World's oldest university (1088); 'Alma Mater Studiorum'; strong for law and humanities; affordable; Bologna is food/culture capital; multiple campus cities; growing English programs
International environmentModerately international; ~15% intl UG; growing English programs
Teaching styleLecture + seminar; humanities-strong; law: traditional Italian civil law system
Academics
Subjects and fit
Strongest subjects
Law
Medicine
Humanities
Social Sciences
Engineering
Economics
Best for
Law
humanities
social science
medicine
engineering students wanting affordable quality EU education
Getting in
Admission requirements
GPA: Maturità or equivalent; IB 24+; varies by course
IELTS 6.0 / TOEFL 79+ for English programs; Italian B2 for Italian programs
No SAT/ACT
Difficulty: Moderate
Acceptance rate: ~40–50% overall
Deadline: Italian programs: Sept 30 | English programs: varies Feb–May | Graduate: rolling
On campus
Campus and location
ER.GO student housing (VERY affordable and good quality); Bologna affordable
Money
Costs and scholarships
Tuition (USD)€0–3,000/yr for EU citizens; intl: ~€3,000–6,000/yr ≈ $3,300–6,600
Living cost (USD)8,000–13,000 USD
ScholarshipsUniversity of Bologna Scholarship; Italian Government Scholarship (DSU income-based, very generous)
Benefits and Exemptions for Collegio Superiore Students at University of Bologna 2026 (Fully Funded)
leadership
Sinh viên quốc tế bậc Cử nhân, Thạc sĩ và Tiến sĩ, mọi quốc tịch.
EmployabilityWorld's oldest university prestige; affordable; Erasmus+ network largest in the world
The honest view
Why students choose University of Bologna
University of Bologna Scholarship; Italian Government Scholarship (DSU income-based, very generous)
Employability: World's oldest university prestige; affordable; Erasmus+ network largest in the world
Worth knowing
Italian required for most programs; career in Italy requires Italian; Bologna not a major commercial hub
GlowBal's insider note
VERIFIED: University of Bologna is the world's oldest university (1088). INSIGHT: Italy's DSU scholarship system is income-based and extremely generous students earning <€25,000 family income may pay €0 tuition regardless of citizenship.
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