Overview

• About 53,825 students started the new six‑month semester for Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary nationwide, with roughly 70% women and the largest cohorts at Sapienza, Federico II, Bologna, Padova and Torino.
• Universities are delivering mixed in‑person and remote teaching, with Padova fully online and reports of overcrowded rooms and seat‑booking difficulties in several campuses, including Palermo going entirely remote.
• Selection shifts to national exams on chemistry/biochemistry, physics and biology set for 20 November and 10 December, each with 31 questions graded out of 30, feeding a February 2026 national ranking.
• Student unions say the reform defers the numerus clausus and heightens uncertainty, warning of anxiety and the risk of losing months before exclusion if exams are not passed.
• Private institutions such as Humanitas and Vita‑Salute San Raffaele are not taking part this year, while public universities like Milan’s Statale and Bicocca launched courses after rapid reorganization for more than 5,200 entrants.