Top 4 Most International Universities in Italy

Italy welcomes more than 58,000 international students. With its historic universities and excellence in education, it is no surprise! But how do they stack up when measured for their global approach to postgraduate study?

We’ve taken a look at the four Italian universities listed in the Most International Universities 2023 table released by Times Higher Education. These universities have been judged against the ‘international outlook’ score that considers factors like student and staff mobility and research collaborations.

#4 Sapienza University of Rome

With 5,500 international students calling Sapienza University of Rome home, the university has established itself as an international hub for higher education. It has developed partnerships with over 400 universities through the Erasmus programme. Moreover, the university actively supports mobility by providing funding opportunities to students from developing countries such as Ethiopia, Kenya and Palestine.

#3 University of Padua

The University of Padua is home to over 5,200 international students confirming its position as one of Italy’s most international universities. The University of Padua is a member of the Coimbra Group and works with the likes of Oxford and Cambridge to promote academic collaboration and internationalisation.

#2 University of Bologna

If you’re looking to be a part of international exchange programmes, then the University of Bologna is the place to be. More than 3,300 international students have taken part in exchange programmes in recent years making Bologna among the top five universities in Europe in terms of the number of exchange students. It is also one of the founders of the Una Europa, an alliance between some of the biggest European universities, to share academic and research space.

#1 Politecnico di Milano

Politecnico di Milano welcomed more than 8000 international students from 100 countries last year. The university maintains strong ties with higher education institutions worldwide to provide 117 double degrees and programmes like the Master of European Design (MEDes) which brings together six other universities from UK, Germany, Finland, France and Sweden to provide an integrated five-year Design programme.

Here’s how these universities compare to their individual overall world ranking.

4 most international universities in Italy
University	Most International Rank 2023	World University Rank 2023
Politecnico di Milano	90	301-350
University of Bologna	123	=161
University of Padua	137	201-250
Sapienza University of Rome	138	201-250

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Last updated: 22 November 2023

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