Country education guide
Italy
The Ministry of Education and Merit sets the national school framework; regions also govern vocational pathways.
📚 School stages
Grades, stages, and local pathways
Scuola dell’infanzia
A non-compulsory three-year pre-primary stage normally precedes primary school.
Scuola primaria · 5 years
Primary school forms the first part of the eight-year first cycle of education.
Scuola secondaria di primo grado · 3 years
Lower secondary completes the first cycle and ends with a state examination.
Scuola secondaria di secondo grado · usually 5 years
Licei, technical institutes, and professional institutes lead to route-specific upper-secondary outcomes.
ITS Academy / higher education
A qualifying upper-secondary diploma normally supports access to higher education, subject to programme rules.
📝 Examinations and qualifications
Selectable records for Italy
Each record links to the authority that publishes its current rules.
Upper-secondary State Exam Diploma
Diploma di Esame di Stato / Diploma di Maturità
The diploma awarded after the final State Examination at the end of a qualifying upper-secondary route.
- Completion or score rule
- The final result is reported on a 100-point scale; the published pass floor is 60/100. The diploma does not replace course-specific university selection.
- Where it applies
- Italy
🔗 Official source library