Secondary School Diplomas

In case of admission, students will receive a result with a conditional offer. All the admitted applicants MUST refer to their own admission result for the complete list of requirements to be fulfilled within the established deadlines.

To complete their enrollment, students must provide a valid secondary school diploma (national or international) suitable for access to the 1st cycle of academic studies (i.e. Bachelor programs) in the country to which the educational system of the school refers by the end of July 2025 (August 2025 for British Qualifications). The final diploma must be always provided in original, and with an official translation (in Italian or English) when required. A minimum final diploma score/grade/GPA is not required.

Diplomas released in December (i.e. South American diplomas) must be awarded in the year before the enrollment (i.e. diploma awarded in December 2024 for the enrollment to 2025/26 AY).

In order to be considered valid, all the secondary school diplomas must be awarded after at least 12 years of education (starting from the first year of primary school) and after at least 2 full years of attendance in the educational system to which the final diploma refers.
Therefore, diplomas awarded after only 1 year of attendance during an exchange/study abroad experience will not be considered valid for enrollment.

For this reason, it is highly recommended to Italian students to attend the full last year of secondary school in Italy, without skipping the Italian Maturità. American or Canadian diplomas awarded after just 1 year abroad are not valid for enrollment.

If you will be awarded with an IB Diploma, British and Irish Qualifications or American Diploma, please check on specific secondary school diploma requirements.

Diplomas awarded after 10 or 11 years of studies MUST be integrated with 2 full years of University with all the exams passed (for 10-year diplomas), or 1 full year of University with all the exams passed (for 11-year diplomas). The year/s of integration must be fulfilled in accredited and recognized Universities, with all the exams for the 1st year passed (equivalent to at least 60 ECTS per year).

Please note that University years used as integration to fulfil diploma requirements cannot be considered for credits recognition. Foundation courses are not automatically accepted and their suitability as diploma integration will be evaluated by the Admissions Committee according to the documents uploaded in the online application.

Specific Foundation courses cannot be recommended but programs with contents similar to the ones in Bocconi programs are suggested.
Any documentation referring to pre-school years can be included in the online application for further evaluation by uploading an official school certificate that confirms the year/s of attendance.

If the national system of education requires a qualifying academic exam for university admission (i.e. Gaokao, Matura, Selectividad, ENES, ENEM/Vestibular, YKS (TYT and AYT) Veveosi Prosvasis, ICFES, ATAR, Passerella Exam, etc.), applicants MUST pass/take this exam in order to enroll in Italian Universities (a minimum grade is not required). In addition, these exams are usually requested by the Italian Authorities (Embassy/Consulate/Italian Cultural Institute) in order to issue Declarations of Value and visas for study purposes.

When required in the admission result, the Declaration of Value (DoV) is a compulsory requirement for the secondary school diploma. If not requested in the admission result, non-EU applicants are kindly invited to check anyway with the Italian Authorities (Embassy/Consulate/Italian Cultural Institute) in their country if a Declaration of Value would still be required for the study visa procedure.

Please note that a Statement of Comparability issued by CIMEA (the Italian NARIC Center) is considered as a valid alternative to the declaration of value. The Statement of Comparability can be easily requested on the CIMEA website.

Bocconi reminds that the evaluation of foreign qualifications presented for enrollment to Italian higher education courses of study is under exclusive jurisdiction of higher education institutions, as established by Art. 2 of Law 148/2002. For this reason, any documentation produced by Italian diplomatic Missions or other Authorities does not affect the autonomous evaluation decisions of Bocconi University regarding foreign qualifications for admission and enrollment to courses.

This evaluation does not confer legal value to foreign diplomas. In case candidates make use of their diplomas to access another cycle of academic studies, for the participation to a public contest or for the exercise of a specific profession, the diploma recognition for such purposes must be carried out by responsible authorities.

In their decisional autonomy, Universities can decide to admit international students by evaluating their path of studies and final diploma.

The International Baccalaureate (IB) is considered valid for enrollment without any translation and/or legalization. 

The full IB DP must be awarded:

• by no later than the session of May 2025 (results available at the beginning of July 2025)
• after at least 12 years of education
• with at least 24 points in six chosen subjects, 12 of which must be obtained at "Higher Level"
• with successful passing of the three core subjects: Theory of Knowledge (TOK), Creativity, Action, Service (CAS), and Extended Essay (EE)

Please note that retakes in November 2025 will not be accepted and IB Certificates are not valid for enrollment.

The full IB Diploma is valid also as English requirement for enrollment.

 

Bocconi University accepts applicants with British qualifications (Cambridge, Edexcel, AQA, OCR, WJEC), including Cambridge International qualifications, as long as they have passed/will pass at least 3 subjects at Advanced Level (A Level) or Pre-University level (Pre U).

Please note that A Levels/Pre U in Critical Thinking and General Studies are NOT accepted by Bocconi. BTEC are not considered valid to replace the compulsory A Levels/Pre U.

For Scottish qualifications, at least 3 subjects at Advanced Higher level are compulsory.

For Irish qualifications, at least 3 subjects at Higher level are mandatory.

British, Scottish and Irish qualifications are valid also as English requirement for enrollment.

Students awarded with an American high school diploma, issued by an American high school in the United States or by an American school in another country, must provide at least 3 Advanced Placement (AP) courses by July 2025.

If the school does not offer any AP course, self-study candidates are accepted provided that the final AP exams are taken through the College Board.
In any case, all the APs final scores must be released by the College Board and passed with a minimum grade of 3 out of 5 within July 2025.

Check the List of accepted AP subjects in the Download area.

Applicants who have already graduated with an American high school diploma without any AP must have completed at least 1 year of University with all the exams passed the equivalent of at least 60 ECTS (credits) in order to be considered for admission.

The American high school diploma is valid also as English requirement for enrollment.