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World's Oldest University — University of Bologna (1088)
Study medicine at the oldest university in the world. NMC listed. English medium via IMAT admission. An unparalleled academic pedigree.
Italy offers one of the most genuinely distinctive MBBS abroad pathways in Western Europe, and unlike Germany, Spain, or France, Italy is one of the few Western EU countries with established English-medium undergraduate medical programmes at major public universities. The University of Bologna (founded in 1088, the world's oldest university), La Sapienza University of Rome, the University of Milan, and the University of Pavia all offer or have offered English-medium medicine programmes for international students.
The University of Bologna's international medical programme and La Sapienza's English-medium track are among the most recommended programmes in Italy. Both are NMC-listed and WHO-recognised. Italy is an EU and Schengen member, and a European medical licence eligibility is granted upon completion of the degree, and the Schengen travel advantages apply throughout your studies.
Italy's IMAT (International Medical Admissions Test) is an important practical consideration: most English-medium medical programmes at Italian public universities require IMAT, a standardised admissions test covering Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, and Critical Thinking, administered in English by Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing.
The quality-of-life argument for Italy is powerful: Bologna is a beautiful, red-roofed medieval university city with an extraordinary food culture (its nickname is "La Grassa, "the Fat One — the thickest capital of Italy). Rome offers the world's finest concentration of history and culture in an MBBS environment. At ₹65–85 Lakhs over 6 years, Italy is priced comparably to Poland and slightly below Hungary for a Western EU degree experience that is culturally unmatched.