History, Affiliations and Rankings
Founded in 1224, the University of Naples remains one of the oldest universities in the world, founded by a head of state after Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Sicily, decided to make an educational institution that was not significantly influenced by the Pope. However, it was not until 1987 that the university was renamed Federico II in recognition of its founder. It is the third university in Italy by the number of students enrolled, but despite its size, it remains one of the best universities in Italy and the world, ranking #1 in southern Italy since its inception. Frederick II had specific goals when he founded the University of Naples. These were to train qualified administrative and bureaucratic professionals for the Curia Regis and to prepare lawyers and judges to assist sovereign bills and speak right. He wanted to facilitate the cultural development of promising young students and academics and avoid unnecessary and expensive trips abroad. The university is affiliated with Campus Europae, UNIMED, and PEGASUS. It is ranked #188 in Best Global Universities, #77 in Best Global Universities in Europe and #5 in Best Global Universities in Italy.
Infrastructure, Campuses and Courses
Located in the heart of the UNESCO World Heritage city of Naples, the university is home to more than 80,000 students, 2,547 professors and 1,500 staff. The University of Naples Federico II offers more than 152 undergraduate and postgraduate programs and 30 doctoral programs. Courses in 26 departments are organised into 4 faculties as listed, Faculty of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Polytechnic and Basic Sciences, and Faculty of Medicine. Today, the university consists of three semi-autonomous departments, the Department of Science and Technology, the Department of Life Sciences, and the Department of Social Sciences and Humanities, which are responsible for the research and teaching of 13 faculties and 82 departments. Over the years the University of Naples has had several campuses, but today there are three main campuses, one in central Naples, one in the Fuorigrotta district to the west and one on Camaldoli Hill to the north, and east, the latter also housing the School of Medicine. The courses offered here are Agriculture, Architecture, Biotechnology, Economics, Engineering, Law, Letters and Philosophy, Mathematical, Physical and Natural Sciences, Medicine and Surgery, Pharmacy, Political Sciences, Sociology, and Veterinary medicine.
Accomplishments and Alumni
In October 2016, the university hosted the first Apple IOS Developer Academy and in 2018 the Cisco Digital Transformation Lab. Building relationships at the national and international level is a high priority and the University of Naples Federico II is constantly developing exchange programs and collaborative projects. For example, "Gulunap'' is an initiative launched in 2004 that aims to train doctors from Uganda and neighbouring countries to increase the number of medical professionals in some of the poorest areas of Central and East Africa. The university is also home to 50 research centres and 3 academies in partnership with world leaders Apple, Cisco and Deloitte. The University of Naples Federico II offers free Italian courses for Erasmus students through the University's Language Centre. Some of the notable alumni are Ernesto De Martino (historian of religion and folklore scholar), Francesco De Martino (eminent jurist, intellectual and politician), and Fabrizio de Miranda (structural engineer).
Student Diversity and Visiting Companies
There are 49,485 total students at the university. Out of which 55% are undergraduates and 45% posts graduate students. Out of the total number of students, 128 are international students. UG students constitute 9% and PG students constitute 91%. The total staff is 2299, of which 98% are domestic staff and 2% are international.
