Admission to Fashion Design at Politecnico di Milano is by the TOLD entrance test, not a portfolio. In Italian, TOLD is 90 multiple-choice questions in 85 minutes: general knowledge, geometry and representation, design and art history, reasoning, text comprehension and English. The course is taught in Italian at the Bovisa campus; applicants without Italian schooling prove the language with a CLIQ B2 certificate. Fees reach €3,943 a year depending on family income.
- City
- Milan, Bovisa campus
- Status
- Public technical university
- Programme
- Fashion Design (Design della Moda), laurea
- Language
- Italian
- Selection
- TOLD test
- Fee
- up to €3,943 a year, by income
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How admission works
- 01
The TOLD test
The School of Design’s compulsory entrance test. Applicants to an Italian-taught course take TOLD in Italian.
- 02
What it covers
90 questions in 85 minutes: general knowledge, geometry and representation, design and art history, reasoning, text comprehension, and a separate English section.
- 03
Italian language
Applicants who are not Italian citizens and were not educated in Italian need a CLIQ certificate at B2.
- 04
Documents and visa
Non-EU applicants living abroad follow the national pre-enrolment procedure on the Universitaly portal.
What this means for an international applicant
This is a route for an academically strong applicant who already reads Italian well. Selection is by knowledge and reasoning rather than creative work, so the preparation is for a test: geometry, art history and reading comprehension in Italian.
Language is the main constraint. A B2 certificate and a test in Italian mean preparation starts a year to eighteen months ahead, not in the summer before applying.
Why there is no portfolio
Politecnico is a technical university, and its School of Design selects the way its other schools do: on a test result. Creative work begins on the course.
For a family the calculation is different: public university fees are a fraction of Milan’s private schools, but the language and subject demands are higher.
How much Politecnico di Milano costs
Bachelor’s fees depend on family income and reach €3,943 a year for 2026/27, plus a regional tax.
Regional student support (Diritto allo Studio Universitario) and other scholarships exist; the terms are published in a separate call.
Common mistakes
- Preparing a portfolio instead of preparing for the test.
- Assuming English is enough: Fashion Design is taught in Italian.
- Leaving the B2 certificate to the last moment: without it the Italian-taught course is closed.
Who it suits
- An applicant with strong academic preparation who is ready to study in Italian.
- A family for whom public university fees matter.
- Without Italian, look at Milan’s private schools instead: NABA, IED, Istituto Marangoni.
How this school compares: portfolio, set tasks, interview, language and fees at 13 schools in Italy, the UK, France and the US in the EDMONT Fashion Admissions Matrix.Fashion Admissions Matrix 2027