Genomics (First Cycle Degree)

About the course

A biotechnology degree (class L-2) that uses maths, statistics and computing to analyse the structure and function of genomes. It is taught entirely in English over three years (180 ECTS credits).

Entry requirements for Irish students

• Bologna accepts a foreign school-leaving qualification awarded after at least 12 years of schooling, which the Leaving Certificate normally meets. Bologna publishes no specific rules on Leaving Cert subjects, levels (Higher or Ordinary) or grades, and CAO points are not used. You must submit your results and proof of the value of your qualification, such as a CIMEA statement of comparability, so confirm with admissions exactly what they need. For 2026/27 the qualification had to be obtained by 31 December 2026.
• Admission is ranked on test scores. In 2026 the first intake used only the SAT (minimum 600 out of 1600, taken on or after 1 January 2025). The second and September intakes used only TOLC-I in Italian (minimum 12 out of 50, sat in person in 2025 or 2026). Ties go first to the higher maths score, then to the younger candidate.
• You need English at B2 level. In the first (SAT) intake no separate English certificate was required. For the TOLC-I intakes you must upload a B2 certificate from Bologna’s accepted list before the application deadline. Only the IB, an American high school diploma or a GCE taken in English count as exemptions. The Leaving Cert is not on that list, so Irish applicants using TOLC-I should plan to sit a certificate such as IELTS.

How to apply

1. Sit the SAT earlyThe SAT-only first intake is the realistic route for most Irish students. In 2026, SAT scores taken on or after 1 January 2025 had to reach Bologna by 25 May, so sit the SAT in the 2026-27 school year.
2. Apply on Studenti OnlineWhen the 2027/28 call opens (in 2026 the first intake opened on 22 January), register on Studenti Online, pay the €20 application fee and apply for the first intake.
3. Check the ranking and enrolIn 2026 the first-intake ranking came out on 5 June and successful applicants had to enrol by 11 June. Irish students apply directly to Bologna, not through Universitaly.
4. Submit documents and income papersGive the International Student Administration Office your Leaving Cert results and proof of the value of your qualification. Submit ISEE or foreign-income papers to get a lower fee.

Costs

• Fees at Bologna depend on family income. Everyone pays a fixed €157.04. If your family’s ISEE (or equivalent papers for income earned abroad) is €27,000 or less, you pay nothing more. Above that, a variable amount is added, up to a maximum set for each programme in the university’s 2026-27 table of maximum fees. If you do not submit income papers, you pay that full maximum plus €157.04. We could not confirm the Genomics maximum, so check the table. There is also a €20 application fee, paid on Studenti Online, which is not refundable. The test costs extra: the College Board fee for the SAT, or €35 for TOLC-I.

At a glance