The Minister of Education, Professor Francesco Profumo, said that there was substantial demand for the service with more than 100 Italian courses already taught in English and more slated, such as the Polytechnic of Milan which will run all postgraduate courses in English from 2014.

Profumo said the move reflected the government’s desire to open up Italian universities to overseas students. He said he hoped the tests would familiarise foreign graduates with Italian university culture while helping Italian students get used to a more international environment. “A project like this benefits everyone,” he said.

Nick Beer, regional manager, Italy and Malta at Cambridge ESOL said the initiative would be important in matching overseas students to appropriate courses in Italian universities and would “provide a fair and internationally available route to studying in Italy”.

The tests will assess applicants’ aptitude for their chosen subject in English, as well as their general readiness for admission to university. They will be available in subjects including medicine, engineering, architecture, economics, basic science and humanities.

The agreement extends the long-standing relationship between Cambridge ESOL and the Italian Ministry of Education, which are also working together to raise the standard of English language teaching and learning in Italian schools through an assessment and consultancy programme.