Politecnico di Milano Acceptance Rate: What Indian Students Need to Know

9 min read

Quick Read

  • No official Politecnico di Milano acceptance rate exists on polimi.it
  • UG admission runs on the TOL/ARCHED test plus a ranking list
  • Master’s needs a minimum GPA of 70/100 for Indian bachelor’s degrees
  • 9,940 international students among 49,395 total enrolled (QS 2027 #87)

Politecnico di Milano Requirements at a Glance

FactorDetail
Official acceptance rateNot published anywhere on polimi.it
Master’s GPA floor (India)70/100
UG Engineering admissionTOL test, minimum 30/100 to be ranked
UG Architecture admissionARCHED test, governed by Italian Ministerial Decree
QS World University Ranking 2027#87 globally, #1 in Italy
International students enrolled9,940 of 49,395 total
TOL registration feeEUR 35 (₹3,725)

Currency Conversion Note: All EUR figures in this article use a fixed rate of 1 EUR = ₹106.43. 

scholar_hat
Get My university Shortlist in 60 Secs
0%

Choose your dream country

Please select a country
UK UK
USA USA
Germany Germany
Australia Australia
Ireland Ireland
New Zealand
Canada Canada
UAE UAE
France France
Sweden Sweden
Italy Italy
Other country Other

When do you want to study abroad?

Please select an option
Sep 2027
2028 or later
2028 or later

What's your highest level of education?

Please select an option
Bachelor's
Master's
MBBS / MD
Diploma
12th Grade
10th Grade

Have you completed Class 12th?

Please select an option
Yes
No

What was your Class 12 CGPA/percentage?

Please enter a valid CGPA/percentage (0-100)

Are you a student or a parent/guardian?

Please select an option
Student
Parent/Guardian
Other

What do you want to study?

Please select a course

Select your current city

Please select your city
Please Enter Your Name
Please Enter a Valid Number
Please Enter Your Email

How Leap will help you

Politecnico di Milano Acceptance Rate: What Indian Students Need to Know

Personalised University Shortlist

Politecnico di Milano Acceptance Rate: What Indian Students Need to Know

Express Applications with Quicker Admits

Politecnico di Milano Acceptance Rate: What Indian Students Need to Know

End-to-End Application Support

Why There’s No Official Politecnico di Milano Acceptance Rate

Search “Politecnico di Milano acceptance rate” and you’ll see the same number everywhere: 28%. A few pages say 30 to 35%, one says 50%. None of them link to where that figure actually comes from, because it doesn’t come from Polimi.

Where the figure shows upRate citedWhat it actually is
Multiple education aggregator sites28%Repeated across sites with no cited source
A handful of aggregator sites30-35%Unsourced estimate
One aggregator site50%Outlier, no methodology given
Politecnico di Milano’s own websiteNot publishedNo acceptance rate appears anywhere on polimi.it

Polimi’s own figures page publishes enrollment numbers, QS rankings, and graduate employment data in detail (covered in full below). It does not publish an admit-to-applicant ratio, and the university’s admission pages don’t reference one either. That’s not an oversight. Polimi runs two very different admission systems depending on your degree level, and neither one produces a single “acceptance rate” the way a US-style holistic admissions office would.

Counselor Insight: Students chasing a single percentage usually end up anchoring their whole strategy on a number nobody can verify. We tell applicants to look at the GPA floor and test thresholds instead, because those are the actual gates you need to clear.

How Admission Actually Works at Politecnico di Milano

LevelAdmission methodWhat decides your seat
Bachelor’s, EngineeringTOL (Test OnLine)Test score + ranking list + seats available
Bachelor’s, Architectural DesignARCHED testTest score + ranking list + seats available
Master’s (Laurea Magistrale)Dossier evaluationBachelor’s GPA, degree relevance, English proficiency

For Indian Class 12 students applying to UG programs, there’s no rejection based on a holistic review. You sit the TOL or ARCHED test, you land on a ranking list, and seats fill in order until they run out. For bachelor’s graduates applying to Master’s programs, there’s no test. Your application is evaluated against a minimum GPA and your degree’s relevance to the program.

Source: Politecnico di Milano, Admission to Laurea Magistrale

If you’re still deciding between IELTS and TOEFL for either route, LeapScholar’s IELTS overview covers what Italian universities typically accept.

Politecnico di Milano Acceptance Rate for International and Indian Students

Since there’s no official rate to quote, the more useful question is how competitive the applicant pool actually looks. Here’s what Polimi does publish.

MetricFigure (2025-26)
Total enrolled students49,395
International students9,940
Bachelor’s-level international students2,632
Master’s-level international students6,608
QS World University Ranking 2027#87 globally, #1 in Italy
QS subject rank, Engineering & Technology 2026#20 globally
QS subject rank, Architecture/Built Environment 2026#6 globally

International enrollment has grown steadily (8,802 in 2024-25 to 9,940 in 2025-26), which tells you the applicant pool for Indian and other international students is expanding, not shrinking. That’s a more reliable competitiveness signal than a recycled percentage.

Source: Politecnico di Milano, Our Figures

Many Indian applicants also weigh in tuition and living costs before committing. LeapScholar’s cost of living in Italy blog breaks down city-wise expenses, and our Q&A on tuition fees and hostel waivers in Italy covers a question we get often.

Politecnico di Milano GPA and Admission Requirements for Indian Students (Master’s)

This is the actual gate for PG applicants, and it’s the one piece of data Polimi states clearly and officially, specific to India.

RequirementDetail
Minimum GPA/percentage70 out of 100
Minimum degree length4-year bachelor’s (B.Tech, B.Eng, B.Des, B.Arch)
3-year B.Sc.Considered only if it’s an honors program
Degree relevanceSubjects closely related to the MSc program you’re applying to
Transcript rulesOriginal scanned transcript or consolidated grade sheet, certified by your institution; screenshots not accepted
English proficiencyIELTS/TOEFL, or an MOI letter if your bachelor’s was taught in English

A 70/100 floor is not a “soft guideline.” Polimi states explicitly that minimum GPA requirements are strict with no exceptions, so a 68% aggregate won’t get evaluated, regardless of how strong the rest of the application is.

Source: Politecnico di Milano, Foreign Qualification Requirements

If you’re not sure how your aggregate converts, run it through LeapScholar’s CGPA to Percentage calculator before you start the application. We also get this exact question regularly, including whether a background with a CGPA of 8.10 fits Italy for a Master’s and whether semester-wise mark sheets are required for Italy applications.

Counselor Insight: The GPA requirement trips up more Indian applicants than the application itself. We see students with strong profiles get stuck because their aggregate sits at 68-69%, just under the line. If you’re close to the floor, talk to your university registrar early about how your grading scale converts, because Polimi will only accept the scale your institution certifies.

Politecnico di Milano Acceptance Rate for Engineering (Bachelor’s, TOL Test)

For Indian Class 12 students applying to English-taught Engineering Bachelor’s programs, the admission route is the TOL (Test OnLine), not a GPA-based acceptance decision.

ElementDetail
Test nameTOL (Test OnLine)
Minimum score to appear in the ranking list30/100
Early, guaranteed admission threshold75/100
Registration feeEUR 35 (₹3,725)
Test format65 multiple-choice questions across English, Logic/Maths/Statistics, Verbal Comprehension, and Physics; 100 minutes total
Test deliveryFully remote, with webcam/microphone monitoring
2026 test windowsStandard Test: February to May; Early Test: March to July
Selection basisTOL score, your programme preference order, and seats remaining

A low TOL score doesn’t mean “rejected.” It means a lower position on the ranking list, and whether you get a seat depends on how many places are left once applicants ahead of you are placed. You can also retake the TOL once per window within the same cycle to try to improve your score.

Source: Politecnico di Milano, Engineering Bachelor’s Call for Admission 2026-27

Politecnico di Milano Acceptance Rate for Architecture (ARCHED Test)

Architecture Bachelor’s admission doesn’t use the TOL. The Bachelor of Science in Architectural Design, along with the single-cycle Master’s in Building Engineering-Architecture, uses a separate test called ARCHED, governed by Italian Ministerial Decree. The test is offered on separate dates for English-taught and Italian-taught tracks (for 2026, 23 and 24 July respectively), with places allocated by test score and stated preferences once results are in. Candidates taking the test in Italian also need a B2-level Italian proficiency result as part of the process.

Source: Politecnico di Milano, Admission to Laurea Programmes: Architecture

If a Master’s-level Architecture or Design application also asks you for a letter of recommendation, our Q&A on what kind of LOR is required and who should write it covers that separately.

Counselor Insight: Because ARCHED is a written and language-proficiency test rather than a portfolio review, applicants sometimes under-prepare for the logic and comprehension sections, assuming creative aptitude alone will carry them. Treat it with the same seriousness as the TOL.

Program-Level Selectivity: A Real Example

Polimi doesn’t publish per-program acceptance rates, but some programs do publish seat caps and minimum scores for international applicants, which is a far more useful selectivity signal than a university-wide guess.

ProgramInternational seatsMinimum admission score
Building Engineering for Sustainability (BES), Master’s50 (September intake only)62/100

This is the kind of detail worth checking program by program before you apply, since selectivity can vary significantly even within the same school.

Official source: Politecnico di Milano, BES Admission

Decision Framework: Where Does Your Profile Stand?

Your profileWhat it means
4-year B.Tech/B.Arch, 75%+ aggregateComfortably clears the Master’s GPA floor; focus on English scores and SOP
4-year degree, 70-72% aggregateRight at the minimum; dossier scrutiny will be stricter, strengthen LORs and SOP
3-year B.Sc. (non-Honours)Direct Master’s entry unlikely; check Honours equivalence via CIMEA’s ARDI database
Class 12 pass, targeting Engineering UGPrepare for the TOL; a 30/100 floor gets you ranked, but seats depend on your position
Class 12 pass, targeting Architecture UGPrepare for the ARCHED test, including its language-proficiency component

If you’re unsure which bucket you fall into, our answer on getting admission with your current profile and scores in Italy walks through how counselors actually assess this.

Document Checklist for Indian Applicants

  • Original bachelor’s degree certificate and transcript, officially signed (screenshots and photocopies are not accepted)
  • Cumulative GPA statement showing your CGPA/percentage and your institution’s grading scale
  • English proficiency certificate (IELTS/TOEFL) or an MOI letter if your degree was English-medium
  • Statement of Purpose tailored to your chosen programme
  • Letters of recommendation (for Master’s applications)
  • CIMEA Statement of Comparability or Dichiarazione di Valore, requested at any stage of evaluation

A few of these come up constantly in our Q&A, including whether the original degree certificate is mandatory for admission and visa and whether an MOI letter is required for Italy applications. 

For the SOP itself, LeapScholar’s SOP for Master’s guide and LOR format guide are worth reviewing before you draft.

Planning Timeline for the 2027-28 Intake

StageTypical window
TOL registration opensJanuary 2027
TOL test windowsFebruary to July 2027
ARCHED test (Architecture)Around July 2027
Master’s (Laurea Magistrale) application opens, first callAround October 2027
Master’s standard deadlineAround January-February 2028
Enrollment and visa processingSpring to summer 2028

Based on Polimi’s published 2026-27 cycle pattern. Exact 2027-28 dates are issued in that year’s official call for admission, so confirm specific deadlines with a counselor before finalizing your application calendar.

What If You Don’t Meet the GPA Cutoff or Get Rejected

  • Just under 70/100: Ask your university registrar for an official grading-scale certification; sometimes the raw percentage understates your standing relative to your batch
  • 3-year bachelor’s, non-Honours: Check whether your degree qualifies for credit transfer into a Polimi Bachelor’s programme, or explore an equivalent Master universitario di primo livello route
  • TOL/ARCHED score too low for your preferred programme: You can retake the TOL once per window within the same cycle to improve your ranking position, or target the next intake
  • Rejected on dossier evaluation: Ask for specific feedback through Polimi’s International Admissions Office, and consider strengthening your SOP and LORs before reapplying

3 Takeaways on Politecnico di Milano Acceptance Rate

  • Politecnico di Milano has no official acceptance rate; the “28%” figure circulating online traces back to no verifiable source
  • Your real benchmarks are a 70/100 GPA floor for Master’s applicants and TOL/ARCHED test thresholds for Bachelor’s applicants
  • All figures in this guide are drawn directly from polimi.it and linked programme pages, verified as of October 2026

Verified by: LeapScholar’s Italy and Europe counseling team, who have guided Indian applicants through Politecnico di Milano’s TOL and ARCHED admission tests, Laurea Magistrale GPA dossier evaluations, and CIMEA Statement of Comparability filings.

Have a specific question about Politecnico di Milano admissions? Book a free session with a LeapScholar counselor.

Frequently Asked Questions About Politecnico di Milano Acceptance Rate

  • What is the acceptance rate of Politecnico di Milano?

    Politecnico di Milano does not publish an official acceptance rate. The widely circulated 28% figure appears only on third-party aggregator sites with no cited source.

  • Does Politecnico di Milano have a different acceptance rate for Indian students?

    No separate rate is published for Indian applicants. What is published is India-specific: a minimum GPA of 70/100 for Master’s applicants with a 4-year bachelor’s degree.

  • What is the acceptance rate for Politecnico di Milano’s Master’s programs?

    No official figure exists at the university level. Admission is based on dossier evaluation against a minimum GPA and degree relevance, and some individual programs (like BES) publish their own seat caps and minimum scores.

  • Is Politecnico di Milano’s acceptance rate different for architecture compared to engineering?

    The two use entirely different admission tests (ARCHED for Architectural Design, TOL for Engineering), so your result depends on your test score and that year’s ranking list rather than a shared acceptance rate.

  • What GPA do I need to get into Politecnico di Milano?

    For Indian applicants to Master’s programs, the official minimum is 70/100 on a 4-year bachelor’s degree, with no exceptions.

  • How does the TOL test affect my chances of admission?

    Your TOL score determines your position on the ranking list. A score of 30/100 or above gets you ranked, 75/100 gets early guaranteed admission, and your actual seat otherwise depends on how many places remain once higher-ranked applicants are placed.

  • Can I apply to Politecnico di Milano with a 3-year bachelor’s degree from India?

    Generally no, unless it’s an honors program. Polimi accepts at least a 4-year bachelor’s degree for direct Master’s entry from India.

  • Is Politecnico di Milano hard to get into for international students?

    It’s selective but not opaque. UG admission is test-and-rank based with published thresholds, and PG admission has a clearly stated GPA floor, so your chances are measurable against known criteria rather than a mystery percentage.

  • Does a lower acceptance rate at Politecnico di Milano mean fewer scholarships for Indian students?

    Not directly. Scholarship eligibility at Polimi is based on merit and need criteria separate from admission selectivity.

Avatar photo
Neethu Sebastian

Neethu Sebastian is an SEO content writer at LeapScholar with 2 years of experience in educational content. She specializes in K12 math and study abroad guides, delivering accurate, student-focused information for informed choices.

Articles: 204

Crack IELTS with

7+ Bands in 4 weeks

Get Guidance to reach your

Dream University