The Marco Polo Program was launched in 2004 by the Conference of Italian University Rectors (CRUI), at the direct request of the Office of the President of the Italian Republic, to strengthen scientific collaboration with China and increase the number of Chinese students at Italian universities.

Thanks to the intergovernmental agreement between the two countries, Chinese students who apply forenrollment in bachelor’s or master’s degree programs at an Italian university (or in programs at Italian academic institutions of higher education in the arts and music through the Turandot program) can more easily obtain an entry visa to Italy for study purposes.

To obtain a visa, students must:

• pre-enroll in the chosen course one year in advance
• have a score of at least 400 out of 750 on the final national exam, the “Gaokao”
• Enroll in the preparatory Italian language course at one of the Italian universities that offer it. The course prepares students to reach level B1/B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference and the Council of Europe and concludes with a final exam that is open only to students who have attended at least 85% of the course.

In their pre-enrollment application, students must specify both the university they have chosen for enrollment in the degree program and the campus where they wish to attend the Italian language course, which must last no less than 10 or 11 months. Students can enroll courses organized by the University for Foreigners of Perugia, the University for Foreigners of Siena, the Third University of Rome, the “Dante Alighieri” Society, and the University for Foreigners of Reggio Calabria, to any language courses offered by the chosen institution, and the latter, exercising its organizational autonomy.