Foreigners and Italians residing abroad can be admitted into Italian universities by filing an application with the consular Office which must be accompanied by the required documentation, to be approved by the competent Italian authorities on the basis of their evaluation of the educational credentials received abroad. The Consulate Student Office must also ascertain and certify that the credentials for lower and upper secondary school are sufficient for admission into university courses according to the regulations of the country in which they were completed ("Statement of Equal Value").