Study Medicine in Italy in English | IMAT Prep & Guide

Ciao! 👋 If you are applying to medical school or any public university in Italy, ISEE is an acronym you need to learn immediately. The ISEE (Indicatore Situazione Economica Equivalente) is the standard tool the Italian government uses to assess your family's economic situation. Whether you are an Italian resident or an international student coming from abroad, calculating this correctly can literally save you thousands of euros every single year. Let's decode the Italian bureaucracy. 🇮🇹

Level 1: Which ISEE Do You Need?

Not all certificates are the same. A common mistake international students make is applying for the wrong type of ISEE, which causes the university to reject their scholarship application. Depending on your residence and family status, you will fall into one of these three categories.

Ordinary ISEE

FOR ITALIANS & RESIDENTS

Italian students officially resident in Italy.
International students who have official residence in Italy AND are financially independent.

Independent Rule:

You must have an income over €9,000 AND proof you lived outside your parents' home for at least 2 years.

Most Common

ISEE Parificato

FOR INTERNATIONALS

International students residing abroad with family abroad.
International students in Italy earning less than €9,000 (you are still part of your foreign household).
Italian citizens resident abroad (AIRE).

ISEE Corrente

THE CURRENT UPDATE

Valid for only 6 months.
Used as an update to your standard ISEE if a sudden economic disaster happens.

When to use:

Recent job loss, contract suspension, or a loss of family assets greater than 20% in the last 12 months.

Level 2: The Secret Formula

Many students mistakenly think the ISEE is just a raw sum of their bank accounts. It is actually a sophisticated mathematical formula designed to evaluate true purchasing power based on family size.

THE 2026 ISEE ALGORITHM

( ISR + 20% ISP ) ÷ SCALE

ISR

Family Gross Income

This looks at the second calendar year preceding the DSU submission. (e.g., Applying in 2026? You need 2024 tax documents). Includes salaries, pensions, agriculture, and substitute tax incomes.

ISP

Total Assets

Includes real estate properties (houses) + movable assets (bank accounts, bonds, vehicles) owned as of Dec 31 of the preceding year.

Crucial Real Estate Rule: If your property is abroad and the value is hard to determine officially, Italian law dictates that 1 Square Meter = €500.

SCALE

Equivalency Coefficient

This number divides your total wealth to account for how many mouths the family feeds. The bigger your family, the larger the divisor, which lowers your final ISEE score (better for scholarships).

Level 3: The Scale & Surcharges

How much does your family size actually help? The formula used for N family members is: 2.85 + [0.35 x (n-5)]. But there are also massive "Surcharges" (bonus points added to your divisor) for special situations that can dramatically lower your ISEE.

Equivalency Scale

Family Members	Coefficient
1 Member	1.00
2 Members	1.57
3 Members	2.04
4 Members	2.46
5 Members	2.85

Surcharges (Bonuses)

+0.50
For each medium, severe, or non-self-sufficient disabled member.
+0.20
If there are exactly 3 children in the household. (Increases to +0.35 for 4 children, and +0.50 for 5+).
+0.20
For households with minor children where BOTH parents (or a single parent) have worked for ≥6 months.
+0.30
The above working-parent surcharge raises to 0.30 if at least one child is under 3 years old.

Level 4: The Bureaucracy Boss Fight

If you need the ISEE Parificato (International Student), you cannot just print your bank statements and hand them to the university. You must go through a strict legalization process to prove your foreign documents are legitimate.

Collect Home Country Documents

Gather official documents issued by competent authorities in your home country. This includes family composition certificates, tax returns/income statements, and bank balances as of Dec 31 of the required year.

Translation into Italian

All foreign documents must be officially translated into Italian. Depending on your country, this must be done by a sworn translator approved by the courts.

Consular Legalization

The translated documents must be legalized by the Italian Diplomatic Authorities (Embassy or Consulate) in your country of origin. (Or via Apostille if your country is part of the Hague Convention).

Submit to Italian CAF

Once in Italy (or via partnered remote services), submit these legalized documents to a CAF (Centro di Assistenza Fiscale). They will calculate the ISEE Parificato and send it to your university.

START EARLY! 🛑

Collecting documents, securing sworn translations, and getting appointments at Italian Embassies takes MONTHS. If you wait until September, you will miss the scholarship deadlines and be forced to pay the maximum tuition fee bracket.

Level 5: Special Exceptions

What if your country is undergoing a crisis, or obtaining tax documents is literally impossible? Italy has strict but fair bypass rules.

Difficult Diplomatic Relations

Students from countries where obtaining documentation from the Italian Embassy is politically impossible (e.g., war zones, severed relations) may request documentation from foreign diplomatic missions located inside Italy. These documents must then be legalized by the Italian Prefecture (Prefettura).

Low Human Development Countries

Students from specific developing nations (the list is updated annually on university websites) do not need to prove complex bank assets. Instead, they submit a simpler certification stating they do not belong to a high-income family, requested at the Italian Diplomatic Authorities in their country of origin.

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