University of Milan

The University of Milan (Italian: Università degli Studi di Milano; Latin: Universitas Studiorum Mediolanensis), officially abbreviated as UniMi, or colloquially referred to as La Statale ("the State university"), is a public research university in Milan, Italy. It is one of the largest universities in Europe, with 64,878 students and a permanent teaching and research staff of 2,566 (4,653 including all researchers) as of 2025.

The University of Milan has ten schools and offers 140 undergraduate and graduate degree programmes, 32 doctoral schools and 65+ specialization schools. The university's research and teaching activities have grown over the years and have received important international recognitions. The university is especially well known for its excellence in medical research and is often ranked as 1st in Italy in the field of Medicine, being also ranked among the top medical schools in the world. The University of Milan is one of the twelve founding members (2002) and the only Italian member of the League of European Research Universities (LERU), an elite group of 24 research-intensive European universities, as of 2026.

The university has been frequented by many notable alumni, including Enrico Bombieri (Fields Medal recipient, 1974), Riccardo Giacconi (Nobel laureate in Physics, 2002), Marco Bersanelli (Gruber Prize in Cosmology recipient, 2006), Patrizia Caraveo (Bruno Rossi Prize recipient, 2007, 2011, 2012), Alberto Mantovani (Robert Koch Prize recipient, 2016), Fabiola Gianotti (two times CERN general director and Bruno Pontecorvo Prize recipient, 2019), as well as former Italian prime ministers Silvio Berlusconi and Bettino Craxi, and former Greek president Karolos Papoulias. The university has also been affiliated with notable faculty such as Giulio Natta (Nobel laureate in Chemistry, 1963), Giuseppe Occhialini (Wolf Prize in Physics recipient, 1979), and Ugo Amaldi (Bruno Pontecorvo Prize recipient, 1995).

History

Early years

The University of Milan was founded in 1924 from the merger of two institutions that boasted a great tradition of medical, scientific and humanistic studies: the Accademia Scientifico-Letteraria (Scientific-Literary Academy), active since 1861, and the Istituti Clinici di Perfezionamento (Clinical Specialisation Institutes), established in 1906. By 1928, the university already had the fourth-highest number of enrolled students in Italy, after the University of Naples, Sapienza University of Rome and the University of Padua. Many of its premises are located in Città Studi (City of Studies), the university district of Milan (where the Polytechnic University of Milan is also located) which was built from 1915 onwards. The scientific Schools and Departments of the University of Milan are mostly located in the Città Studi district, while the School of Humanities, School of Law, School of Political, Economic and Social Sciences, among others, are mostly located within the historic city centre.

At the time of its foundation, there were four "traditional" Schools – Law, Humanities, Medicine, and Mathematical, Physical and Natural Sciences. Later, in the 1930s, the Schools of Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture were introduced, after the aggregation of the old Schools of Veterinary Medicine (1792) and Agriculture (1871).

At the end of the Second World War, the old Ospedale Maggiore di Milano (Major Hospital of Milan) building, originally named the Magna Domus Hospitalis (The Great House of the Hospital) and colloquially known as the Ca' Granda (The Great House), was assigned to the University of Milan. One of the first Italian examples of civil architecture and the main building of the Policlinico of Milan hospital complex established during the Renaissance period, it was designed by Filarete and commissioned in 1456 by Francesco I Sforza, the fourth Duke of Milan (the first Duke from the House of Sforza, which had succeeded the House of Visconti in 1450). The building had been seriously damaged by the bombings of 1943. In 1958, after a complex series of reconstruction and renovation works, it became home to the University Rector's Office, the administrative offices, and the Schools of Law and Humanities.

1960s reformation

In the 1960s, due to the extension of compulsory school attendance and the subsequent liberalisation of access to higher education, the number of people entering Italian universities progressively increased and the University of Milan enrolled more than 60,000 students. The university broadened the range of its courses and at the same time increased its number of centres. Two new schools (the School of Pharmacy and the School of Social and Political Sciences) were established, and were based, respectively, in Città Studi and in Via Conservatorio, in the city centre of Milan. Città Studi was also the site of a new complex, intended entirely for the Biology departments, which was the work of architect Vico Magistretti.

Academics

The University of Milan is a public teaching and research university, the second largest university in Italy, which – with 10 schools and a teaching staff of about 2,200 – comprises a wide variety of disciplinary fields.

Schools

The university comprises 10 Schools (facoltà):

• School of Law
• School of Medicine
• School of Humanities
• School of Veterinary Medicine
• School of Agricultural and Food Sciences
• School of Pharmaceutical Sciences
• School of Science and Technology
• School of Exercise and Sport Sciences
• School of Political, Economic and Social Sciences
• School of Linguistics and Cultural Mediation

Admissions

Degree programmes at the University of Milan are divided into two types: open-admission programmes and capped-enrolment programmes. Each degree programme defines the knowledge and requirements for matriculation; these may be verified through a compulsory test and/or through an interview for assessing the student's educational background, prior to matriculation. To enrol in capped-enrolment programmes, students must register for an entrance examination, pass it and rank high enough to be awarded one of the places available.

To enroll at the University of Milan is required an English language assessment, which can be demonstrated by an international language certificate CEFR, or through the university language centre (SLAM). The required level for Bachelors usually stands at B1 (Intermediate), while for Masters is B2, but varies depending on the degree course. Those who will not have attained the language level required by their degree programme via Placement test or certification must attend an English language course, and pass the final exam. With the University of Milano-Bicocca, and the Alma Mater of Bologna, is the most sought-after location for medical students, with an acceptance rate of about 5%.

Graduation

Full-time students are expected to earn 60 ECTS credits in one academic year. The credits awarded can be recognized for continuing studies, both in Italian universities and abroad. To be awarded a bachelor, the student must earn at least 180 ECTS, while to get a master 120 ECTS are needed. Also, to obtain the highest level of university education, the Dottorato di Ricerca (PhD), at least other 3 to 4 years of studies are required.

Financial Support

The University of Milan provides several types of financial support for its students:

Education incentive Programme: Regional scholarships consisting of a sum of money and free access to refectory services, awarded yearly, via competition, to university students meeting certain merit, income and regular attendance requirements. Additional DSU allowances and grants includes Disability, International mobility, and Special grant allowances.

Research

There are 53 research centres. Research is organised in 33 different departments:

Law: Private Law and Legal History, Italian and Supranational Public Law, Law.

Medicine: Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Oncology and Hematology-Oncology, Biomedical Sciences for Health, Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences, Clinical Sciences and Community Health, Health Sciences.

Humanities: Cultural and Environmental Heritage, Philosophy, Foreign Languages and Literatures, Literary Studies, Philology and Linguistics, Historical Studies.

Veterinary Medicine: Veterinary Medicine, Veterinary Science for Health, Animal Production and Food Safety.

Agricultural and Food Sciences: Agricultural and Environmental Sciences – Production, Landscape, Agroenergy, Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences, Environmental Science and Policy

Pharmaceutical Sciences: Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Science and Technology: Biosciences, Chemistry, Physics, Computer Science, Mathematics, Earth Sciences, Environmental Science and Policy.

Exercise and Sport Sciences: Biomedical Sciences for Health.

Political, Economic and Social Sciences: Economics, Management and Quantitative Methods, Social and Political Sciences, International, Legal, Historical and Political Studies.

Linguistics and Cultural Mediation: Language Mediation and Intercultural Communication.

As a public institution concerned with the development and progress of knowledge, the university has always been committed to research projects that influence the quality of life of citizens. Research is mostly conducted in the departments and the many specialised structures, favouring the creation and growth of networks of collaboration locally, nationally and internationally.

Scientific activity involves the whole academic community from professors, researchers, doctoral students, fellowship-holders and fellows to undergraduates.

Quality and impact of research (2020)

• Publications: 9537
• Open access publications: 5074
• Top 10% area publications (SciVal): 33.9%
• Field Weighted-Citation Impact (SciVal): 1,78
• Unimi publications/national publications (SciVal): 5.55%
• ERC grants since the beginning of the project: 37

Governance

The governance structure at the University of Milan is composed by 17 committees, headed by the Rector. The most important boards are:

The Board of Directors

It has the function of strategy definition and management, approval of the annual and three-year financial and personnel planning documents, and supervision of economic and financial sustainability. It is composed of the Rector, the Vice Rector, the General Director, and selected internal and external members.

The Academic Senate

The Academic Senate has functions of proposal, supervision and verification in the field of teaching, research and student services, and is composed of Rector, Vice Rector, the 10 faculty directors, and elected representative of professors, researchers and students.

Patent Committee

Its statutory duties are to review patent applications, express an opinion on patents filed whenever a decision is required, and also express an opinion on industrial property clauses in commissioned research and patent enhancement contracts, and in research agreements with other institutions. It's composed by the General Director, three selected professors, and two external experts.

University Sports Committee

The University Sports Committee promotes and encourages sports activities for the entire University community and oversees management guidelines for sports facilities and development programmes. The chairman of this board is the Deputy Rector. Every year the Committee presents a report on the university sports facilities, next year's programmeand financial plan to the Ministry of Education, University and Research.

Research Observatory

It is composed of scientific experts belonging to various scientific disciplinary sectors, as well as administrative and technical sectors. Its members are renewed every three academic years. The Observatory, as per the Regulations, collects and analyzes information on University research findings. As part of this function, it analyzes and compares the results of national research assessment exercises. It also proposes criteria and new methodologies for assessing University research findings, taking into account the specificities of each area, and submits improvement actions to the main governing bodies, with a view to increasing research quality and attractiveness, as well as national and international visibility.

Campuses

The departments of the University of Milan are housed in important historic buildings in the centre of Milan and in modern buildings in the area known as Città Studi (City of Studies). Among the historic palazzos that house the university's facilities are the 15th-century Ca' Granda (The Great House) built in 1456 by Francesco I Sforza, Duke of Milan, and designed by Filarete as a monumental hospital complex in the heart of the historical city centre; the 17th-century Sant’Alessandro College, also known as the Palazzo delle Scuole Arcimbolde, which was designed by Lorenzo Binago and commissioned by Giambattista Arcimboldi, a member of the Arcimboldi family who built it in 1663; the 18th-century Palazzo Greppi designed by Giuseppe Piermarini (architect of La Scala in Milan) and built by count Antonio Greppi between 1772 and 1778; and the 18th-century Palazzo Resta Pallavicino (originally designed in the Baroque style and built by Carlo Resta between 1724 and 1743 and enlarged by count Giuseppe Resta, it was subsequently owned by the marquises of the Pallavicino family—a cadet branch of the Obertenghi who were the progenitors of several European noble families and dynasties—who rebuilt its interior, while the building's Neo-Classical facade on Via Conservatorio was constructed later between 1837 and 1839). The university's book collection, which is one of the richest in the region, is preserved in 47 libraries. The APICE Centre collects rare and valuable book stocks and archives. The university possesses a substantial artistic and cultural heritage that includes renowned historic buildings, inherited and acquired collections, archives, botanical gardens such as the Brera Botanical Garden, and the 18th-century Brera Astronomical Observatory which was commissioned by Maria Theresa, Habsburg monarch and Holy Roman Empress, and built in 1764 within the grounds of the historic Palazzo Brera.

The total university surface area is about 500,000 m2 (5,400,000 sq ft), comprising 356 classrooms with approximately 27,382 seats, 203 teaching and computer laboratories with approximately 1,831 seats and 171 libraries and study rooms with approximately 4,417 seats.

Headquarters – City Centre Campus

Built in 1456 by Francesco I Sforza, Duke of Milan, the Ca’ Granda (The Great House) designed by Filarete is the headquarters of the University of Milan. It was originally named the Magna Domus Hospitalis (The Great House of the Hospital) and was the main building of the Policlinico of Milan, a large hospital complex established during the Renaissance period, which was later expanded with the addition of adjacent structures or nearby buildings in the city centre, close to the Milan Cathedral (Duomo di Milano). The historical buildings of the Policlinico of Milan underwent a careful restoration in the 20th and early 21st centuries. The Ca’ Granda was one of the first Renaissance buildings in Milan and had a large following throughout northern Italy.

Эх сурвалж: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)