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Of the 527,000 candidates for the 2026 Maturità exam, 96.8% were admitted to the exam, and those who took it almost always passed. The ministry’s official numbers tell a different story than the letters of protest that recent graduates sent to the Minister against the exam committees and teachers.
The official numbers: 3.2% not admitted, the rest ultimately pass
Of 527,747 candidates—513,738 internal and 14,009 external—3.2% failed the written Italian exam. The remainder almost always passed the exam: in Lombardy, 57,748 students out of 58,010 admitted graduated, 99.5%. The June exam, not the commission, is the true filter of the year.
The MIM table of admitted and rejected candidates by region depicts a divided Italy: in Sardinia, 7.0% of those rejected were rejected, in Liguria 5.5%, and in Trentino-Alto Adige 3.6%. These are the only three regions above the national average. At the other extreme are Molise (2.3%), Veneto (2.7%), Basilicata, and Emilia-Romagna (2.8%). A Sardinian candidate is three times more likely to be rejected than a peer from Molise, and the ministry has not yet explained why. The 527,000 students taking the state exam remain a formal rather than selective process.
In the South the full 100, in the North the 60 range
The map of excellence overturns clichés. Calabria leads the way with 6.1% of “100 cum laude” and 12.0% of “100” marks. Sicily follows (10.3% of 100), Puglia (9.9%), and Campania (9.5%). These are the regions where the state diploma most generously distributes top marks and where, not coincidentally, many of the complaints from students disappointed by the results have been received.
The opposite is true in the North. In Lombardy, only 4.0% of graduates graduate with top marks, in Piedmont 5.0%, and in Trentino-Alto Adige and Veneto 5.1%. The province of Milan stands at 3.6% of excellent graduates and sees an increase in graduates with the lowest mark, 60. The paradox is arithmetic: students in the South graduate with top marks approximately three times more often than their Lombard peers. The “strict” exam committees and “unsympathetic” teachers described in the opinion editorials work in the same classrooms where 12.0% of full marks are distributed. The complete picture of the regional data is in the analysis of how the 2026 final exam grades divide Italy .
What changes for teachers, students and families
With 96.8% of admissions and the 100 students who earn 100 points, which double the national average, it’s hard to argue that the commissions are overly harsh. The real problem is the disparity in criteria between schools and regions. A 100 from Cosenza is worth, on paper, as much as a 100 from Milan when it comes to university rankings or the admissions bonus. Behind those grades are careers evaluated with very different standards, and it’s this gap that weighs on families in the North, not the teachers’ lack of dialogue.
On the student front, the diploma remains the norm: those who sit the exam almost always pass. The challenges that end up before the Minister almost always concern the grade, not the admission. When the conflict shifts to the legal sphere, the judicial route becomes practical: in the case of a diploma confirmed by the Milan Regional Administrative Court for a student admitted conditionally, the administrative court ruled in favor of the candidate, noting that admission, once granted, has effects that the school cannot subsequently undo.
The ministry will publish the complete report with final scores by region, province, and school type by fall. Those numbers, not editorial responses, will tell us whether the gap between North and South in maximum grades is continuing to widen or is finally closing after years of stable disparities.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many students were admitted to the 2026 final exam?
According to official data from the ministry, 96.8% of the 527,747 candidates were admitted to the 2026 final exam.
What is the difference in admission rates between the various Italian regions?
There are significant regional differences: Sardinia, Liguria, and Trentino-Alto Adige have percentages of non-admissions above the national average, while Molise, Veneto, Basilicata, and Emilia-Romagna have the lowest percentages.
How are the top scores distributed between Northern and Southern Italy?
In the South, the percentage of students who earn 100 and 100 cum laude is much higher than in the North; for example, in Calabria, 12% of students achieve full 100s, while in Lombardy, only 4%.
What is the real filter for accessing the final exam?
The real filter is the June exam, not the examination board, since almost all those admitted then pass the final exam.
Why is there controversy about the commissions and teachers?
The controversy centers primarily on the perceived inconsistency of evaluation criteria and the distribution of grades, not so much on admission to the exam, with students criticizing the committees’ severity or lack of empathy.
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