The Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR) has released the 2026–2027 seat allocations for English-taught Medicine and Surgery, Dentistry and Dental Prosthodontics, and Veterinary Medicine programs.
So, how many places are actually available at public universities — and how much has changed since last year?
We compared the official 2025–2026 and 2026–2027 MUR data to find out.
One important note before we start: our calculations include public universities only. Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Humanitas University, NEUROMED, UniCamillus, San Raffaele and Campus Bio-Medico di Roma are excluded. For this reason, our totals are different from the overall figures shown in the MUR document, which also includes private universities.
2025–2026 Academic Year
At public universities, the available seats were:
Medicine and Surgery
EU + non-EU residents in Italy: 952
Non-EU residents abroad: 680
Total: 1,632
Dentistry and Dental Prosthodontics
EU + non-EU residents in Italy: 52
Non-EU residents abroad: 8
Total: 60
Veterinary Medicine
EU + non-EU residents in Italy: 45
Non-EU residents abroad: 5
Total: 50
That gives us 1,742 public-university seats across the three programs in 2025–2026.
2026–2027 Academic Year
For 2026–2027, the numbers become:
Medicine and Surgery
EU + non-EU residents in Italy: 1,207
Non-EU residents abroad: 845
Total: 2,052
Dentistry and Dental Prosthodontics
EU + non-EU residents in Italy: 49
Non-EU residents abroad: 11
Total: 60
Veterinary Medicine
EU + non-EU residents in Italy: 63
Non-EU residents abroad: 7
Total: 70
The combined number of seats at public universities therefore reaches 2,182 for 2026–2027.
EU + Non-EU Residents in Italy
| Program | 2025–26 | 2026–27 | Change | Change (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medicine | 952 | 1,207 | +255 | +26.8% |
| Dentistry | 52 | 49 | −3 | −5.8% |
| Veterinary Medicine | 45 | 63 | +18 | +40.0% |
| Total | 1,049 | 1,319 | +270 | +25.7% |
If you compete in this category, there are 270 more public-university seats than last year — an overall increase of 25.7%.
Medicine accounts for most of that growth, with 255 additional seats.
Non-EU Residents Abroad
| Program | 2025–26 | 2026–27 | Change | Change (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medicine | 680 | 845 | +165 | +24.3% |
| Dentistry | 8 | 11 | +3 | +37.5% |
| Veterinary Medicine | 5 | 7 | +2 | +40.0% |
| Total | 693 | 863 | +170 | +24.5% |
For non-EU candidates residing abroad, the increase is almost as large proportionally: 693 seats become 863, an increase of 24.5%.
There is one detail worth keeping in mind when reading this number. Tor Vergata’s Tirana location increases from 150 to 320 seats, all reserved for non-EU candidates residing abroad.
What Changed from 2025–26 to 2026–27?
The biggest change is clearly in Medicine and Surgery.
Public-university Medicine seats increase from 1,632 to 2,052 — 420 additional seats in one year, or an increase of approximately 25.7%.
Part of that growth comes from new options in the 2026 table. Firenze appears with 50 seats, while the new Padova Medicine and Surgery – MedTech program adds another 85.
Dentistry stays at 60 seats overall, although three seats shift from the Italy-resident category to the non-EU abroad category.
Veterinary Medicine grows from 50 to 70 seats, a 40% increase.
Across all three programs, public-university capacity rises from 1,742 to 2,182 seats — 440 more places than last year, or approximately 25.3%.
Is This Part of a Bigger Change in Italian Medical Education?
There is a wider shift happening in Italian medical education, but it is important not to mix two different admission systems.
Italy has recently changed access to Italian-taught Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Medicine through the new semestre filtro system. English-taught programs are explicitly excluded from that reform and continue to use a separate national admission test — the IMAT.
At the same time, Italy is expanding medical training capacity more broadly, while universities are also increasing their international and English-taught programs. Italian media has described both trends during the 2026–2027 admissions cycle.
The MUR decree itself also refers to the internationalization of Italian universities and states that the 2026 seat allocations reflect the maximum training capacity communicated by the universities.
So we cannot say that the increase in IMAT seats is a direct result of the reform affecting Italian-taught Medicine. But the numbers do show that English-taught medical education is expanding alongside the broader growth of medical education in Italy.
What Does This Mean for Your IMAT 2026 Application?
More seats are good news: there are 420 more public Medicine places than last year, and the increase benefits both major candidate categories.
But don’t translate “more seats” into “an easier IMAT.”
Your actual chances will still depend on how many candidates apply, where they apply, and how scores are distributed this year.
So use the new numbers when planning your university choices — but not as a reason to slow down your preparation.
Official 2026–2027 Seat List
You can check the complete university-by-university seat allocation directly in the official MUR document:
Official MUR IMAT 2026–2027 Seat Allocation – Table B
