University of Pisa

History, Affiliations, and Rankings

The University of Pisa, established in 1343, is one of Italy's and Europe's oldest and most prominent universities. It is evident, however, that Pisa had an "Universitas" in the traditional sense of the word, that is, a community of students who congregated around professors, from the midst of the 12th century. It was in the wake of the Second World War that the University became a prestigious center for teaching, learning and political and cultural debate. The University of Pisa has a strong reputation in both Italy and Europe, as evidenced by international rankings that position it among the greatest institutions in the world and at the top of the Italian rankings. The University is affiliated with the ICoN, the European Universities Association (EUA), the Universities Research Association (URA), and PEGASUS. The University of Pisa is ranked among the top 350 universities in the world by Times Higher Education.

Infrastructure, Campuses, and Courses

The University of Pisa does not have a single campus; instead, its buildings and departments are dispersed around the city. Throughout the city, the University contains several teaching and research facilities, as well as museums and libraries. Because Pisa is such a tiny city, getting to these amenities by bicycle is relatively simple. The University of Pisa's library system consists of 15 libraries plus the university's general archive. The University is now split into 20 Academic Departments, with around 150 first and second-year degree programs, single-cycle degree programs, more than 20 Doctorate programs, 50 Schools of specialization, and more than 60 Postgraduate programs. Studying at the University of Pisa, you will be part of a close-knit small-town Italian community with a plethora of cultural exploration opportunities. In fact, as a student at the University of Pisa, you can enter all the museums in the city for free!

Accomplishments and Alumni

The University of Pisa is ranked among the top in Italy and among the best performing European research institutions in the European Research Ranking, which is based on publicly available data from the European Commission database. Recently, the University of Pisa joined 8 prestigious European Universities in the Circle-U Alliance with the goal to create an inclusive, interdisciplinary and strongly research-oriented “European University.” Further, the Foundation courses offered at the University witnessed a doubling of enrollments in the academic year 2021-22 with an increase, also in the countries represented. Some of its most notable alumni are Galileo Galilei, who was an Italian astronomer, physicist, and engineer, sometimes described as a polymath, who invented the Telescope, Carlo Rubbia, an Italian particle physicist and inventor who shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1984 for work leading to the discovery of the W and Z particles at CERN and Massimo D'Alema, an Italian politician and journalist who was the 53rd Prime Minister of Italy from 1998 to 2000.

Student Diversity and Visiting Companies

International students from all over the world are welcome at the University of Pisa, which offers a variety of degrees ranging from short summer courses to PhDs and everything in between. There are roughly 50,000 students enrolled, making Pisa a genuine city campus in a city with a population of approximately 90,000. The students are mostly from Tuscany and Liguria, although there is a sizable contingent from other regions, particularly the south of Italy. A significant proportion of students are international, adding to the city's open, vibrant, and cosmopolitan atmosphere. Pisa graduates are typically known to work in corporate giants of the likes of, Baker Hughes, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, Deloitte, Leonardo, Piaggio Group and more.