UniGuide: Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (UCSC) in Rome

The Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (UCSC) is a private Italian university with a Catholic inspiration. Don't worry: nobody will force you to go to church on Sundays!

Its main location of the university is in Milan, but the Medicine and Surgery course is held in Rome. The Rome campus is of crucial importance thanks to its close, historic link with the Agostino Gemelli University Hospital (Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS). Among the private universities in Rome (alongside Campus Bio-Medico and UniCamillus), Cattolica stands out for its excellence in the biomedical field. It offers a wide range of courses, from bachelor's degrees to single-cycle master's degrees and postgraduate programmes.

The Rome campus currently has more than six thousand enrolled students. Located at Largo Francesco Vito 1, it is a true university "citadel" surrounded by greenery. It includes the Polo Didattico (Teaching Hub) (classrooms and the Giovanni XXIII building), the Centro Pastorale (Pastoral Centre), the extensive network of laboratories in the Istituti Biologici (Biological Institutes), and the student administration offices. The Gemelli Hospital sits right in the heart of the campus, so students experience theory and clinical practice only a few steps apart.

The degree at a glance

• Degree: a 6-year programme taught in English, in class LM-41. It is a single-cycle master's degree, and an older brochure lists it at 360 ECTS.
• Language: No Italian is required, as the course is English-taught.
• Faculty: The Rome programme is delivered through the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery "A. Gemelli".
• Double degree: The Rome programme offers a double degree option with Thomas Jefferson University (Philadelphia, USA).
• Sister programme: Cattolica also runs a six-year, fully English-taught Medicine and Surgery programme in Bolzano, in collaboration with the Autonomous Province of Bolzano and the South Tyrol Health Authority. This guide only covers Rome.

The Cattolica admission test

Format

• Duration: 65 min
• Questions: 65 multiple-choice questions
• General Knowledge: 2
• Logical Reasoning: 20
• Biology: 18
• Chemistry: 12
• Physics: 4
• Mathematics: 4
• Ethics and Religious Culture: 5
• Reserve questions: 7 (one per subject, to be answered in 7 additional minutes)

Scoring

• +1 point for a correct answer
• −0.25 points for a wrong answer
• 0 points for no answer

Available places

• Total: 110
• 40 places for EU candidates (EU citizens and equivalents)
• 70 places for non-EU candidates (non-EU citizens residing abroad)

Additional information

• The ranking is not national. Cattolica runs its own mandatory entrance exam, separate from the national admission process used by Italian public universities.
• For 2026/27 the test fee was €210. The payment deadline was 18 February 2026 and the Rome test was on 25 March 2026. Those were last cycle's dates. The brochure for the 2026/27 cycle shows applications opening in the second half of November the previous year, so dates for the next intake should follow a similar pattern. Check the official call for exact dates.
• Admitted students had to complete their documentation by 4 September 2026 or lose their place. Non-EU students residing abroad also need a study visa.
• Transfers are possible. For 2026/27 there was a competition based on qualifications and exams for transfer places, with a computer-based written test on 23 September 2026 in Rome.

Course calendar and timetable

The university provides a dedicated portal for the lesson calendar and course planning. You can consult the updated calendars directly on the official Unicatt Timetable Portal by selecting the current academic year and entering the name of the degree programme you are interested in.

Clinical training and professional placements

Clinical teaching at Cattolica is built on a solid integration of theory and practice. To graduate, students must gain hands-on experience in the wards of Internal Medicine, General Surgery, Paediatrics, and Obstetrics and Gynaecology, as well as in the various medical and surgical specialties of the Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS.

Contrary to what you might expect, the first year is almost entirely devoted to basic sciences and theory. The actual Evaluative Practical Training (TPV) begins in the second year, introducing students to their first nursing-science procedures and to medical and surgical semiotics (the art of examining a patient).

Ward activities intensify progressively over the clinical years (years 3 to 6):

• Hospital placements: Students attend the relevant wards, laboratories, outpatient clinics and the Emergency Department of the Gemelli, under the guidance of a tutor doctor.
• Qualifying placement (TPV): As required for the qualifying master's degree, a substantial share of the hours in the last two years counts towards direct qualification to practise. This block also includes a compulsory placement in the community, at the practice of a General Practitioner (GP) contracted with the National Health Service, to understand patient management outside the hospital.

Access to the wards requires completing the courses on health-and-safety in healthcare settings, plus the medico-legal fitness check organised by the university at the start of the clinical path.

Opportunities abroad

Cattolica offers many study-abroad opportunities:

• A semester abroad (Erasmus and Overseas, ISEP, Study Abroad or Free Mover)
• Double degree at a partner university (for Rome Medicine and Surgery, with Thomas Jefferson University)
• Language courses and certifications
• Summer programmes
• Internships abroad (medical students are offered placements in hospitals outside Italy)
• Volunteering abroad
• Thesis abroad

Student administration office

To support students throughout their academic career, Cattolica has set up the Polo Studenti, a single point of reference inside the "Giovanni XXIII" building (Largo Francesco Vito 1). It is the direct channel for the administrative and bureaucratic side of university life:

• General information and enrolment
• Fees, contributions and deadlines
• Management of the academic career and study plans
• Exam booking and final-exam (graduation) paperwork

Opening hours:

• Monday and Wednesday: 12:00–14:00
• Tuesday and Thursday: 13:00–15:00
• Friday: 9:30–11:30

(To go in person you need to book an appointment on the portal.)

Phone: 06 77644 644 (Monday to Friday 8:00–19:00, Saturday 9:00–13:00).

Getting to the university

By train: From Roma Termini, take Metro Line A (direction Battistini) to Valle Aurelia. From there, take the FL3 train (direction Viterbo) and get off at the Gemelli stop.

By metro: Line A (red). Useful stops are Valle Aurelia (for the FL3 train), Cornelia and Battistini.

By bus (all stop at Pineta Sacchetti/Gemelli):

• Line 980: Via Pane ↔ Ospedale San Filippo Neri
• Line 446: Circonvallazione Cornelia ↔ Piazza Mancini
• Line 146: Battistini ↔ Gemelli

By car:

• From the south (Naples), enter the GRA ring road and choose:
• Exit 1, Via Aurelia → follow signs for Piazza Irnerio → Via della Pineta Sacchetti
• Exit 2, Via Boccea → follow signs for Via di Torrevecchia → Via della Pineta Sacchetti
• From the north (Florence), enter the GRA and take Exit 3, Via Cassia → follow signs for Via Trionfale → Via della Pineta Sacchetti

📍 Parking: the area around the hospital is accessible by car, with hourly-rate parking.

Shuttle service

• Runs Monday to Friday, 7:40–17:35
• About one trip every 30 minutes
• Stops are marked by yellow signs
• Connects: Faculty – Hospital – Istituti Biologici – Residenza Sanitaria Protetta – Car parks

Where to study and eat

The Cattolica library has three main hubs, with the following hours for internal users:

• Istituti Biologici (Faculty): Monday–Friday 8:30–19:45, Saturday 9:00–13:00
• Clinical Institutes (Hospital): Monday–Sunday 6:00–24:00
• Polo Universitario Giovanni XXIII: Monday–Friday 8:30–20:30

The university has several canteens:

• Polo Giovanni XXIII: Self-service canteen with free-flow drinks and a café-bar. About 270 seats, air-conditioned. Open Monday to Friday. Lunch 12:00–15:00; take-away dinner pick-up 18:30–20:00; café-bar 7:30–20:30; break and study area 15:00–18:30.
• Centro congressi: Near the Istituti Biologici. About 230 seats, air-conditioned. Open Monday to Friday, 12:00–15:00.
• Policlinico "A. Gemelli": On the first floor of the hospital, open to students, teaching staff and non-teaching staff. About 450 seats, air-conditioned. Open Monday to Sunday, 12:00–15:00.

Prices generally range from €3 to €5 per meal.

How much does it cost?

Unlike many Cattolica programmes, the tuition for English-taught Medicine and Surgery in Rome is not income-based.

• Annual tuition: €18,000 per year, the same for all students (EU and non-EU).
• Payment: The yearly fee is split into instalments. The first instalment is paid upon confirmation of admission and is €4,000 for Medicine and Surgery. The rest is paid during the year.
• Application fee for the entrance test: €210.

The university's general fee calculator is therefore not relevant for this course. Details on scholarships and housing are handled by EDUCatt (the foundation for the right to university study), which is the reference point for scholarships and accommodation requests.

PROs and CONs of studying at Cattolica

PROs

• The Gemelli Hospital: An internationally renowned hospital, consistently ranked among the best in Italy and Europe (according to Newsweek rankings). Learning clinical medicine in such an environment gives you an edge.
• A lot of support (small-group meetings): As a private university, organisation is a strength. Besides the availability of professors, each year has dedicated Tutors (students from higher years) who explain how the university works and how to plan your exam session.
• More exam sessions: Compared with most state universities, Cattolica offers a more flexible exam calendar, with more sittings spread over the winter, summer and autumn sessions. This helps you plan your study and avoid bottlenecks.
• Resources and facilities: State-of-the-art laboratories, anatomy rooms for practical exercises, and full access to top-level international scientific databases.
• Fully in English, no Italian needed to enrol: The course attracts an international cohort, and the double degree with Thomas Jefferson University adds an international option.

CONs

• Compulsory Theology exams: The study plan includes Theology exams. Their difficulty and workload are generally very low, but they are compulsory and do not count towards your average. (Please verify for the English course; see notes below.)
• Tuition cost: As a private university, fees are significantly higher than at a state university, even though EDUCatt support exists. For the English course, the flat €18,000 per year is a major factor to plan for.
• Limits on exchange programmes (Erasmus): Cattolica offers excellent summer Short Programmes and theses abroad. However, the traditional Erasmus destinations for English-language courses or specific clinical years are fewer and more competitive than at some large state universities.

All information on courses, tests and teaching is available on the university's official website.