Equivalence – Recognition of Foreign Research PhD Qualification

Law 15/2022 amended the text of article 38 of Legislative Decree 165 of 2001, introducing into the Italian legal system the possibility of recognizing for academic purposes PhD qualifications obtained abroad directly by institutions of higher education.

The application for academic recognition for equivalence is aimed at having a foreign university qualification evaluated in order to obtain a corresponding Italian PhD title.

This recognition implies a detailed verification of the correspondence of level and content between the foreign qualification and the Italian one. The foreign qualification recognized as equivalent has the same legal value as the corresponding Italian qualification.

For the recognition of foreign Research PhD qualifications, the title under scrutiny will have to respect the following characteristics (CIMEA guidelines):

• be an official third-cycle PhD qualification of the reference foreign system, issued by an official institution of the same system;
• confer the same academic rights in the reference foreign system;
• present the same nature and disciplinary elements of the corresponding Italian qualification in terms of duration, which must not be less than three years, nature of research and methods of obtaining;
• there must be a PhD in the same sector with which the foreign qualification can be compared, both in terms of type and disciplinary field activated by the University of Parma (the University of Parma must be the administrative headquarters at the time it is presented application for equivalence - see list of activated courses).

These requirements apply to all students with a foreign PhD qualification, regardless of their nationality, be their qualification attained in the European Union (EU) or outside of it.

Italian citizens, foreign citizens RESIDENT on Italian territory, or foreign citizens who have applied to a competitive examination at the University of Parma for which a doctoral degree is required as an entry qualification may apply for recognition.

For the recognition of equivalence of a foreign Research PhD qualification, the competent authorities have established a two-step fee (Board of Directors Resolution No. 92 of March 28, 2025); an initial  fee to start the verification process for submitted documentation, and a second fee for subsequent submission to the competent collegial bodies for approval.
Start procedure: €50 + €16 virtual stamp duty per application;
Continuation of the procedure: €400.
The start procedure and subsequent continuation are subject to payment of the applicable fees and are non-refundable in the event of final denial.

The procedure for the academic recognition of the PhD qualification obtained abroad at the University of Parma involves the following steps:

1. Expression of interest – send an initial email to dottorati@unipr.it declaring your interest in the application process for “Academic recognition of foreign PhD qualifications” as Italian citizens or foreign citizens RESIDENT on Italian territory or foreign citizens who have applied to a competitive examination at the University of Parma for which a doctoral degree is required as an entry qualification may apply for recognition (in this case indicate the references of Competition code, Title, deadline Call;
2. Interested party registration on students careers registry system https://unipr.esse3.cineca.it/Home.do (or simple login, if already in the system) https://unipr.esse3.cineca.it/Home.do ;
3. The office release the first bullettin of €66 (€50 start procedure fee + €16 virtual stamp duty);
4. The interested party must send the application to dottorati@unipr.it, along with the required documentation for recognition of the foreign qualification and a receipt for payment of the €66 payment slip;
5. The office will verify the submitted documentation, requesting any additions or clarifications. The outcome of the verification will be communicated to the applicant, who may instruct the offices to proceed with the subsequent procedures. In this case, payment of the additional fee of €400 will be required, with the relevant payment slip being issued.
6. payment by the interested party of the aforementioned contribution with transmission of the receipt to dottorati@unipr.it;
7. transmission by the PhD office of the documentation to the Teaching Board of the corresponding PhD Course, for scientific-disciplinary evaluation. Within 90 days of receipt of all documentation, the members may produce the following results:

• direct release of the corresponding Italian PhD qualification to be submitted for approval by the Academic Senate and, in case of approval of the same, a Rectoral Decree of equivalence;
• refusal to recognize the foreign qualification in the event of a substantial difference;
• a conditional release with the obligation to fulfil the academic requirements set by the Teaching Board for the achievement of the corresponding Italian PhD qualification;

a)  Application with virtual duty stamp addressed to the Rector of the University of Parma, accompanied by a valid ID and codice fiscale (tax ID number);

b) Copy of the foreign university PhD qualification to be recognised;

c) Academic Transcript issued by the competent foreign higher education institution certifying the elements and activities of the PhD course carried out as well as an indication of the number of years, or Diploma Supplement of the qualification to be recognized if issued by a foreign institution;

d) Certificate of Comparability of the PhD qualification from a foreign university issued by CIMEA (Information Centre on Academic Mobility and Equivalence). Alternatively, it is possible to present a “Declaration of Value on Site” issued by the competent diplomatic delegations;

e) Statement of Verification of the foreign university qualification of PhD issued by CIMEA;

f) PhD thesis in PDF format, indicating the author, accompanied by a summary written in Italian or English;

g) Copy of the foreign university qualification that gave access to the PhD;

h) Academic Transcript of the exams taken or Diploma Supplement of the foreign university qualification which gave access to the PhD;

i) Curriculum vitae/studiorum listing any further qualifications, publications, research and teaching activities, especially those carried out during the PhD course in one of the main Community languages (English, French, Spanish, German);

j) payment of the contribution for the recognition of equivalence of qualifications in the amount established by the Competent Academic Bodies;

For all requests for recognition with a PhD course, it will be necessary to attach the same documentation relating to the qualification that gave access to the PhD and to provide the originals upon request. If the previous qualification was obtained from an Italian university, it is necessary to attach the self-certification of the qualification itself, as well as of the exams passed.

The entire documentation, if drawn up in another language, must be accompanied by a certified translation into Italian or a certified translation into one of the main community languages (English, French, Spanish, German).

fac simile Application for the recognition of a foreign academic PhD  qualification

The entire documentation shall be submitted to 
U.O. FORMAZIONE POST LAUREAM - Dottorati di Ricerca
Università degli Studi di Parma 
tramite indirizzo mail :               dottorati@unipr.it