Rankings: The 52 best universities in Italy for 2020/2021

Italy seems to have it all: Amazing landscapes from coasts to mountains, an impressive history, and a remarkably tasty and diverse cuisine. Not to mention it was here that the very first university in Europe was founded, nearly one thousand years ago.

Today, several of Italy’s institutions are among the top-ranked universities in Europe. That includes centuries-old traditional universities like the University of Bologna, Sapienza University of Rome or the University of Padua - but also younger modern universities like Roma Tor Vergata or the University of Milan. Among dozens of world-class schools, it can be difficult to pick one when you are planning to study in Italy.

Top ranked universities in Italy

University	QS Ranking 2020	THE Ranking 2020	ARWU Ranking 2019
Politecnico di Milano	149	301	201
University of Bologna	177	168	201
Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies	177	149	–
Sapienza University of Rome	203	251	151
Scuola Normale Superiore	204	152	401
University of Padua	234	201	201
University of Milan	302	301	151
Politecnico di Torino	348	501	501
University of Pisa	389	351	151
University of Trento	389	301	401
University of Naples Federico II	424	351	301
University of Florence	448	351	201
University of Rome Tor Vergata	511	501	501
Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore	511	501	401
University of Turin	541	401	201
University of Pavia	581	401	301
University of Milano-Bicocca	591	401	401
University of Genoa	651	401	401
University of Trieste	701	401	601
University of Siena	701	401	501
University of Brescia	751	501	601
University of Perugia	751	351	401
University of Modena and Reggio Emilia	751	401	701
Ca' Foscari University of Venice	751	601	–
University of Verona	801	401	501
University of Parma	801	601	601
University of Bari Aldo Moro	801	401	501
University of Palermo	801	601	601
Roma Tre University	801	501	901
University of Salerno	801	351	701
University of Ferrara	801	401	501
University of Catania	801	501	601
Polytechnic University of Bari	801	401	–
University of Udine	801	501	801
University of Salento	–	601	901
Università degli Studi dell’Insubria	–	501	901
University of Chieti-Pescara	–	–	901
University of Urbino	–	401	801
University of Messina	–	–	801
University of Calabria	–	601	801
University of Cagliari	–	–	801
Marche Polytechnic University	–	501	801
Tuscia University	–	–	701
University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”	–	–	701
Free University of Bozen-Bolzano	–	401	701
International School for Advanced Studies	–	–	601
University of L'Aquila	–	501	601
Vita-Salute San Raffaele University	–	201	501
Humanitas University	–	–	501
University of Sassari	–	601	–
University of Eastern Piedmont	–	601	–
University of Bergamo	–	601	–

Explained: How do the university rankings work?

The QS World University Rankings are among the most important, most-referenced rankings. The QS ranking relies heavily on its academic survey, asking thousands of academics worldwide about the reputation of universities.

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings (or the THE Rankings for short) compile a wide range of statistics. Equal weight is put on teaching quality, research excellence, and research impact through citations (meaning how often a university’s research is referenced elsewhere).

The Academic Ranking of World Universities by Shanghai Jiao Tong University (often just Shanghai Ranking, or ARWU) focuses on research output and quality, for example measured by the number of published and cited scientific papers and the number of staff or alumni winning the Nobel Prize or Fields Medal.

Study in Italy

Italy offers the perfect combination of stunning history, academic tradition, and innovative research and education. In the birthplace of Europe’s first university, many of Italy’s institutions are today among the best in the world. International students are flocking to the Southern European country to receive world-class education and enjoy la dolce vita - “the sweet life”.