Search

Accreditations and Memberships

Affiliations and recognitions of Italian schools for foreigners in Italy

In the description of each school, you will also find a section on accreditations and memberships. What are they, and what do the abbreviations mean? With this brief guide, we aim to help you navigate and choose an accredited Italian language school for foreigners that suits your needs.

Trade Associations

The national associations of Italian language schools for foreigners bring together most of the public schools in Italy, which can join the associations after demonstrating their quality and regulation criteria for teaching activities. Three major national associations have sprung up over the years. All the associations guarantee rigorous quality control over their member schools, offer teaching refresher courses for teachers of Italian as a second language and are a point of reference for students before, during and after their Italian language course in Italy.

ASILS

The Association of Schools of Italian as a Foreign Language (ASILS), is a non-profit association founded in 1999 with the aim of promoting and developing the quality of teaching Italian as a foreign language in Italy.
More info

Italian in Italy

Italian in Italy is an association that focuses on spreading Italian culture and language around the world. In particular, it promotes not only Italian language courses, but also cultural aspects of the Italian language such as History of Art, Cinema and Theatre, Literature, Cuisine and Fashion.
More info

LICET

The association 'Scuole LICET' (Italian Language, Culture and Tourism) arose from the need to better define the activities of Italian language schools for foreigners whose activities lie between quality teaching of the Italian language, the dissemination of Italian culture and the realisation, in the sense of tourism, of study holidays in Italy for foreign students.
More info

Other associations

EDUITALIA

EDUITALIA is an association that promotes Italy generically as a study destination for foreign students. It is, therefore, not only Italian schools for foreigners, but any activity or institution that provides quality teaching to foreigners. In fact, members include schools of fashion, art, design, architecture, universities and many others. Some courses are also delivered in English. EDUITALIA offers its members a range of services, including: accreditation, official certification, teacher training, promotion and marketing. It also promotes cultural exchange and cooperation between member schools and between teachers.
More info

Acknowledgements and Accreditations

We list below recognitions and accreditations by Italian or foreign public institutions that verify the quality of the courses offered for the purpose of teaching Italian or, more generally, that verify the value of the courses attended for the purpose of professional training.

MIUR

The MIUR's (Ministry of Education, University and Research) 'presa d'atto' is a form of accreditation for Italian language schools in Italy that was only possible for a limited period of time as private Italian language schools are no longer part of the Ministry's planning and control. However, schools that have obtained the MIUR's 'accreditation' have undergone a series of checks, inspections and evaluations by the Ministry regarding the quality of teaching, teacher training, the structure and resources of the school, and therefore meet the requirements set out in the Ministry's regulations for teaching Italian as a foreign language.
More info

Bildungsurlaub

Bildungsurlaub is a form of paid leave for professional or personal training, which exists in some countries such as Germany and Austria. The term 'Bildungsurlaub' means 'training holiday' and allows employees to take paid time off work to improve their professional or language skills and to promote a culture of continuing education. German employees are generally entitled to five days of training leave per year. The recognition of individual training activities is the responsibility of the individual German regions, some of which also recognise language courses abroad for 'training leave'.
More info

CSN

The CSN (Centre for Vocational Training) is a Swedish organisation that finances vocational training for Swedish students. CSN is important for Swedish students who want to learn Italian in Italy because it offers them the possibility of obtaining funding to cover the costs of Italian language courses. In order to obtain funding from the CSN, students must submit an application and provide information on the Italian language course they intend to take, as well as on the usefulness of their knowledge of Italian for their career advancement.
More info

Erasmus+

Erasmus+ is a European Union programme that offers mobility and cooperation opportunities for education, training, youth and sport. The programme, launched in 2014, is the successor to several European education and training programmes, including Erasmus, Leonardo da Vinci and Youth in Action. Erasmus+ targets different categories of individuals, including students, teachers, young people, trainers, volunteers and sportspeople, and offers them the opportunity to study, train, volunteer or participate in sporting events abroad. The programme covers different types of educational institutions such as schools, universities, vocational training centres and youth organisations.
More info

Certifications of knowledge of the Italian language

Official certifications of knowledge of the Italian language are required, for example, to be able to enrol at Italian universities, apply for Italian citizenship or simply enrich your personal skills and your CV. We present below the most important and well-known certifications; all are recognised by the MIUR (Ministry of Education, University and Research), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and are part of the CLIQ (Certificazione Lingua Italiana di Qualità) consortium.

CELI

CELI is the acronym for 'Certification of Italian as a Foreign Language', a certification programme of Italian language knowledge promoted by the University for Foreigners of Perugia. CELI examination venues are generally Italian language schools or institutes accredited by the University for Foreigners of Perugia and authorised to hold CELI examinations. These locations are spread all over the world, in countries such as Italy, Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa. The CELI is structured in six levels, from level A1 (basic) to level C2 (proficiency) and covers the four basic language skills (listening, reading, writing and oral production). The CELI is aimed at foreign students and immigrants of all ages and levels of proficiency in Italian.
More info

CILS

The Certification of Italian as a Foreign Language (CILS) is a certification programme of Italian language knowledge promoted by the University for Foreigners of Siena. The CILS exam is also based on the six levels of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and tests the four main language skills (listening, reading, writing and speaking). The exam centres accredited by the University for Foreigners of Siena are language schools or language centres located all over the world.
More info

PLIDA

PLIDA stands for "Progetto Lingua Italiana Dante Alighieri", a certification programme of Italian language knowledge promoted by the Dante Alighieri Society. PLIDA examination venues are Italian language schools or institutes in Italy and around the world accredited by the Dante Alighieri Society and authorised to conduct PLIDA examinations. The examinations take place at different levels, for Juniors and Adults. The levels correspond to those of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and cover the four language skills (listening, reading, writing and speaking).
More info

Certifications for teaching Italian as a foreign language

There are also certifications for teaching Italian as a foreign language, recognised by the MIUR (Ministry of Education, University and Research) as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Teachers, therefore, obtain their teaching qualification through these exams. Some of the schools on our portal also offer teacher training courses and the possibility of taking the respective exams directly on site.

CEDILS

The Certification in Teaching Italian to Foreigners (CEDILS) is a cultural qualification for competence in teaching Italian as a foreign language. The CEDILS is structured in two levels: CEDILS Basic and CEDILS Advanced and covers various linguistic and teaching skills, such as grammar, phonetics, communication and methodology for teaching Italian to foreigners. CEDILS examination venues are accredited Italian language schools or institutes authorised to hold CEDILS examinations.
More info

DITALS

The Certification in Teaching Italian as a Foreign Language (DITALS) is a qualification that certifies the competence of teachers in teaching Italian as a second language. DITALS is structured in two levels: DITALS I (basic level) and DITALS II (advanced level), and focuses on different language teaching skills, such as grammar, phonetics, communication and methodology for teaching Italian as a foreign language. DITALS examination venues are accredited Italian language schools or institutes authorised to conduct DITALS examinations.
More info

It-Schools - Italian Language Schools Directory
Viale Giuseppe Mazzini, 41, 00195 Rome
F.C. 96456270584

en_GBEnglish (UK)
it_ITItaliano de_DEDeutsch es_ESEspañol en_GBEnglish (UK)