Italy is bustling with so much culture and history. After all, it is the home to famous sites, such as the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and to many well-known personalities, like Leonardo da Vinci, Nicolaus Copernicus, Galileo Galilei, and Enrico Fermi.

Those names may sound familiar to many students – a great artist, the person who first proposed that the Earth revolved around the sun, the guy who proved the other mentioned guy’s theory, and a physicist who worked on the first nuclear reactor. It is not surprising that the country has bred so many intellectuals – after all, some of the world’s most ancient universities are in Italy.

If you wish to tread the same steps as these academics, keep reading this article to learn more about Italy’s best English-taught universities.

Top English-taught Universities in Italy for International Students

1. Politecnico di Milano

The Polytechnic University of Milan or Politecnico di Milano is a recognized English-taught university founded in Italy in 1863. It is the largest technical university in the country and the oldest in Milan. It has seven campuses: Milano Leonardo, Milano Bovisa, Como, Lecco, Cremona, Mantova, and Piacenza.

Politecnico di Milano is regarded as among Italy’s top universities. It is also considered one of the world’s best in architecture, art & design, computer science and information systems, and engineering. Hence, it is no mystery how the university attracts thousands of local and international students.

In this university, the Bachelor of Science equivalent is a Laurea, while for a Master of Science, it is a Laurea Magistrale. At Politecnico di Milano, only two undergraduate or Laurea programs are taught in English combined with Italian. However, another English undergraduate program in biomedical engineering is offered in collaboration with another university. As for the graduate level, students get the chance to select from around 60 English-taught Laurea Magistrale and Ph.D. degree programs.

2. University of Bologna

The University of Bologna, also known as the Alma Mater Studiorum – Universita di Bologna in Italian, is a leading English-taught university in Italy that was established in 1088, making it the world’s oldest university in continuous operation. For the centuries it had spent teaching, many remarkable and well-known personalities have graced its halls, including Nicolaus Copernicus, who was the first to propose the heliocentric model or theory of the universe.

Four campuses comprise the University of Bologna: Cesena, Forli, Ravenna, and Rimini. These campuses all welcome tens of thousands of students, including a significant number of international students. They also offer more than 200 programs, which include first-cycle (Bachelor’s), second-cycle (Master’s), and single-cycle (combined Bachelor’s and Master’s) degree programs. The university also offers international degree programs, most of which are delivered in English, and third-cycle programs.

In the University of Bologna, the terms Laurea (Bachelor’s) and Laurea Magistrale (Master’s) are also used to classify programs. Many first and second-cycle degree programs are delivered in English only or English & Italian. There may also be some joint degree programs offered. Besides these, there are also various Ph.D. programs you may choose from which are taught either in English only or in English & Italian.

3. Sapienza University of Rome

The Sapienza University of Rome or Sapienza Universita di Roma is Europe’s largest university and Rome’s oldest, founded in 1303. A top-ranked English-taught institution in Italy and around the globe, Sapienza is known for its excellence in Classics and Ancient History, Archaeology, Physics and Astronomy, Environmental Studies, Nanotechnology, and many other areas.

More than 100,000 students are welcomed into the Sapienza University of Rome every year. These students get to choose from the vast array of degree programs available and enjoy the different facilities, including many libraries and museums.

Of the hundreds of undergraduate and master’s degree programs Sapienza offers, around 51 are taught solely in English, and a few more are delivered partially in English. This gives many international students diverse options, including biochemistry, bioinformatics, applied computer science & artificial intelligence, artificial intelligence & robotics. Although the university also has Ph.D. programs, these may not be taught in English; thus, this article does not discuss them.

4. Università di Padova

The University of Padua or Università di Padova is another ancient university and one of the best English-taught institutions in Italy. It was founded in 1222, making it Italy’s second-oldest institution and one of the world’s oldest surviving universities. The university also takes pride in having the world’s first university botanical garden and first permanent anatomical theater. The first woman to receive a Ph.D. degree also came from this university.

Besides its impressive historical feats, the University of Padua can boast its huge population of more than 65,000 students and thousands of faculty members. These students get to select from hundreds of degree programs and take advantage of the university’s 29 libraries.

Aspiring international students may be interested to learn that the university also offers English-taught degree programs at the bachelor’s level, such as animal care, information engineering, psychological sciences, and Italian Medieval & Renaissance Studies. They also have master’s and single-cycle degree programs in English, including Forest Science, Business & Administration, European & Global Studies, and Engineering. They also offer a single-cycle English Medicine and Surgery program set for six years.

5. University of Milan

The University of Milan or Università degli Studi di Milano in Italian is a relatively young university established in 1924. It is also known as La Statale. Over time, institutions and schools such as the Academy of Letters and Science, Palatine Schools, and Brera Astronomical Observatory became incorporated under the university.

The university is a proud founder and only Italian League of European Research Universities member. This formation was founded in 2002 to promote research as a tool for social progress. Besides the said league, the University of Milan also participates in the 4EU+ European University Alliance, a congregation of six universities dedicated to research.

There are only two English-taught programs at the University of Milan in Italy at the undergraduate level: international politics, law & economics, and political science. They also have an English single-cycle degree program in an international medical school. Graduate students have more options as there are many Master’s and Ph.D. degree programs offered by the university itself or in consortium with other universities, leading to a double or joined degree.

 

We hope that this article on Best English-Taught Schools in Italy was helpful. Make sure to also check out the Available Programs in Europe!

About the Author: Hyun Lee

Hyun is the founder at Global Scholarships. He has received a full-tuition scholarship at Birmingham-Southern College as well as $1,000 Burger King Scholarship for his undergraduate degree and has been offered a fully funded scholarship consisting of tuition, living stipend, and health insurance for computer science Ph.D. program at North Carolina State University. Read more about his scholarship journey here.

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4 Comments

  1. Anadil Sajjad - Reply

    Currently I’m doing fsc pre medical
    Inshallah in 2025 I will be in this university
    I’m needy and I need scholarship in 2025
    Inshallah in 2025 ( when my intermediate education will be completed inshallah)
    I will start bachelor’s in computer science in your university

    • Hyun Lee - Reply

      Hello, we are not an institution, so we are not able to offer you admissions. However, I highly recommend that you apply to these Italian universities as well as looking for scholarships in Italy.

  2. Anadil Sajjad - Reply

    Students please apply for this country
    Italy is a very good county for Pakistani students

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