Nursing (L/SNT1, code 2233), taught in English

About the course

A three-year bachelor’s degree in Nursing (L/SNT1) taught in English at the University of Palermo’s School of Medicine and Surgery. Entry numbers are capped and places are allocated by an entrance test.

Entry requirements for Irish students

• The university assesses the Irish Leaving Certificate individually and does not publish a fixed Irish requirement. Contact admissions to confirm. The call asks for a school-leaving qualification from at least 12 years of schooling that is recognised as equivalent to the Italian upper-secondary diploma.
• Entrance test (in person, Palermo): 60 multiple-choice questions in 100 minutes: 4 on reading skills, 5 on logical reasoning, 23 on biology, 15 on chemistry and 13 on physics and maths. Each right answer scores 1.5, each wrong answer loses 0.4 and a blank scores 0, out of a maximum of 90. Note that the English version of the 2026/27 call states in its annex that questions are formulated in Italian, so confirm the test language with admissions.
• English: B2 level (CEFR) is required. The call does not say how to prove it, so ask admissions which certificates they accept.

Working in Ireland afterwards

NMBI recognises EU/EEA nursing qualifications in a separate step before registration, and places each applicant in one of three groups. G1 is the EU automatic recognition pathway (Directive 2005/36/EC, Annex V), where NMBI only checks your paperwork. G2 is the general system, where NMBI also assesses your qualification, and you may have to complete a compensation measure. G3 covers qualifications outside the Directive. Under EU law, automatic recognition normally applies to general care (adult) nursing degrees listed in Annex V. Specialist qualifications such as psychiatric, children’s or intellectual disability nursing usually go through the general system, but NMBI does not publish a list. Its MyNMBI tool tells you which group you are in. English-language requirements also apply.

How to apply

1. Register on the portalCreate an account on the Portale Studenti UNIPA once the call comes out. In 2026 it was published on 10 August.
2. Apply and pay the test feeComplete the test application and pay the non-refundable EUR 60 fee online by the deadline (24 Aug in 2026).
3. Sit the entrance test in PalermoAttend the in-person test in mid-September (17 Sep 2026, arrive by 8:00) with valid ID.
4. Enrol quickly if rankedRankings come out a few days after the test (21 Sep in 2026). Enrol on the portal by the deadline (25 Sep in 2026), with a valid ISEE, or lose the place.

Costs

• Fees at Palermo depend on family income, measured by the Italian ISEE indicator. The 2026/27 fee table sets the annual student contribution by ISEE band, from a few hundred euro in the lowest band to roughly EUR 3,400 in the top band (ISEE over EUR 90,000); the figure shown (EUR 3,431) is our reading of the top band for this group of courses, so confirm the exact figure with the university. It is paid in three instalments (40% by 30 Sep, 30% by 29 Dec, 30% by 28 Feb). The table does not say what a student without an ISEE pays; expect the top band. Regional tax and stamp duty are added on top (amounts not shown in the table). The call says a valid ISEE is needed at enrolment, so ask the university how an Irish family can get one. There is also a non-refundable EUR 60 fee to sit the admission test.

At a glance