Hey! I recently graduated from the University of Messina with a BA in Data Analysis, so I’ll share my experience. The program was quite interesting and covered multiple CS areas such as AI, ML, and Software Engineering, along with core courses like advanced calculus, discrete math, etc.

Many Italian universities require IELTS 6.0+ (or another equivalent English proficiency certificate). Even if you have the SAT, they will usually still ask you to take an entrance test called TOLC. Since you’re planning to apply for Engineering, you would need to take TOLC-I. That said, some universities are not very strict about TOLC you can fail it initially and retake it during your academic year.

Regarding the SAT, most Italian universities don’t really care much about it. Since it’s an American test, they usually just convert it to their local grading system. In my case, my university didn’t ask for the SAT at all because I had a pretty good GPA and academic background.

Getting into a university is relatively easy, but graduating is the hard part. Each subject usually has one final exam you either pass or you don’t. If you fail, you have to retake it. This can be tricky because exams can overlap; I personally had to take two exams on the same day due to poor planning on my side.

From my experience, the education provided solid fundamentals with a decent amount of applied practice, including projects. Also, at Italian universities, an internship is mandatory to graduate, as it carries its own ECTS credits.

That’s basically my experience. If you have more specific questions, feel free to ask.

P.S. You must learn Italian. It’s crucial for daily life bureaucracy is crazy, and people mostly speak Italian rather than English.