Abolition of the limited number of places at the medical school, the reform approved by the Council of Ministers
The Chamber of Deputies had approved in March with a final vote the reform of access to medical and surgical degree courses . The law abolishes entrance tests and provides for the delegation to the government to introduce, within one year of its entry into force, one or more legislative decrees to introduce the new rules on access. On March 28, the Council of Ministers had approved the first measure necessary for the implementation of the delegation law already for the 2025-2026 academic year. Today the Council of Ministers approved the reform, and by the end of the month they will also approve the ministerial decrees .
"Studying Medicine is no longer a privilege for the few. For too long, the dream of becoming a doctor has been hindered by quizzes, expensive private courses and transfers abroad. This has been the 'closed number': a mechanism that has excluded rather than valorized talents, vocations and hopes. Today we are writing a new page. With the reform approved by the Council of Ministers, from the next academic year access to Medicine will finally be open: no entrance test, but a free first semester, during which real university education will be provided". This was announced by the Minister of University and Research, Anna Maria Bernini at the end of the Council of Ministers.
"Students will begin their journey with three fundamental subjects: Chemistry, Physics and Biology. These exams will define, in a transparent and meritocratic way, access to the second semester. Exams on skills acquired in the classroom, no more tests on generic questions", adds Bernini, according to whom the reform "is a turning point" because "we are overcoming the old restricted number and starting a new season for the right to study, with more places available and a concrete strengthening of our National Health System. By the end of the month we will also approve the ministerial decrees with all the details: from the methods of carrying out the exams to the provision of teaching on which universities will have autonomy of choice but which will be carried out both in person and remotely, to guarantee inclusion and quality. These are not slogans, but a change of perspective. We are expanding opportunities, we are valorizing talents. This is the right to study, this is believing in the ambitions and talents of students", concludes the minister.
The reform of the access system to medical degree courses, according to a survey by Skuola.net, does not seem to make students happy.
According to the study, half of the aspiring "white coats" - 48% to be precise - reject the abolition of the entrance test to Medicine, preferring a return to the old selection system. And only 1 in 4 fully promotes the reform of access to Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Medicine.
The main findings of a survey launched by the portal Skuola.net, which involved 500 aspiring freshmen of these courses, to verify their state of mind on the reform currently being implemented, reports that students against the reform - which provides for a "gradual" entry to the faculty - are worried about the uncertainties arising from the fact of not having clear ideas about their destinies until well into the academic year. On the contrary, supporters of the reform promote the greater fairness of the system, linking it to the fact that it is based on the evaluation of merits earned in the field by students.
Rai News 24
