How to Get Into Bocconi

Bocconi University attracts thousands of applicants every year for its programmes in Economics, Business and Law. If you’re wondering how to get into Bocconi and navigate its application process, this guide will walk you through every step.

We’ll cover its admissions procedures, application requirements, and standardised tests. You’ll learn the scores and grades you need to stand out and win a place at this competitive university.

We also discuss Dukes Plus’s Bocconi application support – a comprehensive programme of prep and guidance to improve your chances of admission.

Bocconi University Overview

Located in Milan, Bocconi University is one of Europe’s leading institutions in economics, management, finance, political science, and law. Founded in 1902, it has built a strong reputation for academic excellence, innovation, and international outlook. Bocconi offers a wide range of undergraduate, graduate, and PhD programmes, many of which are taught in English, attracting students from around the world.

The university is known for its rigorous teaching, strong links to the business and legal sectors, and outstanding career placement opportunities. Its campus is modern and well-connected, and Milan is often considered Italy’s financial and industrial capital.

With a focus on quantitative skills, critical thinking, and developing a global perspective in its students, Bocconi prepares students to excel in complex and competitive fields. It is consistently ranked among the top universities globally for economics and management, making it a desirable destination for ambitious students seeking a world-class education.

Bocconi University Ranking

Bocconi is a specialist social sciences university and ranks as one of the top universities worldwide in its core subjects, including Business, Economics, and Accounting.

According to the QS World University Rankings, out of all the universities in the world, Bocconi ranks…

• 7^th for Marketing
• 10^th for Business & Management
• 12^th for Social Sciences and Management
• 17^th for Economics and Econometrics
• 19^th for Accounting and Finance
• 46^th for Social Policy and Administration
• 71^st for Law and Legal Studies
• 71^st for Politics

It’s little wonder, then, that it should have a competitive application process for students seeking to study these sought-after programmes.

Bocconi Application Process

For most courses, the Bocconi application process is relatively streamlined – especially when compared with, say, Oxbridge admissions.

The process involves five steps. Applicants need to:

1. Sit at least one standardised test
2. Create an account on Bocconi’s Apply2B online portal
3. Select the courses they wish to apply for
4. Upload the required documentation
5. Pay the fee and submit

Standardised Test

Applicants need to have already taken an approved admissions test (Bocconi Test, SAT, ACT) and have obtained their test score before submitting their application.

We’ll discuss the tests you can take in more detail later on in this guide.

Selecting Courses

You can select up to four courses of interest for the Undergraduate School and up two for the Law School. The Undergraduate School contains most of Bocconi’s courses – those in Business, Economics, and Marketing etc. The Law School contains programmes in…Law!

You can apply for courses at both the Undergraduate and the Law School, though you would need to pay the application fee twice to do this. This means that you can apply for up to six courses in total at Bocconi in one application cycle.

Required Documentation

Next you need to upload the documentation Bocconi asks for. These documents are:

• ID or passport (if you are from outside the EU)
• Parents’ ID or passport (if you are under 18)
• 3rd-last and 2nd-last year school transcripts
• Test score report (at least one) – hence why you need to have already taken a test and got your score to apply

Applicants must either provide their final GPA (if available) or list all their grades—excluding physical education, behaviour, and religion—and use the GPA calculator provided in the application portal to convert their results to a ten-point scale.

We’ll explore what’s required from the transcripts and GPA in more detail later on.

Application Fee

The Bocconi application fee is €100. As discussed above, if you wish to apply to both the Law School and the Undergraduate School, this would be considered two separate applications and the fee would be payable twice.

Note that if you are taking the Bocconi test (more details below) then you would also have to pay the test fee of €60 per sitting.

Bocconi application deadline

There are three selection rounds for admission to Bocconi: Early, Winter, and Spring.

The majority of available places (approximately 90–95%) will be allocated during the first two rounds. This means, just as with Ivy League applications, it is highly advisable to apply early to Bocconi.

Early applications are more likely to be successful, offer better access to financial aid and scholarship opportunities, and give you plenty of time to keep to student visa deadlines (particularly for non-EU applicants).

The Bocconi application deadlines for 2026-7 entry are below:

Bocconi Application Requirements

Now let’s break the key Bocconi application requirements down in more detail: the test score and the GPA.

The test score is given 55% weighting in the application process, and the GPA 45%.

The evaluation of applicants is based solely on these two required elements. Additional documents—such as recommendation letters, motivational letters, CVs, or résumés—will not be taken into account during the assessment process.

Please note: The exception is the World Bachelor in Business programme, a joint degree offered in partnership with the University of Southern California and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), with applications submitted via the Common App portal.

Applicants to this programme are assessed by a joint admissions committee based on their full profile, which includes high school coursework, grades, standardised test scores, activities summary, personal essay, and counsellor or teacher recommendations.

GPA

Bocconi assesses applicants’ GPA for the third-last and second-last years of secondary/high school, i.e. Year 11 and 12 in the UK or Grade 10 and 11 in the US. (They don’t assess your final-year grades as most students won’t have these when they apply, and they don’t, unlike British universities, use predicted grades.)

If you are coming from a school system where official transcripts are not released in your third-last or second-last year, then you will need to upload a statement from your school confirming this. Then Bocconi will treat your GPA for the available year as representative of both years.

As British students are not usually issued a GPA / transcript, Bocconi evaluates your GCSE grades from Year 11 and treats these as representative of your performance in Year 11 and Year 12. This is quite different from the British system where university entrance is based much more on A Level results from the end of Year 13.

Completing Enrolment

If you are made an offer, then to complete your enrolment you will need to achieve additional grades, depending on the curriculum you have been following:

GCSE and A Level

In addition to submitting your Year 11 GCSE grades when you apply, to confirm your enrolment you’ll need to submit proof of at least 3 A Level or Pre-U passes (not including Critical Thinking or General Studies). BTECs are not accepted.

IB

IB Diploma Programme students need to have achieved at least 24 points in their six subjects, of which 12 are at Higher Level. They must also pass the three core subjects:  Theory of Knowledge (TOK), Creativity, Action, Service (CAS), and Extended Essay (EE)

American High School Diploma

In addition to the GPA and transcripts submitted for Grade 10 and 11 as part of the application, to complete your enrolment you’ll need to submit:

• Your high school Diploma
• A complete transcript of your final year
• Proof of passing 3 AP exams with a score of 3 or higher

Other Curricula

To see the requirements to complete enrolment for other curricula, view the official Bocconi requirements here.

Required Subjects

Bocconi University does not have official subject requirements for any of its courses.

However, due to the university’s focus on economics, management, and related disciplines, students are encouraged to take quantitative-based subjects—such as mathematics, physics, business studies, or economics—during secondary school. This can support a smoother transition to the content and pace of Bocconi’s programmes.

Standardised Test

Any of the following tests can be taken to fulfil Bocconi’s testing requirement:

• Bocconi Test
• SAT
• ACT

The SAT and ACT are standardised tests widely used in US college admissions. The Bocconi Test, as the name suggests, is created and used by Bocconi to assess applicants for its undergraduate courses.

Students can take and submit scores for two or even three of these tests, and Bocconi will use the score it considers most favourable when assessing your application. That said, if you clearly performed more strongly on one test, then it’s advisable only to submit that score. If you scored 1500 on the SAT but only 26 on the ACT and 30/50 on the Bocconi Test, then it might look like the latter two scores are a better reflection of your ability!

Note that applicants to the Law School should take one of the following:

• Bocconi Test – Law
• L-SAT

Good SAT/ACT Score for Bocconi

A score of 1350+ on the SAT, or 28+ on the ACT, is generally considered competitive for Bocconi. However, as mentioned above, the test score is considered alongside your GPA when evaluating your application.

With an excellent GPA, a score of 1300 on the SAT or 26 on the ACT could still be competitive. With a middling GPA, you might need to score 1450 on the SAT or 30 on the ACT to make it up for it.

Remember that the test score is weighted slightly more heavily than the GPA (55% vs 45%) in the admissions process, so your performance in whichever test you take matters slightly more.

Bocconi Test

The Bocconi Test is an online aptitude test, similar in format and question style to the SAT.

Structure

The Bocconi Test lasts 75 minutes and consists of 50 multiple-choice questions. The questions are divided into four subject areas as follows:

• Mathematics: 24 questions
• Reading comprehension: 11 questions
• Numerical reasoning: 6 questions
• Critical thinking: 9 questions

Note that 30 of the 50 questions are on Maths or Numerical Reasoning, with Maths by far the largest single section. This reflects the importance which Bocconi places on mathematical and numerical ability when assessing candidates, as most of its programmes are in Economics, Accounting, Business, and other maths-heavy fields.

A key challenge with the Bocconi Test is that, unlike the SAT, the questions are not ordered by either difficulty or topic. Instead, questions are mixed up all the way through – an easy Critical Thinking question might be followed by a difficult Maths question and a middling Reading Comprehension Question.

This presents a particular difficulty with time management, as the time to answer each question will vary. Given the questions are mixed up, it is challenging to know how many questions you should have answered at each stage of the test. The only solution is to practice enough to be confident in answering each question as quickly as possible.

Syllabus

Mathematics

The Maths syllabus is wide-ranging and relatively challenging. Topics include algebra, functions, plane geometry, analytical geometry, trigonometry, sets, logarithms and exponentials, discrete mathematics, numbers, probability, problem solving, and statistics.

You can see more detail on the subtopics for each of these topics on Bocconi’s website.

Reading Comprehension

These questions assess your reading comprehension and ability to process information from the text. Some test your understanding of explicit details, while others focus on the passage’s overall or implicit meaning.

Numerical Reasoning

You don’t need advanced maths knowledge to answer these questions—reasoning and careful attention to the given data are key. When calculations are needed, they’re usually simple; the real challenge is understanding charts or tables and identifying the information that truly matters.

Critical Thinking

Applicants will be tested on their ability to interpret the meaning of a text and draw or exclude conclusions based solely on the information it contains—whether explicit or implicit.

There are two types of questions:

Data-based questions – You’ll be given data and statements and must determine which are true or false based only on the provided information.

Argument-based questions – A short passage will present a series of assertions. You’ll then assess whether a follow-up statement is true, false, or cannot be determined based on the passage.

Scoring

The Bocconi Test is scored out of 50, with one mark for each correct answer.

Note, though, that each wrong answer will lose you 0.2 points (unless the question is in Critical Thinking and contains three possible answers, in which case you’ll lose 0.33 points. No points are lost for questions you don’t attempt.

As these penalties are relatively mild, it is worth answering every question unless you really have no idea. If you can narrow it down to two or even three of the options, then you stand to gain more by answering than by leaving them blank.

Good Score for the Bocconi Test

A good score on the Bocconi Test is generally around 35+ out of 50. If you answered all 50 questions, this would equate to roughly 38 correct answers.

As mentioned earlier, though, this does depend on your GPA – you’ll need a higher score if your GPA is relatively low, or you can get away with a lower Bocconi Test score if your GPA is strong.

Bocconi explicitly states that applicants who score lower than 17 will not be offered a place. In practice, any score below 30 is very unlikely to be competitive.

Preparation

Bocconi offers a few official practice materials:

• Practice app (Download for iOS and download for Android)
• Official Bocconi Test simulation

Preparation materials for the SAT or ACT are also likely to be relevant as the question types and difficulty are fairly similar. Take a look at Dukes Plus’s own SAT prep and ACT prep to boost your score.

For the highest level of preparation, consider working 1-1 with an experienced tutor. They can help you address any knowledge gaps and improve your time management and exam technique to maximise your score. Book a free consultation with Dukes Plus to learn about our Bocconi Test tutoring.

Bocconi Test – Law

The Bocconi Test – Law is required for applicants to programmes in the Law School.

Like the main Bocconi Test, it consists of 50 multiple-choice questions and lasts 75 minutes.

However, it is divided into 5 subject areas:

• Mathematics: 5 questions
• Reading comprehension: 11 questions
• Numerical reasoning: 6 questions
• Logics and critical thinking: 18 questions
• Verbal reasoning: 10 questions

You can immediately see that much less emphasis is placed on Maths and Numerical Reasoning, with much more focus on Reading, Critical Thinking, and Verbal Reasoning.

Mathematics

The maths syllabus is much more basic than the Bocconi Test, and only requires plane geometry, analytical geometry, sets, and numbers.

Reading Comprehension

In the Bocconi Test, passages often focus on economic topics—such as GDP, deficit, or inflation—and may include numerical data or percentages that need to be analysed to answer correctly. In contrast, the law test features more discursive passages on humanities topics, covering subjects like pedagogy, history, philosophy, or geography.

Numerical Reasoning

Some questions are of the data propositions type, where you must assess the truth of statements based on given data. Others are logic-based, presenting a set of initial conditions followed by a question that requires deductive reasoning to solve.
 Verbal Reasoning

One type of question presents a short argument followed by a statement—you must decide whether it is true, false, or not deducible based on the given information. Another type involves analysing a short argument to answer a logic-based question, such as identifying assumptions, conclusions, logical flaws, or the statement that most weakens or strengthens the argument.

Taking the Test

Registration and Test Details

• Register from: 14 July
  Registration link
• Test fee: €60
• Test dates begin: 16 July
• Test language: You may choose to take the test in English or Italian, regardless of the language of the programme you’re applying to. For example, you can take the test in English and still apply for an Italian-taught course.

For each application round, the last day to take the test is two days before the application deadline. You can take the test up to four times per academic year, for each test type. You cannot take the test twice on the same day or on two consecutive days.

How hard is it to get into Bocconi?

Bocconi is a selective university with a competitive admissions process.

Online sources report that Bocconi’s acceptance rate is between 30% and 38%. However, the university does not release official admissions data, so this figure has not been confirmed.

Nonetheless, given that scores of 1350 in the SAT or 28 in the ACT are generally the baseline for a competitive application, we can infer that it is challenging but slightly easier to get into Bocconi than, say, the Ivy League (where scores of 1500+ / 34+ are usually required).

How to Get into Bocconi: Tips

If you’re wondering how to get into Bocconi, here are a few key tips to boost your chances of admission. The key to all of them is start early – your application will be so much stronger if you begin planning and preparing in advance.

Start Planning Early

Because of Bocconi’s unique application process, you’ll be at a significant advantage if you begin working towards you application from an early stage.

Your Grade 10 and 11 GPA (for American students) makes up 45% of your Bocconi application. Working hard in those two grades to get your GPA up could make a big difference. If you took it easy in Grade 10 and 11 and then decided to apply to Bocconi in the summer before Grade 12, you’d be disadvantaged.

For British students, it’s even more stark. As Bocconi only considers your GCSE grades towards your GPA, you’ll need to make sure you get strong results here. You won’t be able to make up for it by working hard in Year 12!

Apply Early

95% of Bocconi’s offers go out in the first two application windows, and the university itself says that applying early offers the best chance of admission – as well as success with scholarships.

Just like in the US, where Early Decision and Early Action windows give you the best chance of getting into top colleges, applying early for Bocconi is a surefire way to improve your odds – without doing any extra work!

Sit Standardised Tests Several Times

You can re-sit whichever standardised test(s) you take numerous times and submit your strongest score. As long as you have the results before the application deadline, you’re good to go. And in order to have several tries…you’ve guessed it – you need to start taking them in plenty of time before the deadline!

The standardised test accounts for 55% of the application, so having enough time to get the strongest score possible is key.

Get Extra Support from Dukes Plus

Our previous tips were based on application strategy, but to become a stronger candidate and really impress the Bocconi admissions team, the best advice is to get personal support from experts.

At Dukes Plus, we’ve helped students get into top universities worldwide – including Bocconi – since 1999. Our admissions consultants and tutors can give you 360-degree support for all aspects of the application – from programme selection to test prep and application submission. Our guidance is designed to maximise your chances of admission at every stage.

Discover why 75% of our students get into their first-choice university. Learn more about our Bocconi application support, or book a free consultation with our friendly team today.

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