University of Milano-Bicocca
Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca
A young public university on Pirelli's old factory site in Milan, with income-based fees and English-taught degrees.
- Students
- 37,000
- International
- 6%
- of students
- Tuition
- €200
- From · 2026-27
- Founded
- 1998
About UNIMIB
The University of Milano-Bicocca was officially founded on 10 June 1998, when the University of Milan was split to ease overcrowding. Its campus was built on the site of the old Pirelli factory in north-east Milan, next to the Milano Greco Pirelli station and metro line M5, and it now spreads across 26 buildings in Milan, Monza and Bergamo, plus a marine research centre in the Maldives.
Today it has more than 37,000 students, over 2,200 of them from abroad, and 100+ bachelor's, master's and PhD programmes in Italian and English. Teaching is organised in seven areas (economics and statistics, law, sciences, medicine and surgery, sociology, psychology and educational sciences) across departments such as Physics "Giuseppe Occhialini", Informatics, Systems and Communication, and Earth and Environmental Sciences. The university reports that 87% of its graduates are employed within a year.
Most bachelor's degrees are taught in Italian, but English-taught options include Economics and Science for Environmental Sustainability, Physical Sciences for Innovative Technologies and the School of Medicine and Surgery in Bergamo. Fees for Italian and EU students depend on family income (ISEE), and international students pay a fixed fee based on their country's GDP. It suits students who want a modern campus university in Milan at a public-university price.
Audentes fortuna iuvat
“Fortune favours the bold” — university motto
Why students choose UNIMIB
Income-based fees: Italian and EU students with an ISEE of up to €30,000 pay no annual contribution beyond regional tax and stamp duty, and the maximum is €3,429 or €4,115 a year.
The Bicocca International Scholarship gives the top applicant on each English-taught degree €10,000 a year plus a tuition waiver, with no separate application.
An English-taught, problem-based School of Medicine and Surgery in Bergamo, run with the University of Bergamo and the Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital.
A campus on metro line M5 in the Bicocca district, with company partners such as ENI, Pirelli, Siemens and STMicroelectronics.
Admissions
2027/28 academic year (calls for 2026/27 shown as the latest published pattern)
Selectivity
UNIMIB publishes no overall admission rate. Programmes have either unlimited places (open access after a non-selective TOLC or CEnT-S test) or limited places, where the test result is used to rank applicants.
Typical entry requirements
| Italian diploma di maturità | Apply via each programme's call for applications on the Italian site, with the required TOLC test |
|---|---|
| International secondary school diploma | At least 12 years of schooling giving university access in the home system (otherwise 1-2 years of university or a foundation year); national entrance exam results where required by law, e.g. Gaokao, ENEM/Vestibular |
| English language | English-taught programmes require an accepted English certificate (non-EU visa applicants need at least B2). Italian-taught programmes require Italian at B2 for visa applicants, or a pass (48/72) in the online CISIA TEST ITA L-2 @CASA, which costs €30 per attempt. |
Deadlines
- Unlimited-place programmes, 1st call (2026/27, past) Non-binding Passed7 November 2025 to 16 January 2026
Later calls ran 16 March to 16 April, 15 May to 15 June and 7 July to 7 September 2026 (the last two for EU citizens and non-EU residents of Italy only).
- Limited-place programmes, 1st call (2026/27, past) Non-binding Passed10 February to 31 March 2026
Further calls ran 15 April to 6 July and 7 July to 7 September 2026, only for EU citizens and non-EU residents of Italy.
- Universitaly pre-enrolment for visa applicants (2026/27, past) Non-binding Passed31 July 2026
Also the deadline for obtaining your school diploma and language certificates.
Calls for 2027/28 had not been published as of September 2026. On the 2026/27 pattern, the first call for open-admission programmes ran from early November to mid-January and the first call for limited-place programmes from February to the end of March, so non-EU applicants needing a visa should aim for the first calls (roughly November 2026 to March 2027). Visa applicants also had to arrive in Italy by 31 January 2027.
How to apply
Students with international qualifications apply on the DreamApply portal (apply.unimib.it) during one of the admission calls, and take the TOLC or CEnT-S. Non-EU students needing a visa must also pre-enrol on the Universitaly portal with the same documents. Admitted students pay a €150 confirmation fee (deducted from the first year's contribution once enrolled) and complete enrolment with the legalised diploma, translation and codice fiscale.
What admissions looks for
- A secondary diploma after at least 12 years of schooling that gives access to university in your home system.
- A TOLC or CEnT-S result; for limited-place programmes this score decides your ranking.
- The language certificate required by the programme call (English for English-taught degrees, Italian B2 or TOLC ITA for Italian-taught degrees).
- Complete documents by the call deadline, including CIMEA verification or comparability requests.
Tips for applying to UNIMIB
- 1 If you need a visa, apply in the first call: later calls are only open to EU citizens and non-EU students already living in Italy.
- 2 Check whether your programme needs the new CEnT-S or still accepts the TOLC before you book a test.
- 3 Submit an ISEE (or the foreign-resident ISEE procedure) if you are an EU student: without a valid ISEE you pay the maximum contribution.
- 4 Apply to an English-taught programme early and do well on the test: the top applicant on each one wins the €10,000 Bicocca International Scholarship automatically.
Costs & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in EUR
Fees for Italian and EU students scale with family income (ISEE), with no contribution up to €30,000. The Bicocca International Scholarship awards €10,000 a year plus a fee waiver to the top student on each English-taught degree, and the DSU right-to-study programme offers means-tested scholarships, housing, meals and extraordinary grants to all students.
- €10,000 per year (gross) plus tuition waiver, top student per English-taught programme
- Bicocca International Scholarship
- €3,429 (area A) / €4,115 (area B)
- Maximum annual contribution (ISEE €76,000+ or none)
- €0 for students meeting merit criteria
- Contribution with ISEE up to €30,000
Academics
Academic calendar: Semesters
Medicine and Surgery (English-taught, Bergamo)
Single-cycle degree with the University of Bergamo and Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital, taught by problem-based learning with clinical mentoring from year two.
Economics and Science for Environmental Sustainability (bachelor's)
Three-year English-taught degree with limited places, combining economics and science with a focus on Life Cycle Assessment.
Physical Sciences for Innovative Technologies (bachelor's)
Three-year English-taught applied physics degree run with the University of Pavia, covering sensors, electronics, renewables and quantum devices.
Artificial Intelligence
English-taught programme backed by three universities, with foundations in computer science, maths, physics, statistics and cognitive science in the first two years.
Data Science (master's)
English-taught master's in the Department of Informatics, Systems and Communication.
Marine Sciences (master's)
One of the university's programmes taught entirely in English.
Research
- Campus built on the former Pirelli industrial site, with active research partnerships with ENI, Pirelli, Siemens and STMicroelectronics.
- The university's 28 buildings span Milan, Monza and the Maldives.
- Milano-Bicocca is part of the INVEST European University Alliance on sustainability, quality of life and entrepreneurship.
Schools & faculties
- Department of Economics, Management and Statistics
- Department of Business and Law
- Department of Statistics and Quantitative Methods
- School of Law
- School of Medicine and Surgery
- Department of Psychology
- Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences
- Department of Physics "Giuseppe Occhialini"
- Department of Informatics, Systems and Communication
- Department of Materials Science
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences
- Department of Human Sciences for Education "Riccardo Massa"
The university reports that 87% of its graduates are employed within one year of graduating.
Student life
Bicocca is a purpose-built campus in a former industrial district of north Milan, well connected by metro line M5 and Milano Greco Pirelli station, with the Pirelli HangarBicocca contemporary art space and the Bicocca Village shopping and entertainment centre nearby. The university has on-campus residences and a partnership with an external housing provider, canteens with income-based meal plans from full price to free, and CUS UniMiB, the university sports centre, runs reduced-price activities and tournaments. Free counselling, peer mentoring and online Italian courses help international students settle in.
- Canteen meal plans are income-based, from full rate to free meals.
- CUS UniMiB offers sports courses and tournaments at reduced rates.
- Pirelli HangarBicocca, a contemporary art space, is next to campus.
- Welcome webinars and the Goin' community connect admitted international students before arrival.
Housing. The university has on-campus residences and a partnership with an external housing provider; DSU scholarships can include a place in housing for eligible students.
Location
Milan is Italy's financial and design capital and a major European hub for fashion, finance and innovation. The Bicocca district, once Pirelli's industrial heart, is now a modern area of research buildings, green spaces and sports facilities, linked to the centre by metro line M5 and the Greco Pirelli railway station.
Nearest airport: Milan Linate Airport (LIN)
Notable alumni
- CS Cecilia StradaHumanitarian and politician, former president of the NGO Emergency and a Member of the European Parliament since 2024
- AL Alessandra LocatelliPolitician, Italy's Minister for Disabilities since 2022
- LP Luca PerriAstrophysicist and science communicator at the Merate Observatory and Milan Planetarium
- TG Tessa GelisioTelevision presenter and author
- EG Eleonora GiorgiRace walker, European record holder over 50 km and 2019 World Championships bronze medallist
- SA Stefania AndreoliPsychotherapist and writer
- OM Ofelia MalinovVolleyball player (setter)
- RS Riccardo SbertoliVolleyball player (setter) for Trentino
Frequently asked questions
How much does the University of Milano-Bicocca cost for international students?
Students with non-Italian citizenship, a foreign qualification and foreign residence pay a fixed annual contribution by country group, from €200 to €3,600 in 2026/27, plus €16 stamp duty and the regional tax; the €150 confirmation fee is later deducted from it. EU students pay according to their ISEE, from €0 up to €4,115.
Does Milano-Bicocca have bachelor's degrees in English?
Yes, including Economics and Science for Environmental Sustainability, Physical Sciences for Innovative Technologies and the single-cycle Medicine and Surgery degree in Bergamo. Most other bachelor's degrees are taught in Italian.
Which admission test does Milano-Bicocca require?
Bachelor's applicants take a CISIA test: the TOLC for Italian-taught programmes or the English CEnT-S for English-taught science and economics programmes. In limited-place programmes the score is used to rank applicants.
When should international students apply to Milano-Bicocca?
For 2026/27 the first calls ran from November 2025 (open-admission programmes) and February 2026 (limited-place programmes), and the Universitaly visa pre-enrolment closed on 31 July 2026. Visa applicants can only use the early calls, so apply from November 2026 for 2027/28.
What is ISEE and why does it matter at Bicocca?
ISEE is Italy's family-income indicator. At Milano-Bicocca students with an ISEE up to €30,000 pay no annual contribution beyond regional tax and stamp duty, while those at €76,000 or above, or without an ISEE, pay the maximum.
Sources & methodology
Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.
- QS World University Rankings 2027 (topuniversities.com)
- THE World University Rankings 2026
- ShanghaiRanking ARWU 2026
- UNIMIB international admissions: Let's Build Your Future Together (facts, September 2026)
- UNIMIB international admissions: Apply for 2026/27, admission calls and deadlines
- UNIMIB international admissions: Fees and funding
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