Italy’s education system in 2026 is normally organised as five years of primary school, three years of lower secondary school and five years of upper secondary school. The standard ladder is scuola primaria (Grades 1–5) → scuola secondaria di primo grado (Grades 6–8 in approximate international numbering) → scuola secondaria di secondo grado (five years). Children generally enter primary school around six, and the upper-secondary route may be a liceo, an istituto tecnico, or an istituto professionale. At the end of lower secondary, pupils take the Esame di Stato conclusivo del primo ciclo. At the end of an eligible upper-secondary programme, they take the Esame di Maturità.
Italy also has two obligations that must not be confused. Education is compulsory from approximately six to sixteen, while the broader right-duty to education and training extends for at least twelve years or until the attainment of an appropriate qualification by eighteen under the legal framework. Young people can meet parts of the training duty through recognised regional vocational education and training (IeFP) rather than only a conventional five-year academic school.
A major reform matters for the 2026 Maturità session. Decree-Law 127/2025, converted into Law 164/2025, formally renamed the final upper-secondary State Exam esame di maturità and changed aspects of its oral examination, commission and school-work learning considerations. The 2026 format uses the normal first written Italian-language paper, a course-specific second written paper and an oral examination centred on four annually designated disciplines. Completion requires participating in all required papers. This is not the same as the lower-secondary Esame di Stato, and the exact subjects still depend on programme and examination year.
This article explains the actual Italian school stages, curricular pathways, qualifications, INVALSI, the 2026 Maturità reform, the new 4+2 technical and professional learning network, ITS Academy, regional training, universities, inclusive education and how a family should interpret school records. The aim is clear and immediately usable information rather than an undated or oversimplified Italian school diagram.
Italy education system at a glance
| Question | Practical answer |
|---|---|
| When does primary school normally begin? | Around six years old, subject to the relevant enrolment rules. |
| How long is primary? | Five years, scuola primaria, classes 1–5. |
| How long is lower secondary? | Three years, scuola secondaria di primo grado. |
| What exam ends lower secondary? | Esame di Stato conclusivo del primo ciclo (often called esame di terza media informally). |
| What is the usual upper-secondary duration? | Five years for licei and ordinary technical and professional school routes. |
| Which upper-secondary pathways exist? | Licei, istituti tecnici, istituti professionali, plus recognised regional vocational and specialised pathways. |
| When is schooling compulsory? | Approximately ages 6–16, with wider education/training rights and duties extending towards 18. |
| What exam ends eligible upper secondary? | Esame di Maturità, normally after the fifth year. |
| What changed in 2026? | The 2025 law renamed/reformed Maturità and specified an oral exam covering four named disciplines. |
| Is every technical route five years? | No. Selected 4+2 integrated technical-professional routes operate under their own approval and progression rules. |
| What is IeFP? | Regionally recognised vocational education and training, with three- or four-year pathways under relevant rules. |
| What are ITS Academy? | Post-secondary higher technical institutions linked to professional and technological specialisation. |
| What comes after secondary? | University, ITS Academy, AFAM, other recognised tertiary or vocational options, subject to admission requirements. |
Quick comparison: 5 + 3 + 5 is the conventional school-length description; compulsory ages 6–16 are a legal time span; Maturità is a qualification examination. They are three different facts.
Who governs schooling in Italy?
The Ministero dell’Istruzione e del Merito (MIM) sets central school policy and relevant curriculum and examination regulations. Regional and local authorities have responsibilities for buildings, services, vocational education and related provision. Schools implement the approved programmes and determine specific organisational arrangements under the applicable rules.
The Ministry’s official education portal and the school services on Unica are useful starting points for parents. The national government publishes examination orders and legislative changes; regional bodies administer certain technical and professional routes.
Higher education is a separate administrative area under the responsible ministries and recognised institutions. Universities decide many programme-specific admissions conditions, and ITS Academy providers have their own authorised courses and technical awards.
A parent asking which school a child may enter needs the local school and educational authority. A Maturità candidate needs the relevant national exam order and the school’s instructions. A university applicant needs the receiving degree programme’s actual conditions.
The best research method is law → curriculum route → school delivery → examination award → next institution’s acceptance. An article that skips one of these stages may sound simple but mislead families making real decisions.
School entry and early childhood education
Before compulsory primary schooling, many children attend scuola dell’infanzia, generally serving ages three to six. It is not part of the ordinary five-year primary ladder, and attendance is not universally compulsory in the same way as primary schooling.
The aims include language, play, cooperation, creativity, number sense, physical development and confidence in learning with others. Children should not be treated as miniature candidates preparing for an upper-secondary examination.
A family can encourage school readiness by telling stories, asking the child to describe a picture, counting objects, noticing patterns and discussing daily activities. These are informal learning opportunities, not a national preschool entrance test.
A child who uses a different language at home may understand many concepts before learning the Italian words used in the classroom. The teacher should distinguish language development from broader intellectual ability.
Parents should check availability, entry age and the institution’s programme. A private preschool advertisement does not confer an enrolment right or verify that every provider follows identical hours and services.
Scuola primaria: the first five years
Scuola primaria normally consists of five school years beginning around age six. Pupils develop Italian literacy, Mathematics, Science, History, Geography, arts, physical education and wider cultural and civic understanding.
Early reading involves recognising written language, while later reading requires comprehension, inference and explanation. Mathematics develops number sense, arithmetic, fractions, measurement and elementary problem solving. Science develops observation and the habit of asking what evidence supports a conclusion.
A student who can calculate 6 × 7 = 42 may still struggle with a word problem asking for six equal groups of seven. A pupil who reads a paragraph fluently may not understand its main point. Those situations need different feedback.
A responsible teacher identifies the first weak link and checks understanding with a fresh task. More worksheets may help with fluency, but cannot by themselves repair a concept the child never understood.
The primary stage normally leads into three years of lower secondary education, not directly to a university entrance examination or an upper-secondary Maturità.
Class labels: why an Italian second-year pupil can be misread
Italian school documents may use prima, seconda, terza, quarta, quinta to describe the year within the current school stage. A child in prima media is in the first year of lower secondary, not the first year of all schooling.
Likewise, a pupil in seconda superiore is in the second year of upper secondary. Foreign grade-conversion sites that use the ordinal number alone can place a student at the wrong level.
The proper record includes stage name, year within that stage, completed subjects and school dates. A transcript saying terza without school type is incomplete for an international equivalence decision.
This matters when a pupil changes between academic and vocational programmes or moves to another country. The receiving school determines placement under its regulations; a generic chart cannot grant a qualification.
Keep original Italian terms on certified records. A translation can explain the term without replacing it with an unverified foreign award.
The transition from primary to lower secondary
After five primary years, pupils enter scuola secondaria di primo grado, commonly referred to informally as scuola media. The transition brings more subject-specialist teaching, new organisational expectations and increasingly demanding written tasks.
A pupil might have strong arithmetic but be uncertain with algebra, negatives or fractions. Another may be able to recite facts in Science but find it hard to explain how an experiment supports a conclusion.
The receiving teacher should start with actual schoolwork and small diagnostic tasks. If the first weakness is fraction meaning, there is little value in immediately assigning advanced equations. If the student knows the concept but struggles with academic Italian, language development becomes the priority.
School guidance should also help the pupil manage homework, organise several subjects and seek clarification before confusion accumulates.
A good transition builds confidence and independent reasoning, not only an ability to reproduce familiar answers from primary exercise books.
Scuola secondaria di primo grado: three years
The lower-secondary stage usually takes three years, corresponding roughly to ages eleven through fourteen. It develops deeper study in Italian, Mathematics, Science, History, Geography, foreign languages, technology and other learning areas.
In this stage, pupils learn to handle longer chains of reasoning. Algebraic symbols become more important, scientific experiments demand careful variables and evidence, and humanities tasks require comparing information rather than recalling one list of facts.
The stage ends with the Esame di Stato conclusivo del primo ciclo di istruzione, which confirms completion of the first education cycle under the applicable rules.
A Grade 9-style international conversion may be useful as a rough reference, but the actual Italian first-cycle completion certificate is the correct document for a further application.
The learner should also be preparing to choose a suitable upper-secondary route. Subject interest, real performance and entry requirements matter more than an assumption that only one school type is worthwhile.
The lower-secondary State Exam is not Maturità
Italy has two significant State Exam milestones that online sources frequently confuse. The first ends lower secondary; the Maturità ends recognised upper secondary.
For the 2025–2026 first-cycle exam, the Ministry’s official dedicated examination page describes the relevant admission conditions and papers.
The first-cycle assessment includes written tasks in Italian, Mathematics and foreign languages, together with an oral interview, under the national rules. Pupils normally also participate in the INVALSI tests in Italian, Mathematics and English as a prerequisite for exam admission, with their results not directly forming an additional exam paper.
This distinction is important for parents. A low performance on one diagnostic test is not automatically the final State Exam mark, yet the official participation conditions matter.
A family should confirm the actual year’s requirements, including attendance and school decisions. The legal distinction between qualification and programme admission should not be replaced by an outdated example from a different examination year.
What are INVALSI national assessments?
INVALSI is Italy’s national institute for evaluating the education system. It runs standardised assessments in specified school grades and areas, including Italian, Mathematics and English at relevant stages.
These assessments provide evidence about broad learning standards and are distinct from the school board’s complete classroom evaluation and from the final Maturità paper.
A useful source is the INVALSI official portal. Parents should check which test the pupil actually sits, which subjects are measured and how the results are used.
A pupil who performs poorly in Maths may be missing a concept, misreading a question or making a procedural error. The mark alone cannot identify which. Teachers should inspect representative work.
Researchers should also avoid using national test results as a direct judgment of every child, school or region. Enrolment, attendance, completion and tested achievement are different measures.
An original lower-secondary Mathematics example
Consider this invented classroom problem: 4(2x + 1) − 3 = 29. Expand: 8x + 4 − 3 = 29, giving 8x + 1 = 29. Subtract one: 8x = 28, so x = 3.5.
Verify by substitution: 4(2 × 3.5 + 1) − 3 = 4 × 8 − 3 = 29.
A pupil who writes 8x + 1 directly may have understood two different simplifications; another who writes 8x + 4 − 3 = 8x − 1 has a signed-number difficulty. They require different corrective explanations.
A teacher can then change the numbers and ask the learner to explain why each equation step preserves equality. That tests whether the idea is secure.
This is original instructional material, not a copied Italian lower-secondary State Exam task. The exact syllabus remains the school’s current official programme.
What happens after the third year of scuola media?
Students move into the second cycle of education and training, with multiple possible routes. The standard upper-secondary school options include licei, technical institutes and professional institutes.
Italian Regions also operate Istruzione e Formazione Professionale (IeFP) pathways with different lengths and awards. These routes are relevant to the broader legal duty to education and training.
The choice should be based on the pupil’s interests, learning readiness, recognised qualifications and further possibilities. A student interested in Engineering might consider a strong academic Mathematics or technical pathway; one interested in services or design may value applied work.
No route should be labelled as the permanent intellectual ceiling of a fourteen-year-old. Students develop, and the system includes transfer and progression arrangements under its rules.
Before selecting a school, ask what qualification the learner will earn, whether that award allows higher education applications and how any additional transition requirements operate.
Licei: academic upper-secondary pathways
A liceo is a five-year academic upper-secondary programme. Different liceo types may emphasise classical studies, science, languages, humanities, the arts or other approved specialisms.
Despite these emphases, licei provide broad education and culminate in the recognised Esame di Maturità. A student studying advanced Physics or Latin is not following the identical timetable as one in a different liceo stream.
A family should compare subject depth, pupil interests and the requirements of future university courses. Strong reading, argument and Mathematics remain valuable across disciplines.
A student who is comfortable with formulas but cannot explain why a principle works may need conceptual study before advanced examinations. Another may write fluently but lack statistical literacy.
The school title is not itself an admission offer. The learner must complete the required programme and meet any next institution’s eligibility conditions.
Istituti tecnici: technical school is still full schooling
Istituti tecnici usually offer five-year programmes combining general education with technological, economic or other technical specialisation.
A technical student may study Mathematics and Science alongside applied areas such as Information Technology, Electronics, Mechanics, Business or Tourism, depending on the approved school programme.
These routes are not apprenticeships simply because their subjects are applied. They are recognised upper-secondary schooling with formal curricula and a final qualification route.
A family should look at real workshop or lab opportunities, teaching quality, subject prerequisites and the exact resulting diploma. A technological institute may be attractive for an engineering-minded student, but the match depends on actual preparation.
The subject demands can be substantial. An incorrect unit conversion or weak interpretation of a data table can affect technical performance as much as academic exam marks.
Istituti professionali and regional IeFP
Istituti professionali offer upper-secondary schooling with more practice-oriented and professional learning, generally within a five-year programme culminating in an authorised qualification.
By contrast, IeFP is a regional vocational education and training system with routes often lasting three years for a qualification or four years for a professional diploma, under the applicable programme framework.
The Ministry of Labour’s explanation explicitly distinguishes the conventional five-year upper-secondary school routes from three- and four-year regional training.
A student and family should not call every professional certificate a Maturità or assume every one is automatically eligible for any university degree. The awarding authority and next programme’s rules matter.
Technical training can be rigorous and valuable. Its real quality lies in supervised practical competence, accurate communication, meaningful assessment and recognised progression.
The 2026 4+2 technological-professional network
Italy’s filiera formativa tecnologico-professionale, often described as 4+2, is a significant recent development. Under Law No. 121 of 2024 and later implementing rules, authorised networks connect certain four-year technical or professional secondary programmes with opportunities at ITS Academy and related vocational institutions.
The Chamber of Deputies’ official education briefing describes the integrated model, while the Emilia-Romagna government’s programme overview explains how four-year routes can reach the expected upper-secondary learning outcomes and, where authorised, lead to an examination and further progression.
This does not mean that all ordinary technical and professional schools have changed from five years to four. The relevant programme must be approved, and students should confirm the exact route offered by the intended institution.
In 2026, implementing rules also addressed validation of certain regional four-year vocational programmes for progression into ITS Academy pathways. These provisions have specific conditions and should not be casually extended to every training certificate.
A family considering 4+2 should request the exact qualification, whether Maturità is available in the proposed path, and the recognised ITS or university options. A slogan about completing six years is not an admission guarantee.
What are ITS Academy?
Istituti Tecnologici Superiori (ITS Academy) provide post-secondary higher technical education and specialised professional training. They connect skills development with technological needs in industries and services, using recognised programmes.
They are not the same as a conventional five-year upper-secondary technical school and are not interchangeable with a university Bachelor’s degree. The award, programme length and professional progression depend on the approved course.
In a properly structured pathway, learners develop practical technical competence and academic reasoning together. A trainee might read engineering drawings, use complex measurements, troubleshoot a system and document results with professional accuracy.
The official Italian Government’s 4+2 policy explanation describes how recognised ITS Academy courses are linked to regional and school pathways.
Applicants should check eligibility, the actual course, recognised qualification, industry partners and fees rather than assume a brochure’s “high-tech” label establishes accreditation.
Esame di Maturità: the upper-secondary qualification
Maturità is the upper-secondary State Exam associated with the end of an eligible general, technical or professional route. It is different from the first-cycle State Exam at the end of lower secondary.
The reform created by Decree-Law 127 of 9 September 2025, converted into Law 164 of 30 October 2025, expressly names the examination esame di maturità and strengthens its stated role in evaluating knowledge, skills, autonomy and educational development.
The official consolidated law text should be used for the legal wording. It also discusses the contribution of school-work learning, digital competencies and civic education to the broader pupil profile.
A Maturità result can support access to recognised tertiary programmes, but a university may have entrance tests, quotas or other programme-specific conditions. Holding the diploma is not automatic entry to any course.
The student should preserve the original diploma, school transcript and information about the actual liceo or technical/professional specialism.
Maturità 2026: two written papers and a four-subject oral
For the 2025–2026 school year, the national Maturità framework included the first written paper in Italian, a second written paper matched to the educational stream, and an oral examination.
The 2025 reform required annual identification of four oral interview disciplines. The Chamber’s legislative briefing also describes the revised commission structure and the requirement that candidates take all prescribed exam components for the examination to be valid.
The 2026 Ministry examination order as reported on 28 March set the first Italian written examination for 18 June 2026. That date is historical; no family should copy it as the next year’s guaranteed calendar.
The oral examination should be understood as a test of actual learning and methods in the named subjects, not an invitation to memorise an unrelated improvised speech. Preparation must match the subjects designated for the actual stream and year.
Candidates must use the school’s current exam notice and official instructions. A private blog cannot certify admission eligibility or predict a candidate’s final mark.
What happens if a student wants to change upper-secondary direction?
The 2025 reform also changed some transfer arrangements between upper-secondary pathways. According to the parliamentary legislative briefing, students in the first two upper-secondary years may request a change of pathway by 31 January without a previous integrative examination, with the receiving school required to plan relevant educational bridging.
From the third year, transfer to a corresponding class in a different route is subject to an integrative examination under the governing conditions. The specific school’s procedures and any current rule updates remain important.
This is a valuable example of why an education system should not be presented as one irreversible decision at fourteen. Mobility can be supported, but it requires formal admission and actual subject preparation.
A family considering transfer should identify missing topics and give the student time to bridge them. A learner moving from a general route to an applied technical programme may need new subject terminology or practical competencies, not necessarily a complete academic restart.
The receiving school decides the legal and administrative outcome. A tutor can assist with the genuine learning gaps.
INVALSI versus Maturità: what each measures
INVALSI tests supply system-level and pupil-level information about designated learning competencies. Maturità is the formal final upper-secondary qualification examination. They have distinct purposes even though a pupil may be required to participate in relevant national assessments to meet exam-admission requirements.
A student who performs well on an INVALSI Mathematics test may still need to meet the Maturità requirements of their own course. Likewise, a learner’s Maturità result should not be described as equivalent to a single INVALSI percentage.
The current INVALSI portal provides national assessment information, while the Ministry provides legal and upper-secondary examination rules.
A useful parent response to a disappointing test is to inspect what the learner actually missed: reading of instructions, arithmetic, algebraic modelling, subject vocabulary or timed execution.
These diagnoses lead to different teaching plans. More examinations are not always the immediate remedy.
An original upper-secondary applied Mathematics problem
A school project plans to sell 120 tickets at €12 each. Fixed costs are €750, and variable costs are €3 per ticket sold. Assuming all tickets sell, what is the project’s expected surplus?
Revenue is 120 × 12 = €1,440. Variable cost is 120 × 3 = €360. Total cost is 750 + 360 = €1,110. Surplus equals 1,440 − 1,110 = €330.
For break-even, each ticket contributes €12 − €3 = €9 towards fixed costs. Solve 9n ≥ 750, so n ≥ 83.33…, meaning at least 84 tickets are required under the simplified assumptions.
A student who calculates €1,440 − €750 has ignored the variable costs. One who concludes “83.33 tickets” has not interpreted the whole-ticket constraint. These are separate conceptual and modelling errors.
This is original teaching material, not a Maturità paper. Its purpose is to demonstrate clear modelling, assumptions, units and the habit of verifying a result.
Universities and post-secondary qualifications
Italy has universities offering recognised degree programmes and other tertiary institutions, including AFAM in art, music and dance disciplines and ITS Academy in higher technical education.
University programmes commonly include Laurea (often a three-year first cycle), Laurea magistrale (often a two-year second cycle after suitable prior study), and ciclo unico programmes of different recognised lengths in fields requiring an integrated route.
The precise degree is not determined by an English translation alone. Medical, legal, teaching and other regulated professions may have additional entry or licensing requirements.
A Maturità diploma provides an important basis for applying, but the receiving university can require entrance tests, subject prerequisites or selective placement. A professional diploma or regional vocational award may have different recognition arrangements.
For study abroad, keep original qualification titles, grades, subjects, academic years, awarding institutions and an officially accepted translation when required.
School languages and international learners
Italian is the main language of instruction in much of the national school system, but some recognised minority-language and regional provisions exist, including contexts involving German, French, Slovene and other linguistic communities.
A child who learned Science in another language may understand the concepts but not yet know the Italian academic expressions. That difficulty should be distinguished from missing scientific knowledge.
A good teacher can ask the learner to explain an observation or solve an equation in a familiar form, then develop the Italian terminology and written response needed in class.
For international transfers, the actual school record and educational authority determine placement. A website that equates “terza media” with a foreign degree based only on the word third is unreliable.
The best bridging plan preserves existing knowledge while adding language, subject-specific details and organisational confidence.
Access, public schools and inclusion
Italian education includes state schools and scuole paritarie, which operate under recognised rules. The school sector does not alone determine whether a qualification has legal recognition or whether the learner will receive appropriate support.
Families should review enrolment, curriculum, fees if applicable, physical accessibility, disability-related provision, language support and the school’s actual examination pathway.
Geographic and household differences can influence access to transport, specialist programmes and academic support. A national legal entitlement does not prove every locality has identical school resources.
Educational data should distinguish enrolment, attendance, stage completion and examination attainment. A Maturità pass rate is not a measure of every child’s literacy, and one school’s ranking is not a substitute for its support arrangements.
A school system succeeds when pupils can learn meaningfully, demonstrate competencies and reach a legitimate next stage.
Case study: choosing liceo or technical school after lower secondary
Imagine a fictional fourteen-year-old who enjoys computing and Mathematics but finds extended literary essays difficult. The family argues that only a liceo can lead to respected higher education.
A more useful process checks the actual subject programmes and awards. A technical institute may offer strong Mathematics and computing alongside applied projects, and an eligible final diploma can support further education.
The learner’s reading problem should also be examined. Is the difficulty vocabulary, text structure, limited practice or an actual comprehension issue? A short diagnostic changes the learning plan.
The family can then compare school visits, teaching quality, travel and credible future university or ITS options. A school label should not be used as a substitute for the pupil’s real interests and readiness.
This fictional example illustrates how to choose a route without assuming one type of education is universally superior.
Case study: a foreign pupil entering the second cycle
A fictional pupil moves to Italy after completing a lower-secondary programme abroad. Their documents use a different grade numbering and examination structure.
The receiving school needs to review original records, age, subjects, grading system and actual prior learning. A private tutor cannot approve legal equivalence or place the child into a particular class.
Academic bridging might focus on Italian subject vocabulary and a small number of missing topics. If the learner already understands linear equations in another language, there is no educational reason to erase that competence.
Parents should ask the authorised school which route and documentation apply and whether integrative study or examination is necessary.
This separates administrative admission from the skills the student needs in class.
Four-week learning and transition plan
- Week 1 — identify the actual Italian school stage. Confirm primaria, lower secondary, liceo, technical/professional school or IeFP, then examine current work and requirements.
- Week 2 — locate the first weak concept. Assess academic Italian, Mathematics and relevant subject understanding separately.
- Week 3 — practise reasoning in a new context. Use fresh examples, diagrams, data and written explanations rather than reproducing one template.
- Week 4 — verify independent progress and admissions. Set an unfamiliar task without hints and confirm official examination or programme rules.
This is a general teaching method, not a substitute for the Italian State Exam syllabus, Maturità regulation or training-provider requirements.
Successful support should make learners increasingly able to explain and apply knowledge independently.
Ten common mistakes about Italian education
Mistake one: claiming primary school lasts six years. Ordinary scuola primaria is five years.
Mistake two: confusing terza media with the third upper-secondary year.
Mistake three: treating the lower-secondary State Exam as the Maturità.
Mistake four: equating compulsory schooling to age sixteen with an automatic duty to finish the five-year academic route. Recognised education/training obligations extend more broadly.
Mistake five: saying every technical course now lasts four years. The 4+2 model applies to selected authorised pathways.
Mistake six: treating a three-year IeFP qualification as identical to a general five-year Maturità.
Mistake seven: using a pre-2026 Maturità oral format without accounting for the four specified disciplines.
Mistake eight: claiming all candidates sit identical subject-specific second written papers.
Mistake nine: assuming INVALSI is simply another written Maturità paper.
Mistake ten: saying the final school diploma gives automatic admission to any Italian or foreign degree.
Frequently asked questions about Italy’s education system
How long is primary school?
Five years, usually beginning around age six.
What is scuola dell’infanzia?
Early childhood education generally for ages three to six, before ordinary compulsory primary schooling.
How long is scuola media?
Three years. Its formal name is scuola secondaria di primo grado.
What exam ends lower secondary?
The Esame di Stato conclusivo del primo ciclo di istruzione, distinct from upper-secondary Maturità.
How long is upper-secondary school?
Ordinarily five years in licei, technical institutes and professional institutes; certain approved alternative programmes have different lengths.
Is school compulsory until sixteen?
The ordinary compulsory education age range is 6–16, with a broader right-duty to education and training towards eighteen or a recognised qualification.
What is a liceo?
A five-year academic upper-secondary route with approved specialisms and a final recognised qualification.
What is an istituto tecnico?
A technical upper-secondary school combining broad education and an approved technological or economic specialisation.
What is an istituto professionale?
A recognised upper-secondary professional school offering applied learning, normally within a five-year pathway.
What is IeFP?
Istruzione e Formazione Professionale, a regional vocational education and training framework with recognised three- and four-year routes.
What is the 4+2 model?
An integrated network linking authorised four-year technical/professional secondary programmes with higher technical training opportunities such as ITS Academy, subject to approved conditions.
What are ITS Academy?
Recognised higher technical institutions offering post-secondary technical learning. They are not the same as ordinary secondary schools or university Bachelor’s degrees.
What is Maturità?
The final examination and qualification of an eligible upper-secondary education route.
What changed in Maturità 2026?
The 2025 reform law formally renamed and revised the examination, including the oral examination based on four annually designated disciplines and the requirement to take the prescribed exam components.
How many written papers are there?
The general framework includes an Italian-language written paper and a programme-specific second written paper; relevant special programmes can have additional arrangements.
When was the first written Maturità paper in 2026?
18 June 2026, according to the official examination order reported in March 2026. This is not the guaranteed date for later sessions.
Is the 2026 oral on any subject the examiner chooses?
The regulation provides for four designated subjects for the oral examination, selected annually under the applicable rules.
What is INVALSI?
Italy’s national education evaluation institute, operating standardised assessments distinct from Maturità and school completion certificates.
Can a student change upper-secondary direction?
The 2025 law adjusted transfers in the first two upper-secondary years and set different rules for changes from the third year. The receiving school’s actual conditions apply.
Can Maturità graduates attend university?
A recognised diploma supports applications, but particular courses may require entrance tests, prerequisites or competitive selection.
Is Italian higher education limited to universities?
No. Italy also has ITS Academy, AFAM and other recognised tertiary and technical routes.
Can an international student transfer into an Italian school?
Potentially, subject to authorised enrolment and recognition. The receiving institution determines placement after reviewing transcripts, prior learning and any necessary documents.
What should a family do before buying tuition?
Identify the specific school stage, programme and first demonstrated learning gap. The correct explanation and independent practice are more valuable than a large collection of unrelated mock papers.
What should readers do next?
For a young pupil, understand the five-year primary and three-year lower-secondary stages. For a family choosing upper secondary, compare liceo, technical, professional and regional vocational routes by their awards and progression. For final-year students, check the 2026 or later Maturità rules for their exact stream and the receiving university’s requirements.
The existing Education | Italy article offers related background, and the eduKate Education Hub covers learning methods. This guide owns the national stages, certifications and 2026 reforms within the 195-country education-system series.
Continue the 195-country series
The previous country is Ireland. Continue with Japan for its 6–3–3 ladder and university entrance system, and Netherlands for its eight primary years, VMBO/HAVO/VWO routes and doorstroomtoets.
Official references and fact-checking
- Italian Ministry of Education and Merit.
- Government of Italy — education and training right-duty to age eighteen.
- Ministry — first-cycle State Exam 2025–2026.
- Normattiva — Decree-Law 127/2025 converted by Law 164/2025.
- Chamber of Deputies — 2025 Maturità reform and upper-secondary transfer rules.
- 2026 Maturità examination order report, 28 March 2026.
- Chamber — vocational, technical and ITS Academy frameworks.
- Emilia-Romagna Region — authorised 4+2 technical-professional routes.
- Italian Government — establishment of the technological-professional network.
- INVALSI — official national learning assessments.
Editorial review: 4 November 2026. General 5+3+5 school stages, 6–16 school obligation, later training duty and specialised four-year alternatives are distinguished. Illustrative Maths tasks are original and not official Maturità questions.