Universities in Italy

Italy is one of the most sought-after countries for higher education by both domestic and international students. The country has over 90 universities with most of them publicly funded and students will be able to find that the universities here excel in providing specialized courses at postgraduate and doctorate levels especially in the fields of fashion designing, economics, fine arts, and business. Students will also be able to take different professional programs in the country which have a relatively shorter duration if they study in this country.

Around 27 universities in the country are featured in the QS World University Rankings and out of the 16 universities even make it to the top 500 universities in the world. Students who complete their education here will be easily able to find jobs especially in positions like cultural associate, fashion designer, etc. They will also have innumerable internship options while they study in the country which will provide them with ample experience before they step into their work lives.

Higher Education System in Italy

Italy has over 90 universities which are either state-run or private institutions. The country also has plenty of vocational institutions where international students will be able to study programs they are interested in. The universities in this country are among the oldest universities in the world. Students will be able to take up undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programs in the country along with other diploma and professional programs in miscellaneous fields of study including culinary arts, fashion designing, etc.

The universities here are of four kinds with the public universities being funded either by the state or by other public authorities. Then, there are private institutions and superior graduate schools which only contain postgraduate programs. The bachelor’s programs that are offered in the country have a duration of 3 years in all and the degree is known in the country as Laurea Triennale. The master’s programs have a duration of 2 years and are known as Laurea Magistrale. Candidates must have a Laurea Magistrale if they wish to apply for a third cycle program like a post M.A program or a doctoral program.

Third-level programs in the country have a duration between 2 to 5 years with post M.A programs having a duration of 2 years and Ph.D. programs having a general duration of 3 years which can exceed according to the area of research the candidate has chosen. Students who have taken up programs in the field of law or medicine will have the option of taking a comprehensive 5-year or 6-year program based on the field of study.

Documents and Eligibility Requirements for Universities

The documents and eligibility requirements for universities in Italy change from institution to institution. They are also subject to variation from program to program and the specifications that each program requires. Students will be able to find the eligibility details on the website of their respective universities. They will also be able to contact the admissions office of their institution to get the necessary details. Even though the specifications may differ, the general requirements that institutions have are mostly similar. A few of these general requirements are-

• Educational Transcripts
• Statement of Purpose
• CV, if required
• Work Experience Details, if required
• Proof of English Language Proficiency
• Proof of Italian Language Proficiency, if required

Cost of Education in Italy

The fee for international students in Italy is dependent on the program the candidate has chosen to do and the university they plan to enroll in. Public universities in the country offer education at a lower rate than private universities. At the same time, courses in the fields of business, management, medicine, and engineering are considerably more expensive than other fields of study in the country. The fee for educational programs in public universities will be within a range of €900 to €4,000 per year.

Top Universities in Italy

The top universities in Italy are-

• International School for Advanced Studies
• Libero Istituto Universitario Carlo Cattaneo
• Perugia University
• Politecnico de Milano
• Politecnico di Milano
• Politecnico di Torino
• Scuola Normale Superiore
• Scuola Superiore di Studi Universitari e di Perfezionamento Sant'Anna
• Universit degli studi di Brescia
• Universita degli Studi di Bologna
• Universita G.d'Annunzio
• Universita di Cagliari
• Universita' degli Studi di Pavia
• University Institute of Architecture
• University of Catania
• University of L'Aquila
• University of Milano
• University of Modena
• University of Padua
• University of Palermo
• University of Parma
• University of Pisa
• University of Trieste
• University of Udine
• University of Venice

University of Pisa

This public university was established in the year 1343 and is ranked among the top 400 universities in the world. It has a student population of over 46,000 along with over 1,900 administrative staff. The best programs that students can opt for include programs that come under philology and cultural studies which are internationally acclaimed. Students will be able to take undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programs in the university along with other professional programs. There are over 20 departments in the university that deal with fields of study like civil & industrial engineering, information engineering, mathematics, physics, computer science, biology, earth sciences, pharmacy, humanities, law, political science, veterinary sciences, etc.

The doctoral programs that are offered are in the fields of sustainable development & climate change, physical, chemical, mathematical & biological sciences, legal, economic & political-social sciences, engineering & computer sciences, humanities sciences, and medical, pharmaceutical & veterinary sciences.

University of Ferrara

This university is also publicly funded through the state and was established in the year 1391. It has a student population of over 19,000 students along with over 600 administrative staff. Students will be able to choose from undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programs that are offered through the 12 departments in the university. These departments are part of the 8 faculties which deal with fields like architecture, economics, engineering, humanities, law, natural sciences, medicine & surgery, and pharmacy. While most of the programs here are taught in English, plenty of master’s programs are offered in English which makes it convenient for international students to study here.

The research departments in the university are not associated with the faculties in the university as is common in Italy and hence have subjects like literature, philosophy, etc. separate from one another. Students who enroll for programs in physics, biology, and geology will all have different institutions they can work in which compromises on the interdisciplinary nature of research but provides students with the space for developing themselves in their own research area.

University of Venice

This public university was established in the year 1868 and has a student population of over 21,000. There are 8 departments in this university and it is ranked to be among the top 5 institutions in the country. The departments deal with subjects like economics, philosophy & cultural heritage, management, environmental science, computer science & statistics, molecular science & nanosystems, cultural studies, humanities, and Asian & Mediterranean African studies. Students will be able to take undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programs from this university.

Doctoral programs in this university are offered mainly under the umbrella titles of economy & management, science & technology, languages & cultures, and arts & humanities. Each of these fields has areas like sciences of antiquity, history of the arts, polar sciences, environmental sciences, economics, management, etc.

University of Bergamo

This public university was founded in the year 1968 and has a student population of over 17,000 students who have taken up undergraduate, postgraduate, or doctoral programs. Students will also be able to choose from the diploma programs and the professional courses that are offered at the university. There are 7 departments in all at the university which are spread across the three campuses. They offer 41 programs through these 7 departments. The departments are for fields of study like arts & philosophy, economics & business administration, engineering, foreign languages, law, and human & social sciences.

Students will be able to take up doctoral and post-doctoral programs from this university in areas like applied economics & management, business & law, engineering & applied sciences, transcultural studies in humanities, linguistic sciences, etc.

University of Teramo

This university is a publicly funded one which was founded in the year 1993. It has a student population of over 10,000 students along with around 200 administrative staff. The university is based on research but students will be able to take programs at undergraduate and postgraduate levels as well. There are five faculties in all at the university which deal with fields of study like agriculture, communication science, law, political science, and veterinary medicine.

University of Padua

This university was established in the year 1222 and is one of the oldest universities in the country with a student population of over 50,000. They also have over 2,200 academic staff. The university is ranked among the top 200 universities in the world with 8 schools. The schools are for fields like agricultural science & veterinary medicine, economics & political sciences, engineering, human & social sciences, law, medicine & surgery, psychology, and sciences. The departments under them include subjects like agronomy, animal medicine, chemical sciences, general psychology, mathematics, medicine, linguistic & literary studies, molecular medicine, physics & astronomy, statistical sciences, etc. These departments offer programs at undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral levels.

They offer over 39 different Ph.D. programs which have a duration of 3 years in broad fields like life sciences, medical & biomedical sciences, humanities, hard sciences, and other interdisciplinary programs.

University of Modena

This university is older than the University of Padua and was established in the year 1175. It is supported by the state and is hence a public university with over 22,000 students. 14 departments in the university deal with broad areas like technology, life, society, health, and science. The departments are for subjects like engineering, life sciences, communication & economics, law, language & culture, medical & surgical sciences, chemical & geological sciences, education & humanities, etc. Students will be able to take undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programs along with professional degrees from this university.

The research options that are provided by the university are through the existing departments in the university which include similar areas like society & culture, health, life, technology, etc. Doctoral programs here have a duration of 3 years which can extend based on the area of research the candidate is doing.

University of Milano

This university is publicly funded and was established in the year1924. It has a student population of over 61,000 along with over 2,100 academic staff and 1,900 administrative staff. The university offers programs at undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral levels through the 10 schools. The schools are for fields of study like law, medicine, humanities, veterinary medicine, agricultural & food sciences, science & technology, linguistics & cultural mediation, etc. They offer more than 140-degree programs and are the second-largest university in the country.

The university has 53 research centers which are part of the same 10 schools in the university dealing with law, medicine, humanities, veterinary medicine, sports sciences & exercise, etc. They heavily invest in the research infrastructure that is provided for scholars bringing in quality research that benefit the lives of people.

Politechnico de Milano

This university is publicly funded and is considered to be the largest technical university in the country offering undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programs to candidates mostly of a professional nature. There are over 43,000 students on this campus along with over 1,200 academic staff and 1,400 administrative staff. The three main fields they deal with include engineering, architecture, and design which are spread across 12 departments in the university. These departments are for subjects like architecture & urban studies, chemical engineering, construction engineering, environmental engineering, mathematics, aerospace science & technology, bioengineering, etc.

The areas for research are provided by the departments in the university and are mainly in the fields of physical sciences & engineering, life sciences, and social sciences & humanities.

Scuola Normale Superiore

This university was established in the year 1810 and is a state-supported institution with a student population of over 600. They offer undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programs in the university through the faculty of humanities and the faculty of sciences. The humanities section contains subject areas like literature, philosophy, history, linguistics, etc. whereas the sciences contain physics, computer science, biological sciences, etc. They also have a department for political and social sciences.

Research areas also fall under these three domains with emphasis on research areas like global history & governance, astrochemistry, nanoscience, mathematics for finance, political science & sociology, neurosciences, etc.

Perugia University

This public university was established in the year 1308 and has a student population of over 27,000 along with over 1,100 academic staff. They offer undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programs through the 16 faculties in the institution. These faculties cover fields of study like law, economics, engineering, physics & geology, political sciences, veterinary medicine, mathematics & computer science, pharmaceutical sciences, civil & environmental engineering, etc.

They offer research-related education through 14 departments.

Student Visa for Italy

International students who wish to do their higher education in Italy will have to take a student visa which is the only visa applicable for them in the country. The student visa is dependent on the duration of the course they have applied to with a distinction between courses that have a duration of fewer than 3 months and those that are more than 3 months. Before applying for a student visa, they will have to obtain a letter of admission into any of the Italian universities which is an important document for visa application.

Students will also have to secure accommodation in Italy and show proof of finances they have which will be enough to sustain themselves during the duration of their stay in the country. Student visas that are provided often have the duration of the program they have been enrolled in.