Guide · Italy
How to write a motivation letter for an Italian university
For a Master's in Italy (Laurea Magistrale), you apply through each university's own procedure, and many programmes for international applicants ask for a motivation letter. At Politecnico di Milano, the letter is a mandatory document for applicants with a foreign degree; at Bocconi, motivation is a set of short answers inside the online application.
What Italian universities ask for is concrete: what you want to achieve, why you are qualified, why this programme and why this university. If you need a visa, there is one more step — the pre-enrolment on Universitaly, which your university validates.
Checked against official sources: October 2026
- 2 pages
- per programme, at Politecnico di Milano
- 2,000
- characters per Motivation, at Bocconi
- 18–30
- Italian exam grades, 30 e lode is top
Your first letter is free — no credit card needed.
At a glance
- Length
Often 1–2 pages
Politecnico di Milano allows at most 2 pages per letter; Bocconi limits each Motivation to 2,000 characters including spaces. Your programme's own limit always counts.
- Content
Four questions
Politecnico di Milano asks you to explain what you hope to achieve, what qualifies you, why you chose that specific programme and why Politecnico di Milano among other universities — a good outline for most Italian programmes.
- More than one programme
One letter each
At Politecnico di Milano, applying to two programmes means two different letters, combined in one PDF. At Bocconi, you write a Motivation for every programme you choose, including your alternatives.
- Language
English or Italian
Politecnico di Milano accepts the letter and the CV in English or Italian; Bocconi asks for the Motivation in English. For an Italian-taught programme, write in Italian.
- Grades
18–30, 30 e lode
Italian exam grades run from 18 (pass) to 30, with 30 e lode for exceptional results. Give your own grade on its original scale — the university converts it itself.
- Where to submit
University + Universitaly
Apply in the university's own portal. If you need a study visa, also submit the pre-enrolment on Universitaly; for 2026/27, visa applications are due by 30 November 2026.
How to structure it
Opening: the programme and your reason
Name the Laurea Magistrale and the university, and give your main reason in one or two sentences, linked to a concrete experience.
What qualifies you
Your degree, your grade on its original scale and the courses or thesis that prepared you. Italian universities check closely that your Bachelor's fits the programme — Politecnico di Milano also asks for a description of every course you took.
What you hope to achieve
The skills or questions you want to work on, and what you'll do with them after the degree. Keep it concrete and realistic.
Why this programme and this university
Explain why this programme and why this university, not another one. Politecnico di Milano asks for both reasons separately.
Closing
A short formal closing. In Italian: “Cordiali saluti,” and your name; in English: “Yours sincerely,”.
Example: Laurea Magistrale application to Politecnico di Milano
Excerpt from a sample letter for a fictional applicant. It answers the questions Politecnico di Milano lists for the letter. The numbers in the margin match the steps above.
Dear Members of the Admissions Committee,
I am applying for the Laurea Magistrale in Computer Science and Engineering at Politecnico di Milano. During my internship as a data analyst at a logistics company, I built Python dashboards that cut the weekly reporting time from six hours to one. The project showed me how much value operational data holds — and how quickly my tools reached their limits once the data no longer fitted on one machine.
My Bachelor's in Computer Science, completed with a GPA of 3.6 out of 4.0, gave me a solid base in algorithms, databases and statistics. In my thesis, I predicted delivery delays from 50,000 shipment records with gradient boosting. What I want to achieve next is the step from a working model to a reliable system that processes data at scale, and I am applying to Politecnico di Milano because its Master's combines that engineering depth with an English-taught programme in Milan, where I want to start my career.
[…]
Yours sincerely, Alex Weber
Common mistakes
One letter for two programmes
One letter for Computer Science and for Management Engineering
Two letters, one per programme, combined in one PDF
Politecnico di Milano asks for a separate letter for each programme. A shared letter can't explain why you chose each one.
Skipping “why this university”
“I am passionate about computer science and data.”
“I am applying to Politecnico di Milano because its Master's combines …”
Italian universities ask why you chose them among others. A letter about the subject alone answers only half the question.
Going over the limit
A 2,600-character Motivation for Bocconi
1,950 characters, including spaces
Two pages at Politecnico di Milano, 2,000 characters per Motivation at Bocconi. Bocconi counts characters, not words — check with a counter.
Converting your grades yourself
“My GPA of 3.6 corresponds to 28/30.”
“I completed my Bachelor's with a GPA of 3.6 out of 4.0.”
Give your grade on its original scale. The university converts it officially, and your own conversion may contradict your documents.
Empty praise
“Politecnico di Milano is one of the best universities in Europe.”
“Its English-taught Master's lets me start my career in Milan.”
“A prestigious university with a long history” tells the committee nothing. Name what this programme gives you that others don't.
Your CV in sentences
“From 2021 to 2022 I worked as a tutor, in 2022 I did an internship…”
“My thesis predicted delivery delays — and showed me where my skills stopped.”
Your CV is already in the application (at Politecnico di Milano, at most 2 pages). Pick the experiences that matter for this programme and explain them.
Questions
How long should a motivation letter for Italy be?
As long as the programme says: at most 2 pages per letter at Politecnico di Milano, 2,000 characters per Motivation at Bocconi. Without a limit, one to two pages is the norm.
Can I write it in English?
Yes, for an English-taught programme — Politecnico di Milano accepts English or Italian, and Bocconi asks for English. For an Italian-taught programme, write in Italian.
What is Universitaly?
The Italian portal where students who need a visa submit their pre-enrolment. Your university validates it, and you bring it to your visa appointment. It doesn't replace the university's own application.
Is it OK to use AI for a motivation letter?
Rules differ between universities, and some ask you to confirm that you wrote the letter yourself. Use an AI draft as a starting point: check every fact, change anything that doesn't sound like you, and follow your university's rules.
Documents checklist
Documents you need to study in Italy