Italy & U.S. University Systems compared
Undergraduate Programs
Italian university system US university system
Official denomination Laurea Triennale
(Lit. Three-Year Bachelor’s Degree)		 Bachelor’s Degree
Duration 3 years

Some degree programs follow an integrated Bachelor’s + Master’s structure and have a total duration of five or six years (such as medicine, architecture, or engineering). These programs are single-cycle degrees and cannot be divided into separate Bachelor’s and Master’s qualifications. Students must complete the full program in order to be awarded the final degree.

 4 years
Credits 180 Italian/European credits (90 US credits)

Note: While the total number of credits differs between Italy and the United States (90 vs. 120 U.S. credits), Italian students complete an additional year of high school that is commonly recognized as equivalent to the first year of U.S. university general education. The two degrees are therefore considered internationally equivalent.

 120 US credits
Progression Eligibility to MA programs Eligibility to MA programs

 

Postgraduate Programs
Italian university system US university system
Official denomination Laurea Magistrale (Full Master)

Or

Master’s Degree (I level)

Or

Master’s Degree (II level)

In the Italian higher education system, there are three main types of Master’s programs.
The Laurea Magistrale is a two-year, academically oriented Master’s degree.
The First-Level Master’s Degree is a one-year program focused primarily on applied and professional skills.
The Second-Level Master’s Degree is open only to students who have already completed one of the previous degrees and combines advanced academic study with professional training, often in a pre-doctoral context.

 Master’s Degree
Duration Laurea Magistrale (Full Master’s Degree)
(2 years)Master’s Degree (I level)
(1 year)

Master’s Degree (II level)
(2 years)

 1 or 2 years
Credits Laurea Magistrale (Full Master’s Degree)
(120 Italian/European credits – 60 US credits)Master’s Degree (I level)
(60 Italian/European credits – 30 US credits)

Master’s Degree (II level)
(120 Italian/European credits – 60 US credits)

 30 and up to 60 US credits
Progression Eligibility to PhD programs Eligibility to PhD programs

 

Italian university system US university system
Official denomination Dottorato di ricerca Doctorate or Philosophy Doctor
Duration 3 years 3 to 8 years
Credits This program does not bear academic credits and is project-based – with minor taught components and a thesis-based project. 48 and up to 120
Progression Eligibility to post-Doc programs Eligibility to post-Doc programs
The Italian Grading and Credit System
Exam Grading

In the Italian higher education system, exams recorded in a student’s official transcript are graded on a 30-point scale, ranging from 18/30 (minimum pass) to 30/30 (highest mark). Outstanding performance may be awarded 30/30 e lode (distinction). Exams graded below 18/30 are considered not passed and are therefore not recorded on the official academic transcript.

Grading Scale Equivalency
Final Degree Grade

The final degree grade (graduation mark) is awarded on a 110-point scale, with scores ranging from 66/110 (minimum pass) to 110/110 (highest mark). Exceptional academic achievement may be recognized with 110/110 e lode (distinction).

Credits and Workload

The Italian/European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) is used to quantify the total academic workload required to complete a course or program. Workload includes lectures, seminars, practical activities, fieldwork, individual study, and examinations or other forms of assessment.

Degree programs are typically structured around a workload of 60 Italian/European per academic year (30 U.S. credit equivalent)..

  • 1 Italian/European credit = approximately 25 hours of total student workload
  • 1 Italian/European credit = 0.5 U.S. semester credits
Course Contact Hours

At Unicollege, courses typically have a contact duration of 36 hours. Instructional time is calculated using full 60-minute hours. When expressed in academic-hour format (where 1 academic hour = 50 minutes), this corresponds to approximately 43.5 academic hours.

U.S. Credit Alignment

Based on contact hours and total workload, each individual Unicollege course is fully aligned with a standard U.S. university course, corresponding to:

  • 45 academic hours (50-minute hours)
  • 3 U.S. semester credits

This structure ensures full compatibility between Unicollege courses and standard undergraduate or graduate courses offered by accredited U.S. universities, supporting credit recognition and transfer within U.S. academic frameworks.