Academic recognition of foreign Ph.D. degrees

To be recognised, the qualification must:

• be an official third-cycle (doctoral) qualification issued by an officially recognised institution in the country of origin;
• confer the same academic rights in the issuing country as those granted by a doctoral degree;
• be comparable to an Italian Ph.D. in terms of level, duration, content and research activities undertaken;
• belong to the same subject area or a comparable scientific field as the corresponding Italian Ph.D. programme.

Before submitting your formal application, you must request a preliminary assessment (prevalutazione) of your qualification. The request must be sent to the Ph.D. Office (Ufficio Dottorato), specifying the University of Florence Ph.D. programme you consider comparable to your foreign degree. Please consult the Ph.D. educational offer to find the programme most similar to your foreign qualification in terms of type and subject area. 

Send your request to prevalutazionephd(AT)unifi.it, attaching the following documentation:

• foreign Ph.D. qualification;
• Italian second-cycle qualification that granted access to the foreign Ph.D. programme; in the case of a foreign qualification, a copy of the first- and second-cycle diplomas and the transcript of records for the exams taken;
• certification or official statement issued by the foreign institution detailing the components, duration and research activities carried out to obtain the Ph.D. degree. Alternatively, for EU countries, the Diploma Supplement issued by the foreign institution, provided it contains the same information;
• abstract of the Ph.D. thesis (in Italian or English).

If the preliminary assessment is successful, you may proceed with the formal application for recognition.

Following a successful preliminary assessment, you may submit a formal application addressed to the Rector. 

Send your application for recognition to the Rector via certified email (PEC) at dottorato(AT)pec.unifi.it, specifying “Richiesta riconoscimento Dottorato estero” in the subject line, along with the following documentation:

• transcript of records issued by the foreign institution, detailing the course components, duration and research activities undertaken to obtain the Ph.D. degree. Alternatively, for EU countries, a Diploma Supplement in English on the foreign institution's official letterhead, stamped and signed, provided it contains the same information;
• electronic copy of the Ph.D. thesis in its original language, specifying the web address of the institutional repository or library where it is stored and accessible;
• Italian second-cycle qualification that granted access to the foreign Ph.D. programme, or a foreign second-cycle qualification accompanied by a Declaration of Value (Dichiarazione di Valore) issued by the competent Italian Diplomatic/Consular Representation. Alternatively, a comparability statement (attestato di comparabilità) and a verification statement (attestato di verifica) issued by CIMEA (the Italian ENIC-NARIC centre). For qualifications obtained in an EU country, the Diploma Supplement is sufficient;
• copy of the foreign Ph.D. qualification;
• Declaration of Value (Dichiarazione di Valore) issued by the competent Italian Diplomatic/Consular Representation explicitly stating:
  1. the minimum legal duration of the Ph.D. programme attended under the foreign higher education system (to be eligible for recognition, this duration must not be less than the minimum three-year period required by Italian Ph.D. regulations);
  2. the legal status of the university, confirming its authority to award valid academic degrees in its home country. Alternatively, a comparability statement (attestato di comparabilità) and a verification statement (attestato di verifica) issued by CIMEA (the Italian ENIC-NARIC centre);
• Italian translation of all required documents, if not drawn up in English (the thesis is also accepted in French or Spanish);
• self-declaration in lieu of affidavit (dichiarazione sostitutiva di atto di notorietà) certifying that the submitted documents conform to the originals;
• copy of a valid identity document;
• payment receipt for the 500.00 euro fee. Payment must be made via the IRIS Regione Toscana portal by selecting: 1. Università degli Studi di Firenze – 2. 50001 Amministrazione Centrale – 3. Amount: 500.00 euro – 4. Payment reason (causale): riconoscimento dottorato estero.

All documentation must be submitted in PDF format. Under no circumstances will the fee be refunded.

The evaluation process includes:

• administrative verification of the documentation;
• verification of fee payment;
• scientific evaluation of the applicant's academic path by the Doctoral Programme Board (Collegio dei Docenti) of the Ph.D. programme identified as comparable.

The Doctoral Programme Board will assess the application and issue a positive or negative decision.

The assessment may result in:

• recognition of the foreign Ph.D. qualification;
• refusal of recognition, if substantial differences emerge compared to the corresponding Italian qualification.

In the event of a successful outcome, recognition is formalised by Rector's Decree (Decreto Rettorale).

The procedure is normally completed within 90 days from the submission of the formal application. If additional documentation is requested, the deadline is suspended and resumes from the date the required documents are received.

The procedure is governed by Article 38 of Legislative Decree No. 165 of 30 March 2021.