Transfer from University of Turin: Where to Continue Medicine in 2026

Is a transfer from the University of Turin possible in 2026?

Yes. A transfer from the University of Turin to another university in Europe is possible in 2026 for students of the English-taught Medicine and Surgery programme at the Orbassano campus, from the end of year one onwards. Your passed exams keep their CFU value, which equals ECTS, and a receiving faculty with a free place assesses them course by course. Medschool Experts checks each case individually and free of charge.

The English programme, often called MedInTO, started in 2017 and runs at the San Luigi Gonzaga university hospital in Orbassano, south-west of Turin. It is a six-year single-cycle degree (laurea magistrale a ciclo unico, class LM-41) of 360 CFU, about 100 students per year, with places split between EU and non-EU applicants. Teaching is in English, but clerkships from year three take place with Italian-speaking patients at San Luigi and other hospitals in Piedmont.

What do the University of Turin exam regulations say about resits and failing a year?

The Teaching Regulations of the Medicine and Surgery degree programme at the University of Turin (version approved on 25 July 2023, valid from 2023/24) offer seven exam dates (appelli) per course each academic year and allow up to three attempts per exam per year, at least 10 days apart. Attendance of 67 % is required to sit an exam, and year 3 to 6 exams are blocked until 60 CFU from years one and two are passed.

Italian medical schools rarely expel students for failed exams. The risk at Turin is different: it is the slow pile-up of open exams that makes students fuori corso, behind their nominal year, and blocks progression. Here is how the rules work in practice.

Appelli and attempts. Each course has seven exam dates per academic year while it is taught, and three in years it is not taught. You may sit the same exam up to three times per academic year, with at least ten days between attempts. You can withdraw from a written exam before handing it in, or from an oral before the result is recorded, and the attempt is not counted. A passed exam cannot be retaken to improve the grade.

Attendance. You must attend at least 67 % of the hours of a course to be admitted to its exam; clerkships require 100 %. A student below the threshold cannot sit the exam and has to attend the course again in the following year. If you miss attendance for a large part of the year, you are enrolled as a repeating student (ripetente) for that year.

Sbarramento. The key block sits between the pre-clinical and clinical phase: you may only sit exams of years three to six once you have earned at least 60 CFU from the basic, characterising and related courses of years one and two. Clerkships and electives do not count. The study plan can also set propedeuticità, prerequisite chains that stop you booking certain exams before others are passed. Students with an English level below B2 at entry carry an additional learning requirement (OFA) that must be cleared by the end of year one to enrol in year two.

Maximum duration. The nominal duration is six years. Under the University of Turin's Student Careers Regulation (Rector's Decree no. 3948 of 30 September 2019), there is no forfeiture of studies (decadenza) for current single-cycle degrees, but if the degree is not completed within 12 years of enrolment, all credits are reviewed for obsolescence.

The practical consequence: in Turin you rarely lose your place, but you can lose years. Three failed attempts in one academic year do not end your studies; they push the exam into the next year, and with it everything that depends on it.

What happens if you are dismissed from the University of Turin?

Being dismissed from the University of Turin for failed exams is unusual in 2026: the University's Student Careers Regulation provides no forfeiture of studies for current single-cycle degrees. Students end their career mainly through renunciation (rinuncia), which is irrevocable, through disciplinary measures, or by drifting so far fuori corso that credits are reviewed after 12 years. Passed exams always stay on the transcript.

That sounds reassuring, and partly it is. But it creates a different trap. Students in Turin often do not face a clear deadline, so they keep postponing a decision while the backlog grows. Each year fuori corso costs tuition, rent and time, and the 60-CFU sbarramento can hold a student in pre-clinical subjects for two or three years.

Be careful with renunciation. Under the regulation, rinuncia agli studi is irrevocable: your previous career cannot be reactivated, only recognised in a new enrolment. Do not sign it before your transfer is prepared. For an orderly transfer out, the University issues the transfer documents (foglio di congedo) on application, and if a transfer is not completed, you are reinstated in your previous career. Interrupting your studies also has a cost in a programme with restricted access: you lose the place you won through the admission test.

If you have received a disciplinary decision or a formal notice from the University, the deadlines in that notice apply. Act before they expire. Request your transcript with exam dates, CFU and SSD codes, and the official programmes of all passed courses, while your MyUniTO account is active, and contact us in the same week.

Which subjects do students fail most at the University of Turin?

At the University of Turin's English programme, the bottleneck exams students name most often in 2026 are Preparatory Biochemistry and Biochemical and Molecular Basis of Metabolism, the morphology and anatomy courses of years one and two, and physiology before the 60-CFU sbarramento. In the clinical years, pathology and pharmacology follow. Many exams combine a written test with an oral.

Preparatory Biochemistry (year one, 7 CFU). The exam opens with a short multiple-choice quiz: students need at least 10 of 12 correct answers in 15 minutes to continue to the problem-based part, and at least 18 points overall to pass, with the oral able to shift the result. Many first-years fail at the gate rather than on the content.

Basis of Human Morphology (year one). A 30-question multiple-choice test in 30 minutes, followed by an oral exam. Anatomy and histology vocabulary in English, under time pressure, is where students who studied well still lose points.

Biochemical and Molecular Basis of Metabolism (11 CFU). A 50-question multiple-choice test plus an oral discussion. With 11 CFU, it is one of the heaviest single exams before the clinical phase. A repeated failure here is the most common reason we see Turin students stuck below 60 CFU.

Anatomy and physiology (year two). Large integrated courses with oral exams. Because Italian integrated courses (corsi integrati) combine several modules in one grade, a weak module can sink the whole exam.

Clinical years. Pathology and pharmacology are broad and, in Turin, largely oral. Oral exams test reasoning on the spot, which suits some students far better than others.

If your transcript shows repeated attempts in one of these courses, you are in good company. It is the same pattern we see at Italian faculties across the country.

What do students criticise about the University of Turin?

Students value the University of Turin's hospital-based teaching and low tuition, but several criticisms of the English Medicine and Surgery programme recur in 2026: the isolated Orbassano campus and long commute, uneven English among some teaching staff, clerkships overlapping with lectures, Italian on the wards, slow administration, subjective oral exams and large groups in clinical rotations.

Location and commute. A recurring complaint is the campus itself. San Luigi Gonzaga lies outside Turin, most students live in the city, and the commute by bus takes 30 to 60 minutes each way. Without a car, student life in Orbassano is limited. Over six years, that is a lot of hours on a bus.

Teaching in English. Students frequently report that the level of English varies from course to course, which can make some lectures and oral exams harder to follow. The programme is younger than other English tracks in Italy, and that still shows in places.

Organisation. Students describe clerkships in the morning and lectures in the afternoon, with long days and overlaps, and administrative offices that are slow to respond. Clinical rotations are sometimes described as disorganised, with large groups and limited hands-on teaching.

Italian on the wards. Teaching is in English, but patients speak Italian. Students who arrive without Italian need to reach a working level by year three. For some it is an advantage; for others it is the point at which the clinical years become stressful.

Oral exams. A recurring theme in student reviews is the subjectivity of oral exams and long waits on exam days. Combined with seven appelli and no hard deadline, this encourages postponement, and postponement leads to fuori corso.

Each of these points is a reason why a transfer can make sense for some students, and we help you weigh it against your own situation. To be fair, the University of Turin also has clear strengths: low, income-based tuition, a campus inside a university hospital with early patient contact, and an EU degree with automatic recognition across Europe.

Failed exams at the University of Turin: what now?

If you failed exams at the University of Turin in 2026, first check how many attempts you have left this academic year (three per exam) and whether the exam blocks the 60-CFU sbarramento. Then decide: resit with a structured plan, or prepare a transfer in parallel. Your passed exams keep their value either way.

The Italian system gives you time, which is both its kindness and its danger. With seven appelli per year, it is easy to tell yourself the next date will work. Six months later, three exams are open and the clinical year is out of reach. We meet Turin students in exactly that position every year, usually after year two.

A failed exam is not a failed career. Practical next steps: download your transcript from MyUniTO with CFU, grades and SSD codes, save the official programme of every passed course, list your open exams with their CFU, and then talk to our team. We tell you which routes your documents support, so that you can decide with facts instead of hope.

One rule of thumb from our side. If the same exam has failed twice in two academic years, it is time to look at alternatives seriously.

Why do students consider a transfer from the University of Turin?

Students consider a transfer from the University of Turin for five recurring reasons in 2026: a backlog of open exams that keeps them fuori corso, the 60-CFU sbarramento blocking the clinical years, Italian on the wards, the Orbassano commute and organisation, or a wish for a more structured programme with fixed exam dates. Each reason has a matching solution, and a transfer is one of them.

The backlog is the most common. Turin's session system rewards self-organised students and punishes those who need a timetable. A student who would thrive with fixed exams at the end of each semester often struggles with seven open dates and no pressure to choose.

Language is the second. Some students plan to learn Italian and find that medicine leaves no time. Others speak Italian well but want a clinical setting in English. Then come practical reasons: two hours of commuting a day, overlapping schedules, an administration that answers slowly. None of these is a reason to give up medicine. They are reasons to choose where to finish it.

Cost is rarely the trigger in Turin, because tuition is low. The hidden cost is time.

How are credits from the University of Turin recognised (ECTS)?

Credits from the University of Turin are CFU, and one CFU equals one ECTS, so a receiving European faculty can compare your passed exams directly. In 2026 the Medicine and Surgery programme carries 360 CFU over six years, 60 per year. The receiving faculty checks content, hours and credits of each course and recognises matching exams; gaps are covered by differential exams or year placement.

Italian transcripts need one extra step. Turin teaches in integrated courses that combine several disciplines, each with its own SSD code (for example BIO/10 for biochemistry or BIO/16 for anatomy). A receiving faculty often has to split an integrated course into its components to match its own curriculum. That is why we ask for the official course programmes and the SSD breakdown, not just the transcript. Done properly, Italian credits map cleanly onto other European curricula.

As a rule of thumb, a transfer usually works best when no more than two exams are still open and their credits stay below the receiving faculty's limit. Each case is checked individually, and faculties often place transfer students into higher years when the documents support it.

How the UK, the USA and the EU compare. Within the EU, CFU and other national credits are expressions of ECTS: 60 credits per full-time year, with Directive 2005/36/EC setting minimum standards for medical training, so a Turin transcript can be read across borders without conversion. The UK uses its own credit framework, where 120 UK credits correspond roughly to 60 ECTS, yet British medical schools rarely admit students mid-degree, so equivalence alone opens few doors. In the USA, medicine is a graduate-entry MD after a bachelor's degree, and transfers from European single-cycle programmes into US medical schools are almost impossible; the realistic route is to finish a European degree and pass the USMLE. For a Turin student, a transfer within Europe is therefore the most practical way to protect credits and time.

Which universities accept transfer students from the University of Turin?

Transfer students from the University of Turin are accepted in 2026 by English-taught medical faculties across Europe, including the 25+ partner universities in Europe that Medschool Experts works with specifically for students in this situation; we check every profile individually and free of charge. Which faculty fits depends on your CFU, your open exams, your budget and whether you want to keep Italian in your clinical years or not.

We do not publish a list, because the right answer differs from student to student. A second-year student stuck below the sbarramento needs something different from a fourth-year student who wants clinical training in English. What we can say: our European partner universities accept transfer students into higher years, teach in English, and give students a clear structure after a difficult phase elsewhere.

A study transfer is a complex undertaking. Our experts have almost 10 years of experience in study transfers worldwide, which is why they plan and carry it out confidently. The consultation is free.

What does studying at our European partner universities cost compared with the University of Turin?

Tuition at the University of Turin is low in 2026: income-based up to about 2,800 € for EU students, and about 656 to 1,656 € for non-EU residents abroad. At our European partner universities, English-taught Medicine and Dentistry start from 1,750 € per semester, Pharmacy from 1,500 € and Veterinary Medicine from 3,000 €. The real comparison is the cost of each extra year fuori corso.

Read the chart from right to left. Tuition at our partner universities is higher than in Turin, yes. But one year spent fuori corso in Turin, with rent, food and transport at around 750 to 1,100 € a month, costs far more than the tuition difference. A student who would otherwise lose two years to a backlog often spends less overall after a transfer, and starts working as a doctor earlier.

We put the real numbers side by side in the consultation, including one-off costs for the move, so the decision rests on a complete budget.

Can I transfer from the University of Turin without losing a year?

A transfer from the University of Turin without losing a year is possible in 2026 when your passed CFU match the receiving curriculum, your open exams are few, and your application reaches the faculty in time for the next semester. Students who are only one or two exams behind often continue in their nominal year. Those far fuori corso usually still gain time compared with staying.

Timing matters more than most students expect. Italian summer and autumn appelli run late, and many students wait for the September session before deciding. By then, many faculties have already filled their transfer places for the autumn. Preparing in parallel is the better plan: we assess your transcript while you prepare for the next appello. If it goes well, you stay.

Faculties in Europe often place transfer students into higher years when the documents allow it. Which year is realistic for you depends on your file, and the free consultation gives you a clear answer.

Can I continue towards the USMLE, the UK or the Gulf after leaving the University of Turin?

Yes. After a transfer from the University of Turin you can still aim for the USA, the UK or the Gulf states in 2026. A medical degree from a state-accredited European university, finished after a transfer, keeps these routes open: the USMLE for the USA, the licensing assessment for the UK and the licensing exams of the Gulf health authorities.

Some of our partner universities have very strong USMLE preparation, with pass rates of up to 100 % in the last two years. For a student whose real goal is a residency in the USA, that can be worth more than staying in a programme where the preparation has to be organised alone. We take your target country into account when we choose the faculty.

For the UK, what counts is a recognised primary medical qualification and the required licensing assessment. For the Gulf, it is the degree, the internship and the exam result. In none of these cases does the transfer itself count against you.

How does a transfer from the University of Turin work with Medschool Experts, step by step?

A transfer from the University of Turin with Medschool Experts takes about four to seven months in 2026 and follows six steps: free consultation, documents, credit assessment, applications, admission and enrolment. You request the Turin paperwork with our checklist; we carry the rest, including splitting your integrated courses for the credit comparison.

1. Free consultation. You tell us about your open exams, used attempts, Italian level, budget and career plans. You get a first realistic picture.
2. Documents. You download your transcript from MyUniTO with CFU and SSD codes and save the official programmes of all passed courses. Do not sign a renunciation.
3. Credit assessment. We split your integrated courses into components and compare them with the curricula of suitable faculties.
4. Applications. We prepare and submit the transfer applications and follow up with the faculties.
5. Admission. You receive the admission decision with recognised credits and your year of placement, then request the transfer documents from Turin.
6. Enrolment. We guide you through registration, accommodation and the move, so that you start on time.

Students who contact us in winter or early spring usually start at their new faculty in autumn. Read how others experienced this on our student stories page, or book your free consultation now.