAT 2026 exam date — 30 September 2026 — now fixed, here's how to think about the months ahead:
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Key Takeaways
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Roughly 12 weeks out from today to test day — enough time for a structured full syllabus review if you start now, tight if you're beginning biology or chemistry fundamentals from zero.
University-specific bandi (application calls) will follow this MUR avviso — registration windows, required documents, and application portals typically open in the weeks after the ministerial date is confirmed.
Don't wait for the syllabus decree to start studying. Logic, biology, chemistry, physics, and maths fundamentals carry over year to year — the core content rarely shifts dramatically even when question counts or weighting are adjusted.
Watch the two published decrees — DM 706/2026 (Architettura) and DM 931/2026 (Scienze della formazione primaria) — as templates for how the Medicine/IMAT format decree will likely be structured when it lands.
Source Document
This information comes directly from the official avviso issued by:
Ministero dell'Università e della Ricerca — Segretariato Generale
Direzione generale del diritto allo studio
Signed by: Dott.ssa Luisa A. De Paola, Direttore Generale · Roma, 4 luglio 2026
IMAT 2026 Exam Date: Frequently Asked Questions
What is the IMAT 2026 exam date? expand_more
The IMAT 2026 exam date is Wednesday, 30 September 2026, as confirmed by MUR in its avviso signed 4 July 2026 for English-taught Medicine and Surgery, Dentistry, and Veterinary Medicine.
Has MUR published the IMAT syllabus and test format yet? expand_more
No. Only the date is confirmed so far. The format and content will be defined in a separate decree, which MUR has not yet released.
Does this apply to Medicine taught in Italian too? expand_more
No. This avviso covers English-taught single-cycle courses in Medicine, Dentistry, and Veterinary Medicine, plus separate dates for healthcare professions, primary education science, and architecture. It does not cover Medicine and Surgery taught in Italian.
What other admission dates were announced? expand_more
11 September (primary education science), 16/17 September (healthcare professions bachelor's, Italian/English), by 30 September (architecture, per-university), and 5/7 October (healthcare professions master's, Italian/English).
Where can I read the full official avviso? expand_more
The document is issued by MUR's Direzione generale del diritto allo studio. LOCOMOTIVE hosts the original PDF for you — use the "Download official PDF" button at the top of this page or in the source section above.
12 Weeks to September 30. Let's Use Them Well.
LOCOMOTIVE's IMAT prep programmes cover the full syllabus with structured schedules built around exactly this kind of official timeline. We'll update this page the moment MUR releases the format decree.