Valid Recognized Qualifications

International Applicants can enter the selection process if they acquire/have acquired a valid and recognized 1st cycle qualification (Undergraduate level) by 31st October 2025. 

In order to access admissions to a Master of Science program, students must hold a Bachelor Diploma (1st cycle qualification) that must be suitable and valid for the purposes of accessing a 2nd cycle of studies (like a Master of Science Program is).

Suitability of the academic degree for admission to Master of Science programs is established by the University where the admissions application is submitted: each establishes its own criteria and regulations (including required documentation) for admission and enrollment in a study program.

Bocconi University deems as valid a Bachelor's Diploma (I-level degree/undergraduate Program) with at least:

• 180 educational credits (ECTS)
• a length of at least 3 years
• not professional
• comparable to an Italian Bachelor Program
• issued by a foreign University that is recognized within the educational system of the Country issuing the degree that allows continuing studies in a post-graduate (II level) program
  (i.e. an undergraduate degree issued by a US University in Greece must be recognized as valid for the purposes of continuing studies in a post-graduate program in the United States).
• A first-cycle degree from a Bocconi Partner University (.pdf) is considered valid

Within the scope of Autonomy, the Admissions Office of Bocconi University evaluates in detail the educational qualifications of all applicants: for any question regarding the validity of an academic program, please contact the Admissions Office by email ONLY once the application has been completed.

Please note that anyone with a degree in economics or other subjects (in the latter case in part based on an evaluation by the Program Director) may be admitted to a Master of Science program.

According to the type of University studies completed, attending pre-courses (without exams) may be suggested if admitted.

Bocconi University does however deem NON-suitable for several programs/origins due to their specific CONTENT, as skills and knowledge acquired are evaluated as not adequate to fruitfully attend a post-graduate university studies in a strictly economic field (e.g. professional training programs, programs passed in a distance learning system, academic diploma ...).

If the Admissions Office does not have enough elements of evaluation to verify your academic path, we will ask you to provide us with the diploma supplement if available in your educational system, and/or a Declaration of Value (DoV)
 

If the Declaration of Value is required, students will find a specific message in their selection results.

Students will be asked to provide the declaration of value directly in the enrollment procedure by September 2025.

The Declaration of Value (DoV) is an official document (written in Italian) that confirms the validity of the diploma issued by the competent Italian Authorities (Embassy/Consulate/Italian Cultural Institute) in the Country to which the educational system of your University refers.

If you are studying, for example, in a U.S. University in Europe or Asia, the Italian Authority in charge will be the territorially competent Italian Consulate/Embassy in the United States.

When specially required in the admission “Result”, the Declaration of Value (DoV) is a compulsory condition for enrollment.

The Declaration of Value usually includes the following information:

• legal status and nature of the awarding institution: the University awarding the diploma is legally accredited in the Country to which the educational system of your undergraduate University refers (nationally valid in the Country);
• requirements needed for admission to the program ending in the qualification concerned;
• legal duration of studies (i.e. Bachelor program 3-4 year long) and global workload in hours/credits;
• validity of the qualification in the awarding country to academic and/or professional ends.

If you are asked to provide the Admissions Office with the Declaration of Value, please note that this document should be related to your undergraduate academic path (Bachelor level) only and not to your Secondary School diploma, unless you are asked so by the competent Italian Authorities.

As alternative to the Declaration of value, if the home University of the student has adhered to the so-called “Bologna Process”, we can evaluate to accept the “Diploma Supplement Document”.

The Diploma Supplement is not a further qualification, but a particular certification produced following a template that was agreed upon by the three principal international organizations of European breadth (The Council of Europe, UNESCO – Europe region, European Union). The European DS model envisages that it is drafted in two or more languages (the national language of the Country in question and at least one commonly-spoken foreign language, such as English) and that it provides a whole list of very detailed information.

The information is grouped into 8 categories, which run from the personal details of the qualification holder, to the level of the qualification itself, the curriculum (list of subjects and, if possible, their principal contents), the rights it bestows (utilization for further studies or in the workplace), to the type of issuing institution, and to an abbreviated description of the higher education system it belongs to.

We strongly recommend students submit the declaration of value/diploma supplement to the Admissions Office as soon as they have it, uploading it on the My Application - Admission Portal by the end of August/ beginning of September 2025.

Please note that a Statement of Comparability issued by CIMEA (the Italian NARIC Center) is considered a valid alternative to the declaration of value. The Statement of Comparability can be easily requested on the CIMEA website.