Politecnico di Milano
Italy's largest technical university for engineering, architecture and design, with income-based fees under EUR 4,000.
- Students
- 49,395
- International
- 20%
- of students
- Tuition
- €157
- From · 2026-27
- Founded
- 1863
About Polimi
Founded in 1863, the Politecnico di Milano is Italy's largest technical university. It teaches and researches only engineering, architecture and design. Its historic headquarters is on Piazza Leonardo da Vinci in the Città Studi district, and a second large Milan campus is in Bovisa, with satellite campuses in Cremona, Lecco, Mantova and Piacenza and a joint school with Xi'an Jiaotong University in China.
Teaching is organised in four schools: Architecture Urban Planning Construction Engineering; Design; Civil, Environmental and Land Management Engineering; and Industrial and Information Engineering. In 2025/26 it had 49,395 students, including 37,227 in engineering, 7,375 in architecture, 4,793 in design and 2,240 doctoral candidates. 9,940 international students are enrolled, 2,632 of them in bachelor's (laurea) programmes.
Polimi suits applicants who want a rigorous, maths-heavy technical education, or a top-ranked design or architecture school, at public-university prices. Admission is by entrance test (TOL for engineering, TOLD for design, the national ARCHED test for architecture), not by essays or interviews. Most bachelor's programmes are taught in Italian, and a smaller set runs in English. Fees are set by family income, so the same degree can cost a few hundred euros or just under EUR 4,000 a year.
Why students choose Polimi
QS ranks Polimi 6th in the world for Architecture and Built Environment and 7th for Art and Design (2026 subject rankings), rare for a public university with fees under EUR 4,000.
Fees are based on family income (ISEE), from about EUR 157 to EUR 3,943 a year for a standard study plan, with extra Diritto allo Studio grants for students from lower-income families.
Admission is test-based: a strong TOL, SAT (620+ per section for early entry) or CISIA test score can earn you a place without essays or interviews.
Polimi's own figures show 99% of its Italian MSc graduates of 2024 were employed one year after graduating.
Admissions
Academic year 2027/2028 (starting September 2027)
Selectivity
No overall admit rate. Places in each programme are capped and allocated by entrance test score and stated preferences. For engineering, a TOL score of at least 30/100 is needed to enter the rankings. Early-entry students need 75/100 or more for Italian-taught courses. Non-EU applicants residing abroad compete for a separate quota of reserved places.
Typical entry requirements
| Engineering bachelor's | TOL score of 30/100 or more to be ranked (75/100+ for early entry to Italian-taught courses), or converted TOLC-I, CEnT-S or SAT score |
|---|---|
| Architecture bachelor's | National ARCHED test (English and Italian versions; 2026 sittings were 23 and 24 July) |
| Design bachelor's | TOLD test (in English for the English-taught Interaction Design programme) |
| Foreign school-leaving qualifications | Checked by the International Students Office against Italian ministry guidelines (years of schooling, final grade or suitability test); report cards from the last three years required |
| English language | For English-taught bachelor's programmes, English proficiency must be shown before enrolment: citizenship of an English-speaking country, a secondary diploma taught in English, or a certificate from Polimi's accepted list. Italian-taught programmes require CLIQ B2 Italian or equivalent. Students in English-taught programmes must reach B2 Italian before graduating. |
Deadlines
- Early TOL (for students graduating from school in 2027) Non-binding Passed31 May 2026 / 16 July 2026 (two 2026 slots)
Closed. First slot 11 March to 31 May 2026, second 1 June to 16 July 2026. A rounded score of 75/100+ qualifies for early enrolment in Italian-taught courses for 2027/28. More information expected around January 2027.
- Alternative tests for 2027/28 early entry (SAT, TOLC-I, CEnT-S) Non-binding Passed31 August 2026
Closed. Test must be taken between 1 September 2025 and 31 August 2026 and registered in Online Services by 11:59 am CEST on 31 August 2026
- Standard TOL and English-taught programme admissions for 2027/28 Non-bindingTo be announced (from January 2027)
For 2026/27 the standard TOL ran in two slots from 1 February to 31 May 2026; separate rankings apply to English-taught courses
Polimi publishes its call for admission each year. The early-entry windows for 2027/28 (early TOL and alternative tests) have already closed; the 2027/28 call for standard entry, English-taught programmes and non-EU reserved places will be published from January 2027. Architecture follows the national ARCHED calendar (July in 2026).
How to apply
Register in Polimi's Online Services, book and sit the entrance test for your school (TOL, TOLD or ARCHED) or register an alternative test score (TOLC-I, CEnT-S, SAT), upload your last three years of school reports, then enrol in the programme assigned by the rankings. Non-EU applicants also need a student visa.
What admissions looks for
- Your entrance test score, which alone determines your place in the rankings together with your programme preferences.
- Logic, mathematics and statistics: these carry the most weight in the TOL and break ties.
- Language readiness: proof of English for English-taught programmes, or Italian (B2) for Italian-taught ones, before enrolment.
- A school-leaving qualification that meets Italian ministry equivalence rules.
Tips for applying to Polimi
- 1 Take the TOL or SAT in your penultimate year: an early score of 75/100 or more can lock in a place in an Italian-taught engineering programme a year ahead.
- 2 The TOL deducts 0.25 points per wrong answer and triples the weight of verbal comprehension questions, so practise the specific format.
- 3 Send your SAT to Polimi with code 7364 and register the score in Online Services before the deadline; unregistered scores cannot be used.
- 4 Non-EU applicants living abroad should apply under the reserved-places quota and start the student visa process as soon as they receive a place.
Costs & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in EUR
Fees scale with family income through the ISEE indicator (or equalised ISEEU for income abroad). Talented students from lower-income families can get Diritto allo Studio grants, and Polimi offers scholarships for international students on selected bachelor's programmes such as Process Engineering (Cremona) and Industrial Engineering (Piacenza).
- EUR 157.04
- Minimum annual fee (ISEE up to EUR 22,000)
- EUR 3,943.04
- Maximum annual fee (standard plan)
- EUR 880.04, reducible with ISEE below EUR 27,740
- First instalment on enrolment (2026/27)
Academics
Academic calendar: Two semesters per academic year
Architecture (Architectural Design)
QS ranks Polimi 6th worldwide for Architecture and Built Environment; entry is through the national ARCHED test, offered in English and Italian.
Design (including Interaction Design in English)
Ranked 7th in the world for Art and Design by QS; admission through Polimi's own TOLD test.
Civil Engineering (taught in English)
Polimi is ranked 14th in the world for Civil and Structural Engineering by QS (2026).
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Polimi ranks 14th in the world for Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering in the QS 2026 subject tables.
Research
- 437 projects funded under Horizon 2020 and 281 under FP7.
- 119 accredited spin-offs since 2000 (87 still active) and 3,408 patents covering 1,123 inventions (as of November 2024).
- Top 50 in QS 2026 subject rankings for Data Science and AI, Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science and Mathematics.
Schools & faculties
- School of Architecture Urban Planning Construction Engineering
- School of Design
- School of Civil, Environmental and Land Management Engineering
- School of Industrial and Information Engineering
Italian MSc graduates of 2024: 99% employed one year after graduation and 94% in work consistent with their degree. Of 2020 graduates, 91% were on permanent contracts five years on (Polimi figures).
Student life
Polimi is a commuter-style city university with no residential college system. Students live in Polimi residences or shared flats around Città Studi and Bovisa and study in the historic buildings on Piazza Leonardo da Vinci or the modern Bovisa labs. The workload is heavy and exam sessions shape the year, but Milan offers design week, fashion, football and nightlife. Student associations, university sport at the Giuriati sports ground and study spaces across campus fill the rest of the week.
- Historic Leonardo campus on Piazza Leonardo da Vinci, active since 1927
- Bovisa campus for design and parts of engineering
- Satellite campuses in Cremona, Lecco, Mantova and Piacenza
- The Giuriati sports ground and new gym for students
Housing. Polimi offers student accommodation, but places are limited and most students rent privately in Milan, where rents are high by Italian standards.
Location
Milan is Italy's business, finance, fashion and design capital, with fast trains across Italy and into Switzerland and France. Città Studi is a lively, student-heavy district east of the centre with good metro links. Milan is more expensive than other Italian university cities, especially for rent, but offers internships and industry contacts that few Italian cities can match.
Nearest airport: Milan Linate Airport (LIN)
Notable alumni
- GN Giulio NattaChemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1963
- RP Renzo PianoPritzker Prize-winning architect (Centre Pompidou, The Shard)
- GP Gio PontiArchitect and designer of Milan's Pirelli Tower
- AR Aldo RossiPritzker Prize-winning architect and theorist
- GA Gae AulentiArchitect and designer of the Musée d'Orsay interiors
- GB Giovanni Battista PirelliFounder of the Pirelli company
- GF Gianfranco FerréFashion designer
- CE Carlo Emilio GaddaEngineer and novelist
Frequently asked questions
What is Politecnico di Milano's QS ranking?
Polimi is joint 87th in the QS World University Rankings 2027 and 1st in Italy. In the 2026 subject rankings it is 6th in the world for Architecture and 7th for Art and Design.
What is the TOL test?
The TOL is Polimi's online entrance test for engineering, covering logic, maths and statistics, verbal comprehension, physics and English. You need at least 30/100 to be ranked. TOLC-I, CEnT-S or SAT scores can be used instead.
Can I use the SAT to get into Politecnico di Milano?
Yes, for engineering. For 2026/27 early entry the SAT needed at least 620 in each section. For 2027/28 early entry to Italian-taught courses the converted score must reach 75/100, with separate rankings for English-taught courses.
How much are tuition fees at Politecnico di Milano?
Fees depend on family income: from about EUR 157 to EUR 3,943 a year for a standard study plan (2026/27). Students who do not submit an income declaration pay the maximum.
Are there bachelor's degrees in English at Polimi?
Yes, a smaller set, such as Civil Engineering, Architectural Design and Interaction Design. You must prove English before enrolment and reach B2 Italian before graduating.
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 Milano - Our figures (QS 2027 rank, students, employment)
- Politecnico di Milano - Admission to Laurea programmes
- Politecnico di Milano - Engineering admission 2026/27
- Politecnico di Milano - When to register for the TOL
- Politecnico di Milano - SAT as alternative test
- Politecnico di Milano - Engineering scores and rankings
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