Best universities in Italy 2025

By seeta.bhardwa@…, 28 October, 2024

Top 8 universities in Italy 2025

Scroll down for the full list of best universities in Italy

Italy Rank 2025World University Rank 2025 World University Rank 2024 UniversityCity
1=146 =155 University of BolognaBologna
2=154 =168 Scuola Normale Superiore di PisaPisa
3=185 181 Sapienza University of RomeRome
=4201–250 201–250 Politecnico di MilanoMilan
=4201–250 201–250 Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies – PisaPisa
=4201–250 201–250 University of PaduaPadua
=4201–250 251–300 Vita-Salute San Raffaele UniversityMilan
8251–300 251–300 Humanitas UniversityMilan

It isn’t difficult to see why Italy is a popular place to study. After all, it is the home of the University of Bologna, believed to be the world’s oldest university.

Situated in the heart of southern Europe, Italy has a multitude of landscapes: from the alpine pistes in the north to the Mediterranean beaches in the south. 

Italy (tied with China) is home to more Unesco World Heritage sites than any other nation in the world. These attractions, alongside Italy’s famous cuisine and rich history, are just some of the reasons it is among the world’s most visited countries each year.

If you think Italy sounds like a good destination for your studies, read on to find out about the nation’s best institutions based on the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2025.

Every major Italian town has a university, most of which are state-funded. However, there are also private universities and superior graduate schools, which are specifically focused on teaching and research at graduate level and above.

There are four main types of qualification in the Italian higher education system. The most basic is the three-year laurea – the equivalent of a bachelor’s degree.

The laurea magistrale consists of the three-year laurea followed by an additional two years of study, which makes it the equivalent of a master’s degree. Then there’s the laurea magistrale a ciclo unico, a five- or six-year course only awarded in some fields – including medicine, architecture and law – which is similar to an integrated master’s degree because there is no separation between the bachelor’s and master’s parts to the qualification.

Finally there’s the dottorato di ricerca, a doctoral programme primarily offered in superior graduate schools.

Top 7 universities in Italy

1. University of Bologna

The University of Bologna, founded in 1088, is believed to be the world’s oldest university.

There are campuses in Bologna, Cesena, Forli, Ravenna and Rimini in Italy and an international campus in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Bologna has varied nightlife and lots of live music, from opera to modern DJs and bands.

The University of Bologna is also responsible for the Bologna Process, a series of agreements between European countries with the aim of ensuring cooperation and comparability between the higher education systems of Europe.

The university’s long list of alumni includes Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Becket, a number of popes, Nobel-winning inventor and engineer Guglielmo Marconi, and Enzo Ferrari and Giorgio Armani, founders of their eponymous brands.

2. Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa

The Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa, together with the University of Pisa and Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, is a part of the Pisa University system. 

The university was founded in 1810 as a branch of the École Normale Supérieure in Paris. 

It offers programmes in both the humanities and sciences and still operates from its original building, Palazzo della Carovana, in the medieval centre of Pisa.

3. Sapienza University of Rome

The Sapienza University of Rome was founded in 1303 by Pope Boniface VIII, making it Rome’s oldest university.

It is the largest university in Europe, supporting about 115,000 students, including nearly 9,000 international students, and almost 4,000 academic staff.

It offers 280 degree programmes and 200 specialist courses across 63 departments, with 50 libraries available for student use (the largest number of any Italian university) as well as 18 museums.

=4. Politecnico di Milano

Politecnico di Milano was established in 1863.

It provides courses in engineering, architecture and design and is the largest technical university in Italy. Many of the courses are taught in English and the university has more than 7,000 international students from over 100 countries. 

The university's two main campuses are located in Milan, while there are other satellite campuses in five other cities across the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions. 

=4. Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies – Pisa

The Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies – Pisa is a public university specialising in applied sciences. 

The university has a rigorous entrance exam and if students are able to achieve top marks and demonstrate proficiency in two languages, they are able to study for free. As a result, the student population is very small with fewer than 1,000 students attending the university. 

The Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies offers degrees in business sciences, economic sciences, legal sciences, political sciences, agricultural sciences, medical sciences, industrial engineering and information engineering.

=4. University of Padua

The University of Padua was founded in 1222 as a school of law.

It is the second oldest university in Italy and the world’s fifth oldest university. 

The university is made up of 32 departments and eight schools. It also has a university hospital, a museum and 14 halls of residence.

=4. Vita-Salute San Raffaele University

A fairly young university having been founded in 1996, the teaching is structured across three departments: medicine, philosophy and psychology. 

In 2015, the institute became part of the Gruppo San Donato, the first hospital group in Italy.

The university is situated in the vibrant city of Milan. 


Top universities in Italy 2025

Click each institution to view its full World University Rankings 2025 results

Italy Rank 2025World University Rank 2025 World University Rank 2024 UniversityCity
1=146 =155 University of BolognaBologna
2=154 =168 Scuola Normale Superiore di PisaPisa
3=185 181 Sapienza University of RomeRome
=4201–250 201–250 Politecnico di MilanoMilan
=4201–250 201–250 Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies – PisaPisa
=4201–250 201–250 University of PaduaPadua
=4201–250 251–300 Vita-Salute San Raffaele UniversityMilan
8251–300 251–300 Humanitas UniversityMilan
=9301–350 301–350 Università Cattolica del Sacro CuoreMilan, Brescia, Piacenza-Cremona and Rome.
=9301–350 351–400 University of MilanMilan
=9301–350 301–350 University of PaviaPavia
=9301–350 301–350 University of Rome II – Tor VergataRome
=9301–350 351–400 University of TrentoTrento
=14351–400 351–400 Free University of Bozen-BolzanoBolzano
=14351–400 401–500 University of BresciaBrescia
=14351–400 351–400 University of FlorenceFlorence
=14351–400 351–400 University of Milan-BicoccaMilan
=14351–400 351–400 University of Naples Federico IINaples
=14351–400 401–500 University of PisaPisa
=14351–400 501–600 University of SienaSiena
=21401–500 401–500 Polytechnic University of TurinTurin
=21401–500 401–500 University of GenoaGenoa
=21401–500 401–500 University of TurinTurin
=21401–500 401–500 Verona UniversityVerona
=25501–600 501–600 Ca’ Foscari University of VeniceVenice
=25501–600 401–500 Campus Bio-Medico University of RomeRome
=25501–600 501–600 Polytechnic University of BariBari
=25501–600 501–600 University of FerraraFerrara
=25501–600 501–600 University of MessinaMessina
=25501–600 401–500 University of Modena and Reggio EmiliaModena
=25501–600 501–600 University of SalernoSalerno
=25501–600 501–600 University of TriesteTrieste
=33601–800 601–800 Marche Polytechnic UniversityAncona
=33601–800 601–800 Parthenope University of NaplesNaples
=33601–800 601–800 University of Bari Aldo MoroBari
=33601–800 NR University of CagliariCaligliari
=33601–800 501–600 University of CalabriaCosenza
=33601–800 601–800 University of InsubriaComo and Varese
=33601–800 501–600 University of L’AquilaL'Aquila
=33601–800 601–800 University of PalermoPalermo
=33601–800 601–800 University of ParmaParma
=33601–800 601–800 University of SassariSassari
=33601–800 601–800 University of TusciaViterbo
=33601–800 601–800 University of UdineUdine
=45801–1000 601–800 Amedeo Avogadro University of Eastern PiedmontVercelli
=45801–1000 601–800 Gabriele d‘Annunzio UniversityAbruzzo
=45801–1000 801–1000 University of Camerino (Unicam)Camerino
=45801–1000 601–800 University of Campania Luigi VanvitelliCaserta
=45801–1000 601–800 University of FoggiaFoggia
=45801–1000 601–800 University of Rome IIIRome
=45801–1000 601–800 University of SalentoLecce
=45801–1000 601–800 University of SannioBenevento
=531001–1200 801–1000 Kore University of EnnaEnna
=531001–1200 801–1000 University of BergamoBergamo
551201–1500 1001–1200 University of Urbino Carlo BoUrbino

 

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Explore the top universities in Italy using data from the Times Higher Education's World University Rankings 2025

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