School education in Italy

Where can a foreigner learn Italian for free in Italy?

Language is not just a collection of words and grammar rules. This is, first of all, one of the most important ways of communication between people living in the country, and, at times, only in a certain region of it. This is why you can never fully learn a language from books alone.

Learning Italian is more natural and faster if the learner lives in Italy. If you immerse yourself in the culture and listen, read and speak only Italian throughout the day, it will allow your knowledge to progress quickly. In this article, we will tell you where to take Italian courses in Italy for free.

The Italian Ministry of Education, together with the Italian Ministry of the Interior, with the aim of integrating foreigners, gives everyone the opportunity to study Italian for free and receive a certificate of proficiency in Italian at the A2 level. The training takes place in different educational structures, depending on the initial level of proficiency in Italian.

Where to learn Italian for free in Italy from scratch?

The basics of the Italian language are taught to foreign citizens living in Italy in the so-called Regional Adult Education Centers (Centri Provinciali per l'Istruzione degli Adulti, CPIA). Established in 2015, these centers have taken over the functions previously performed by Permanent Territorial Centers (CTPs) and school institutions providing evening courses.

Sign up for free Italian courses in Italy at CPIA:

• Italians and foreigners who have not received basic school education in Italy and intend to continue their studies or complete them with a certificate;
• Foreigners who intend to enroll in courses literacy and learning Italian from scratch.

The following courses are available at CPIA:

• First level courses (secondary school);
• Literacy and Italian language courses for foreigners.

Italian school? What is it like, how does it differ from ours in Russia, what is not the same as ours.

Why I ended up in Italy

For me, determination is an important character trait. Sometimes you stand at the door, wondering whether to enter or not, all in tension, but as soon as you enter, doubts disappear and obstacles are surmountable.

This was the case with my move to Italy. And I want to, and inject, and scary. Before moving, I flew there as a tourist four times, and on the fifth, I took my ten-year-old daughter there, thinking that “the truth is speaking through the mouth of a baby”.

Already on the plane on the way back to Russia, I asked: “Did you like it?” In response to my question, she answered without a shadow of a doubt: “I want to live in Italy.”

This was the starting point, the door needed to be opened, and I made up my mind. Difficulties did not scare me. In Italy, as well as in Russia, there is a saying that "when one door is closed, then other gates will surely open." We moved in early July, there was a terrible heat and the main issue that needed to be resolved was the school.

The Italian school - how it works

The school in Italy is arranged differently, not the way we are used to. The first thing that surprised me was the structure. Indeed, in Russia, if you do not change your place of residence and go to the first grade, you study until the tenth in the same school.

You move from class to class, you grow up in front of your teachers. You see your first teacher almost every day and, if you're lucky, you idolize and remember her all your life. In any case, this was the case with me and with many of my classmates.

The first of September, the day of knowledge, we celebrated as a holiday with the obligatory holding of a ruler, flowers ironed with white aprons, and bows in our hair.

Education in Italy attracts applicants from all over the world - people come here to study, improve their qualifications, study not only the country, but also the crafts for which it is famous.

Panoramic view of Lake Venice in Italy

Italy is a country of high culture and skilled craftsmen. Architecture and fashion, art and painting, music and creativity - Italians have filled almost all cultural spheres. And if you remember how the cuisine of this country, wines and desserts are revered, it becomes clear that talent manifests itself in absolutely everything.

That is why talented people flock here from almost all corners of the globe in order to get a good education in Italy and professional skills. However, the local authorities are only happy about this - foreign students are honored here.

It should also be noted that the level of Italian education in 2021 is no lower than any other European one. You can also study for free in many Italian universities (or the cost of training can be purely symbolic for Europe - 500-800 euros per semester).

University of Milan Building

Education system

The education system in Italy is structured as follows. Children begin their education at the age of six. School years pass according to the following scenario:

• five years elementary;
• three years high school;
• five years high school.

Secondary education in Italy lasts for 13 years, of which five years are devoted to primary vocational education.

Let's imagine that you have long dreamed of going to a university in Italy. Are you in love with Italian culture, language, history, traditions and values? Or is this description not entirely about you, and you just want to go to study abroad, having received a European-style diploma and the prospects for a good job in the future? In any case, Italy is the right choice for higher education.

Who is suitable for studying in Italy?

The most famous universities in this area are: Istituto Marangoni (Milan and Florence), Politecnico di Milano, Politecnico di Torino, IED (Istituto Europeo di Design), Accademia Italiana - Arte, Moda e Design (Florence), Universita degli studi Roma Tre.

• then there are foreign languages, linguistics, media and communications, cultural mediation, translation.

The most famous universities in this area are: IULM, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, UNIMI, Università degli studi di Milano Bicocca, Università Ca 'Foscari Venezia, Università degli Studi di ROMA "La Sapienza".

• international economics, finance, international management, tourism and luxury brand management.

The most famous universities in this area are: Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Università Bocconi, Alma Mater Studiorum di Bologna, Università degli Studi di Padova, Università degli Studi di Pavia, Università di Trento.

How to start planning your studies in Italy?

Desirable, with learning Italian ? In fact, knowing the language of the country where you are going to study, and, possibly, in the future to live and look for work, will greatly simplify your life. When applying for a bachelor's or master's degree in Italy with training in Italian, you need a level of at least B2, which can be confirmed either by a certificate, or by an on-site exam upon arrival or in advance via Skype (read the rules of the university you have chosen). Of course, you can choose a program with training in English, for admission you only need English, but remember that in order to solve pressing and everyday affairs in Italy (obtaining a residence permit, insurance, opening a bank account, renting an apartment, connecting the Internet, going to the post office, even going to the store or to the market - you will need a conversational knowledge of Italian).

How to choose a university in Italy?

We have already said that a foreign Russian-speaking student, when entering Italy, can choose only one university for official submission through the consulate (in Ukraine) or through the Italian Institute of Culture (IIC) in Russia. To find out what the official filing procedure looks like, read their website.

Therefore, in order to better decide, I recommend that you first write to several universities, to the admissions committee or directly to the professors of the programs you are interested in, find compatriot students on VK or on Facebook, and ask them all your questions.

Next, look for the university you are interested in on the official website of the Italian Ministry of Education in the "Foreign Students" section . tudiare-in-italia. t/studentistranieri/to find out how many places (quotas) are allocated for your specialty for foreigners.

Every year hundreds of Russian-speaking students go to study in Italy. I am no exception, it was thanks to my studies at an Italian university that I ended up in this sunny country and subsequently stayed here to live and work. From October 2014 to April 2017, I studied at the Milan State University master's degree in Languages ​​and Cultures for International Cooperation and Communication, graduated on time, receiving the highest diploma scores in my group (95% Italians). At the same time, for both years of study, I received a scholarship in the amount of 4. 00 euros per year and ate free of charge in the university cafeteria. For training, I paid an average of 500 euros per year, of which I was subsequently returned almost all of this amount a year later.

I wonder what is a free Master's degree in Italy? Keep reading!

Masters in Italy in English

Italy has a large selection of Master's programs taught in English. At the same time, it is quite possible to enter them for free, and even receive a scholarship. The duration of study for a master's degree (Laurea Magistrale programs, the second level of higher education in Italy after a bachelor's degree) is 2 years.

Masters in Italy for Russians is a very popular choice, as there are many English-language programs where you can enroll almost free of charge, without knowing Italian, and still receive a scholarship.

Popular areas for master's studies are the following:

• international relations and international or European law,
• economics and business;
• business administration;
• international economics;
• tourism economics, international tourism;
• international management, fashion management;
• linguistics, foreign languages ​​for international cooperation;
• cultural mediation, digital media, internet marketing;
• computer technology engineering;
• biology, mathematics, physics, etc.

Advantages of studying for Master's programs in Italy

Peculiarities of admission to a master's degree in Italy

For admission to a master's program in Italy, you must have a bachelor's degree in the relevant or similar area to a master's degree and a certificate of proficiency in Italian or English (for English-speaking programs) at the B2 or C1 level (IELTS or TOEFL).