Polytechnic University of Bari
Politecnico di Bari
Italy's youngest polytechnic and the only one in the south, with annual fees that can fall to zero on a low ISEE.
- Students
- 11,000
- Tuition
- €0
- From · 2026-27
- Founded
- 1990
- QS World Ranking
- 951-1000
- 2027 edition
About Poliba
The Politecnico di Bari was established by Italian law in 1990, which makes it the youngest of Italy's three polytechnics (the others are in Milan and Turin) and, by the university's own description, the only one in the central-southern part of the country. It teaches engineering, architecture and industrial design, and has roughly 11,000 students spread across Bari and Taranto, with further teaching in Matera.
Teaching and research are organised in five departments: Electrical and Information Engineering (DEI); Mechanics, Mathematics and Management (DMMM); Civil Engineering and Architecture (DICAR); Civil, Environmental, Territorial, Building and Chemical Engineering (DICATECH); and the interuniversity Department of Physics Michelangelo Merlin. The university describes its teaching as practice-oriented and closely tied to local companies and institutions, and it has double-degree agreements with foreign universities.
Entry to the engineering bachelor's degrees runs through the CISIA TOLC-I test, which can be taken from home, and candidates are ranked for the available places. Most bachelor's programmes are taught in Italian, but a small number are English-taught, including Architectural Sciences for Heritage, and several engineering degrees carry an International label.
The university suits students who want a hands-on technical degree at low cost in a southern Italian port city, and who are ready to work in Italian or to choose one of the English-taught degrees.
De' remi facemmo ali
“From oars we made wings” — university motto
Why students choose Poliba
Annual fees are set by family income: the 2026/27 regulation puts students with an ISEE of 26,000 euros or less in a no-tax area (subject to progress requirements) and caps the all-inclusive contribution at 2,257.60 euros.
Bachelor's degrees include Aerospace Systems Engineering in Taranto and Medical Systems Engineering in Bari, both carrying the university's International label.
The university offers double-degree agreements, so students can earn a degree recognised in more than one country.
English-taught study paths such as the Architectural Sciences for Heritage bachelor's sit alongside the Italian-taught engineering degrees.
Admissions
2026/27 entry (2027/28 dates not yet published)
Selectivity
Poliba publishes no overall acceptance rate. Engineering bachelor's degrees admit by ranking of the TOLC-I score within a limited number of places; the admissions page states a minimum score of 18/50 in the early session and 12/50 in the standard and extraordinary sessions.
Typical entry requirements
| Non-EU applicants living abroad | Must pre-enrol on Universitaly and receive validation from the university before applying for a study visa. Foreign qualifications are assessed by the university itself. |
|---|---|
| Language | Italian-taught degrees require an Italian test (at least B2) set by the university; students must also show at least B1 in the language of the course. |
| School level | Final-year secondary students may take the test for the current intake, and fourth-year students for the following year's intake. |
| English language | The Ministry's procedures require certified proficiency of at least B1 in the language of instruction for courses taught in a foreign language; Poliba's own thresholds for English-taught programmes were not found. |
Deadlines
- Extraordinary session, TOLC-I engineering (2026/27 cycle) Non-binding Next deadline · In 38 days13 November 2026, 14:00 (registration on Esse3 closes)
Test on 18 November 2026; enrolment 24-27 November 2026; this session runs only if places remain after the earlier sessions.
- Latest study visa application for non-EU students, 2027/28 In ~13 months31 October 2027
National deadline in the Italian ministry's procedures for 2026-27 and 2027-28; universities may set earlier dates for particular courses.
Poliba has not published 2027/28 admission dates. The session dates shown are the 2026/27 cycle (the previous cycle); the visa deadline of 31 October 2027 comes from the ministry's two-year procedures.
How to apply
Non-EU applicants abroad pre-enrol on Universitaly (the ministry's portal), which the university validates before the visa application. Engineering candidates register on the Poliba Esse3 portal for an admission contest, sit the TOLC-I through CISIA (35 euros) and are ranked. Enrolment follows for those placed high enough in the ranking.
What admissions looks for
- A pass mark on the TOLC-I, which tests maths, logic, physics and chemistry, and verbal comprehension, plus 30 English questions that are not scored.
- For international applicants, a qualification the university accepts as equivalent to the Italian secondary diploma, checked by the university.
- Proven Italian at B2 for Italian-taught courses, or certified proficiency in the course language for English-taught ones.
Tips for applying to Poliba
- 1 Sit the test in the early session if you can, because places in a degree may run out before later sessions.
- 2 If you score above the minimum in an early session, you can re-enter the standard-session ranking on Esse3 without retaking the test.
- 3 Non-EU applicants abroad should start the Universitaly pre-enrolment first; the visa cannot be requested without a validated pre-enrolment.
- 4 Prepare fee documents early: the ISEE for right-to-study benefits, or consular income declarations if your family's income is earned abroad.
Costs & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in EUR
The regulation exempts holders of ADISU Puglia scholarships and applicants deemed eligible but unfunded, refugees and stateless persons, and students with certified disabilities of 66 percent or more, from the contribution. Merit reductions of 50 percent up to 600 euros apply to students who earn enough credits, and doctoral students pay no fees apart from the regional fee and stamp duty.
- ISEE up to 26,000 euros (first-year students need only meet the income test)
- No-tax area
- 2,257.60 euros (without ISEE, or with ISEE of 90,000 euros or more)
- Maximum annual contribution
- Full exemption from the contribution
- Refugees and stateless persons
Academics
Architectural Sciences for Heritage (L-17, English)
An English-taught bachelor's in architecture with a separate admission test, based in Bari.
Aerospace Systems Engineering (L-9)
Carries the International label and is taught in Taranto.
Medical Systems Engineering (L-8)
An International-label engineering degree taught in Bari.
Digital Creativity Engineering (L-8)
International-label degree taught in Bari and Matera.
Management Engineering
The Management Engineering for Innovation course can be entered through the CEnT test as well as the TOLC-I.
Design (L-4)
Industrial design bachelor's, one of three fields the university teaches beside engineering and architecture.
Research
- The Department of Physics Michelangelo Merlin is interuniversity, and Poliba and the University of Bari made a joint institutional visit to CERN on 7-8 September 2026.
- The university lists public-private laboratories and a research registry on its site, and its PhD students pay no fees apart from the regional fee and stamp duty.
Schools & faculties
- Department of Electrical and Information Engineering (DEI)
- Department of Mechanics, Mathematics and Management (DMMM)
- Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture (DICAR)
- Department of Civil, Environmental, Territorial, Building and Chemical Engineering (DICATECH)
- Interuniversity Department of Physics Michelangelo Merlin
AlmaLaurea 2025 graduate profile: average graduation grade 103.7 out of 110, average age at graduation 24.6, 53.3 percent graduated on time.
Student life
The university lists cafeterias, a gym, libraries and laboratories among its services, and runs a student-athlete dual career programme and a university language centre. Most classrooms and departments sit on the Ernesto Quagliariello campus in Bari, which is shared with the University of Bari for scientific subjects, while other degrees are taught in Taranto and Matera. Students can apply for internships through national schemes such as the MAECI-MUR-CRUI call for diplomatic missions, whose third 2026 round lists 377 internships.
- Cafeterias, a gym, libraries and laboratories are listed among student services.
- A student-athlete dual career programme with fee exemption for eligible athletes.
- A university language centre and a Student Center for international students.
- Double-degree agreements with foreign universities.
Location
Bari is the capital of Apulia, a port city on the Adriatic coast in southern Italy. Poliba's main campus is in the city, next to the University of Bari's science campus, close to via Orabona, and the rector's office and enrolment offices are on via Amendola. Other degrees are taught in Taranto and Matera. Bari has its own international airport.
Nearest airport: Bari Karol Wojtyla Airport (BRI)
Notable alumni
- AD Antonio DecaroFormer Mayor of Bari, elected President of Puglia in the 2025 regional election; graduated in engineering
- EC Eugenio CantatoreElectrical engineer and IEEE Fellow at Eindhoven University of Technology; master's and PhD from Bari
- DD Daniele DiniProfessor of Tribology at Imperial College London; M.Eng. in mechanical engineering, 2000
- RL Ruggiero LovreglioEvacuation researcher at Massey University, New Zealand; civil engineering graduate
- LD Luigi dell'OlioProfessor of Transport Engineering at the University of Cantabria; civil engineering graduate, 2001
- FI Francesco IppolitoCivil and geotechnical engineer and writer; bachelor's in civil and environmental engineering
Frequently asked questions
Do non-EU students pay higher fees at Politecnico di Bari?
The 2026/27 regulation lists no separate scale for them. Non-EU students with income in Italy use the same income bands as Italians; those with income abroad prove it with consular declarations, and the contribution is capped at 2,257.60 euros a year.
How do I apply from outside the EU?
Pre-enrol on Universitaly, wait for the university to validate the application, then apply for a study visa. The national visa deadline for 2027/28 is 31 October 2027.
Is there an entrance test for engineering?
Yes. Bachelor's applicants sit the CISIA TOLC-I online (35 euros) and are ranked; the admissions page gives a minimum score of 18/50 in the early session and 12/50 in later ones for 2026/27.
Can I study in English?
Some programmes are English-taught, such as Architectural Sciences for Heritage, but most bachelor's degrees are in Italian and need an Italian test at B2 level.
How is Politecnico di Bari ranked?
QS World University Rankings 2027 places it in the 951-1000 band, THE World University Rankings 2026 in the 501-600 band and U.S. News Best Global Universities 2026-2027 at 809 (tie).
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.
- Politecnico di Bari: The Polytechnic
- Politecnico di Bari: Tuition fees
- Politecnico di Bari: Student fees and contributions regulations 2026/27 (PDF)
- Politecnico di Bari: TOLC-I and CEnT engineering admission tests
- Politecnico di Bari: Bachelor's degree programmes
- Politecnico di Bari: Graduate employment status (AlmaLaurea 2025)
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