Universities in Italy and France

What Italian and French universities ask a Pakistani student for

Entry requirements look intimidating written down and are usually simpler than they read. For a Bachelor, both countries want your Matric and FSc or Intermediate results, attested through IBCC and then MOFA. For a Master, they want your Bachelor degree and transcript, attested through HEC and then MOFA. On top of that comes proof of English, either an IELTS or TOEFL score or a Medium of Instruction letter from your last institution, and for most programmes a motivation letter and a CV.

Grades matter, but not as the single filter students imagine. A 60 to 70 percent average, or a CGPA of about 2.5 out of 4, opens a great many public universities in both countries. What decides the outcome more often is whether the file arrived complete and on time, and whether the motivation letter was written for that specific programme rather than copied across eight applications.

The English column in the table above is worth reading closely. Several Italian universities accept a Medium of Instruction letter from your college or university in place of an IELTS score, which removes the test fee and the wait for a slot entirely. French universities almost always want the test, because your file is judged on documents through Campus France rather than in conversation. There is a full explanation in our guide on applying without IELTS.

Deadlines are earlier than students expect

The date in the table is the university's deadline. It is not your deadline. Working backwards from a September 2027 start, attestation through IBCC or HEC and then MOFA needs six to ten weeks, the Declaration of Value from the Italian Embassy in Islamabad adds several more, and Campus France Pakistan closes its own window months before the French universities close theirs. A student who begins in January for a March deadline is already behind.

The practical rule: start your documents a full cycle ahead of the application, not alongside it. Our month by month deadline guide lays out what should be finished in each month, and the attestation order guide covers the sequence that trips up the largest number of applicants, because doing MOFA before HEC means doing both again.

How to use this list

Why there are no fees in the table

Because any single figure would be wrong for most of the people reading it. Italian public universities set tuition on assessed family income through the ISEE bands, so two students on the same course can pay amounts that differ by thousands. French public universities frequently waive the higher international rate down to what a French student pays, and whether a given university does that is rarely on its front page. A number printed beside a university name would make the decision look simpler than it is. We would rather go through it with your actual household figures, which is free and takes one conversation. The ranges and the conditions attached to them are set out in what it really costs to study in Italy or France, and the awards that change the number are on our scholarships page.

We work with more universities than are listed here, and the list grows every intake. If you cannot find your subject, ask us rather than assuming it is not available. There is more on all of this in our guides on choosing a university, how to apply from Pakistan and fully funded scholarships.

Common questions about applying