Degree Obtained without Secondary Education Completion in Italy

Foreign Credential Evaluations (by country/region)

Q：A degree awarded by a university in Japan whose holder had not completed an (5-year) Italian high school is not recognized in Italy. Why could it be happened?

A：It is resulted from different approaches to one's educational record by Italy and Japan.

In Italy, primary and secondary education lasts for 13 years including 5-year primary, 3-year lower secondary and 5-year upper secondary education.

A person who has completed the 4th grade in an Intalian upper secondary school is eligible to enter a bachelor's degree program in a university in Japan as the regulation for university admission requires one to complete 12 years of formal education in foreign countries.

Whereas, a person must have a Diploma di Maturità or equivalent qualification to access to higher education in Italy. In other words, one must complete all the grades in secondary education regardless of years spent in education.

The principle also applies to a degree holder's past educational record. If one who has not completed the Italian secondary education achieves a degree from a university in Japan, recognition of his/her degree will be denied. It is due to substantial differences of knowledge and skills obtained by the holder compared to those of holders of Italian first-cycle degrees. Such interpretation was confirmed by the Italian ENIC-NARIC centre (CIMEA) and the Italian embassy in Tokyo, based on the Lisbon Recognition Convention, which Italy is one of the ratified countries.

Therefore, in order for a degree from a Japanese university to be recognized in Italy, one must complete the whole secondary education.