IULM University Milan: Programmes, Admission and Fees

IULM (Libera Università di Lingue e Comunicazione) is a private university in Milan focused on communication, media, translation, fashion and tourism. Italy's Ministry of University and Research (MUR) lists it among the recognised non-state universities, so its laurea (bachelor's) and laurea magistrale (master's) are Italian state degrees. For an international student whose family lives and earns abroad, a bachelor's year in 2026/27 costs about $10,514 (€9,306) including regional tax, and a master's year about $12,209 (€10,806). A Russian school certificate after 11 years does not give direct bachelor's entry: IULM asks for a first university year at home (60 ECTS) or a foundation at another Italian university.

Who IULM suits

IULM suits students looking for an applied communication field in Milan: corporate communication and PR, advertising and media, marketing, fashion and luxury, tourism and hospitality, translation and interpreting, or cultural management. It was founded in 1968 as an institute of modern languages by the foundation behind Milan's school for interpreters and translators, so languages and translation are part of its original profile rather than an add-on.

IULM is a weaker fit if you:

• want economics, finance or law: look at Luiss in Rome or the other Milan universities in our guide to universities in Milan;
• want design or visual arts with a portfolio: an academy such as NABA is more logical;
• want a fully English-taught bachelor's in any field: IULM has one English bachelor's track.

The country overview is on the Study in Italy page.

Bachelor's and master's programmes

The laurea takes three years and the laurea magistrale two. As of 1 October 2026, the following programmes are open on apply.iulm.it to applicants with foreign qualifications.

Bachelor's:

The corporate communication and PR programme (class L-20, communication sciences) runs in Italian and English tracks and offers a dual degree with Dublin Business School or Royal Roads University.

Two-year master's:

IULM also runs one-year English-taught programmes: Communication for International Relations, International Marketing and Sales Communication, and International Tourism and Hospitality. These are university master programmes (master universitario), not the two-year laurea magistrale: they do not award a laurea magistrale, and each programme's level and entry requirements are stated on its own page. General rules for master's study in Italy are in our guide to master's degrees in Italy.

All programmes have a limited number of places and admit through a selection test.

University status and the degree

"Private" in Italy does not mean "unrecognised". IULM is on MUR's list of recognised non-state universities, and its programmes follow the ministerial degree classes (DM 270/2004). Graduates receive the same state laurea as at the University of Milan or Bologna, Design and fashion schools in the AFAM system also award state-recognised diplomas, but these are academic diplomas rather than a university laurea.

For Russian citizens, the Russia–Italy agreement on mutual recognition of education documents has been in force since 1 April 2016; Rosobrnadzor decides on individual diplomas through the Glavexpertcentre. See our guide to studying in Italy as a Russian citizen.

School certificate: the 12-year rule

For a bachelor's, IULM accepts a final upper secondary qualification awarded after at least 12 years of schooling, provided it gives university access in the issuing country and the last two years were completed successfully in that education system. Where the home country requires national exams for university entry, their results are also needed. In Russia that means the Unified State Exam (EGE), so ask IULM admissions in advance whether to attach your results.

For an 11-year school system, as in Russia, IULM may ask you to make up the missing year in one of two ways:

1. A transcript showing all first-year university exams passed, 60 ECTS.
2. A foundation certificate from another Italian university; IULM decides whether a specific programme qualifies when it assesses your file.

Documents are checked before the test: after the assessment fee is paid, the admissions team replies in about 15 working days. Enrolment stays conditional until the final official documents are delivered. For document requirements in general, see our guide to documents for university admission in Italy.

Language: B2 or the university's test

• Italian-taught programmes. An official B2 certificate (CILS, CELI or PLIDA) or IULM's online Italian test, held in the months before the academic year. IULM also offers an intensive Italian course in early September. See our guide to Italian language certificates.
• English-taught programmes. A certificate at B2 or above from the list in the admission regulations, or IULM's online English test with a B2 result.

How to apply as an international student

1. Apply on apply.iulm.it. Upload the school certificate with a certified Italian translation, the transcript for the whole upper secondary course, a B2 certificate, passport, CV, a reference letter and a motivation letter in Italian or English. For a master's: the bachelor's diploma and transcript.
2. Pay the assessment fee. IULM confirms eligibility in about 15 working days and gives the test date.
3. Online admission test. The result arrives by email.
4. Online enrolment and payment of the first instalment, which holds the place.
5. Universitaly and the visa. IULM advises submitting the Universitaly pre-enrolment for the visa between March and the end of May.

Timing: non-EU applicants living abroad can apply until the end of April while places remain. For the 2026/27 intake, tests ran in several rounds from November 2025; the university says the fee and financial-aid regulations for 2027/28 will be released in November 2026.

The first instalment is non-refundable in all cases except one: refusal of the student visa by the Italian embassy or consulate in the country of residence.

IULM fees for 2026/27

IULM treats as international any student, of any nationality, whose family lives abroad and earns its income and holds its assets there. From 2026/27 these students pay a flat fee equal to the fifth band of the university's fee scale.

Payments go through PagoPA; slips for the second and third instalments appear in the student area at the end of November. Late payment costs about $56 (€50) for amounts up to €3,000 and about $113 (€100) above that, and all teaching and administrative activity is blocked until payment.

Families living in Italy with an Italian ISEE pay by income band, from about $4,232 (€3,746) to $11,915 (€10,546) a year for a bachelor's.

Scholarships and fee support

• Lombardy regional scholarships (DSU). IULM states that any student may apply regardless of nationality or residence; an ISEE parificato based on the family's documents is required. See our guides to ISEE parificato and scholarships in Italy.
• Invest Your Talent in Italy. The Italian Foreign Ministry's master's programme, in which IULM takes part, is open to citizens of 15 countries including Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. Russian citizens are not eligible.
• Scholarships for holders of international protection, an annual MUR and CRUI call.

Regional scholarships are decided by the regional selection rules, university fee support by IULM.

Accommodation: Santander and Cascina Moncucco residences

IULM has 220 beds in two residences next to the campus. The 2026/27 call covered 183 places, 110 at Santander and 73 at Cascina Moncucco, mostly in double rooms.

Places are few and ranked, so look for a private room in parallel: IULM lists housing platforms and student residences in Milan on its accommodation page. Our guide to student housing in Italy covers the options.

First-year budget for a bachelor's

The visa figure is the threshold the consulate checks, not a forecast of what Milan will cost you. For legal ways to pay from Russia, see our guide on how to pay for studies abroad from Russia.

Visa and Universitaly

A place at IULM is not a visa. The university publishes a joint MUR and Foreign Ministry note: a university's prior acceptance confers no right to a visa, and pre-enrolment does not book a visa appointment. For Russian citizens the route runs through the Consulate General of Italy in Moscow or Saint Petersburg, via VMS or Almaviva, and VMS warns that processing takes more than 60 days. For the 2027/28 intake, the visa must be filed by 31 October 2027. Details are in our Italian student visa guide.

IULM, Luiss and NABA compared

Step-by-step plan for 2027/28

1. Now – November 2026. Check the 12-year rule; after 11th grade, plan a university year at home or a foundation.
2. November 2026. Read the 2027/28 fee and aid regulations IULM publishes in November.
3. By the end of April 2027. Apply on apply.iulm.it, pay the assessment fee, take the test.
4. March – May 2027. Universitaly pre-enrolment validated by the university.
5. By late June (based on 2026). Residence competition.
6. Summer 2027. Funds in the account, documents, visa appointment.
7. September 2027. Arrive and apply for the residence permit within 8 working days.

Common mistakes

• Applying with only a Russian 11-year certificate. Without 60 ECTS of first-year study or a foundation, enrolment will not be completed.
• Confusing the one-year master programmes with the two-year laurea magistrale. They are different formats with different rights.
• Leaving the B2 certificate to the last minute. IULM accepts its own online test, but the university sets the date.
• Expecting the first instalment back after a change of plans. It is refunded only if the visa is refused.
• Delaying the residence application. The call closes in June, and move-in requires the first tuition instalment to be paid.

FAQ

Is IULM a public or private university?

Private: IULM is on the Ministry of University and Research list of recognised non-state universities. Its laurea and laurea magistrale are state degrees in ministerial classes, with the same legal value as degrees from public universities, while its international fee is a flat amount.

Can I enter IULM after 11th grade?

Not directly. For an 11-year school system IULM asks for a transcript showing all first-year university exams passed (60 ECTS) or a foundation certificate from another Italian university; IULM decides whether a particular foundation qualifies when it assesses the documents.

How much does IULM cost for international students?

In 2026/27 a bachelor's costs about $10,514 (€9,306) a year and a two-year master's about $12,209 (€10,806), including about $233 (€206) of regional tax. The amount is paid in three instalments, and the 2027/28 rules will be published in November 2026. Accommodation and living costs in Milan are extra.

Does IULM teach in English?

Yes. The Corporate Communication and Public Relations bachelor's has an English track, and the master's in Strategic Communication, Hospitality and Tourism Management and Fashion Communication and Luxury Strategies are taught in English, as is one track of Marketing, Consumer Behaviour and Communication. A B2 certificate or the IULM test is required.

When should I apply to IULM?

Non-EU applicants living abroad can apply until the end of April while places remain, with tests held in rounds from November. IULM recommends filing the Universitaly pre-enrolment for the visa between March and the end of May. IULM decides on admission based on the test.

Does IULM have student residences?

Yes, two residences with 220 beds. In 2026/27 a place cost about $4,350 (€3,850) at the subsidised rate or about $5,965 (€5,280) at the full rate for September to July, with applications closing on 22 June 2026. The university allocates places by competition based on merit and income.

Sources

• MUR: recognised non-state universities
• IULM: about the university
• IULM: bachelor's requirements for international applicants, admission procedure, master's requirements, master's procedure
• IULM: foreign school qualification requirements (PDF)
• IULM: fees and contributions 2026/27
• IULM: scholarships for international students
• IULM: residence call 2026/27 (PDF), residences
• IULM: application portal and programme list, master's programmes, Corporate Communication and Public Relations, Fashion Communication and Luxury Strategies
• IULM: joint MUR and Foreign Ministry note on visas
• MUR and Universitaly: procedures for international students, 2026/27 and 2027/28 (PDF)
• VMS: proof of funds for students, processing-time notice

Data checked on 1 October 2026. ECB reference rate of 1 October 2026: €1 = $1.1298; amounts are rounded.

If you want to work through your route, send a request: document preparation and submission are provided under an agreement with StudyU, and the university makes the admission decision.

During the free initial consultation, we clarify your goal, profile, timing, and budget and identify the next realistic step.