Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele

About Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele

UniSR is an independent degree-granting institution recognized by Italy’s Ministry of Universities and Research as a non-state university. It opened in 1996 with psychology, added medicine and surgery in 1998, and established philosophy in 2002. The university joined Gruppo San Donato in 2015. Its identity remains unusually concentrated: rather than offering a broad catalogue across every discipline, it organizes education around the Faculties of Medicine and Surgery, Psychology, and Philosophy. The principal academic setting is the San Raffaele campus in eastern Milan. University classrooms and laboratories operate in proximity to IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, making the relationship between teaching, research, and clinical practice particularly relevant for prospective medical, biotechnology, psychology, and health-professions students. Philosophy and social-science offerings broaden the institution beyond its biomedical base, including work on contemporary society, public affairs, arts, and ethics. UniSR is private and charges program-specific tuition. It should not be treated as an English-only institution: the 2026/27 catalogue contains many Italian-taught degrees alongside a smaller group of English-taught options. Prospective international students therefore need to check the language and access rules of their chosen course rather than relying on a university-wide policy. The institution is currently operating, publishing 2026/27 admissions and student-support materials, and offering qualifications at bachelor’s, master’s, single-cycle master’s, and doctoral levels.

Admission is managed at program level. Applicants must first identify the exact degree, teaching language, citizenship category, and access method shown in the current catalogue. Some courses have programmed or limited access, while others use prior-qualification evaluation or different selection procedures. Graduate applicants must also satisfy the academic prerequisites specified by their chosen program. The 2026/27 International Medical Doctor Program illustrates this program-specific approach. It had separate calls and quotas for EU or equivalent candidates and non-EU candidates residing abroad. Applicants registered through the UniSR admissions portal and completed a home-based admission test. Candidates holding or completing a non-Italian secondary qualification had to submit school documents for evaluation before test registration; UniSR instructed them to begin portal registration at least five days before the applicable deadline. The published 2026 test-registration periods have passed as of August 20, 2026, so future applicants must not reuse those dates and should wait for the next official call. International applicants should check Italy’s qualification-recognition, pre-enrolment, immigration, and visa requirements in addition to UniSR’s procedures. Admission to one program does not establish eligibility for another, and English-taught study does not remove document or citizenship-category requirements. Applicants should rely on the official call for their intended entry year because quotas, tests, fees, required documents, and enrollment windows can change.

The 2026/27 academic catalogue covers three faculties and several qualification types. At undergraduate level, examples include Philosophy, Psychological Sciences and Techniques, Political Sciences and Global Strategies, Biotechnology Research in Medicine, Nursing, Physiotherapy, Midwifery, Dental Hygiene, and medical imaging and radiotherapy techniques. The university also offers six-year, single-cycle degrees in Medicine and Surgery, the English-taught International Medical Doctor Program, and Dentistry and Dental Implantology. Two-year master’s options extend the same focused subject areas. Current English-taught choices include Biotechnology for Innovative Therapeutics, Health Informatics, Cognitive Psychology in Health Communication, and Politics, Philosophy and Public Affairs. Italian-taught options include programs in psychology, philosophy, rehabilitation sciences, nursing and midwifery, arts and image studies, and geopolitics. The catalogue should be consulted directly because access may be open, programmed, limited, or based on evaluation of prior qualifications. Doctoral study includes Molecular Medicine, Cognitive and Behavioral Sciences, Philosophy, and a joint UniSR-IUSS course. The university also runs health-area specialization schools, postgraduate university master programs, training courses, and clinical fellowships; these credentials have distinct entry requirements and should not be confused with standard bachelor’s, two-year master’s, or PhD degrees. A major academic consideration is language. Italian remains the teaching language for much of the portfolio, while selected programs are expressly offered in English. The nearby hospital and research infrastructure can provide a practice-oriented environment, but the nature and timing of clinical work, laboratory activity, placements, or internships depend on the individual curriculum.

Key Highlights

• Recognized by the Italian ministry as a non-state university in Milan
• Founded in 1996, beginning with the Faculty of Psychology
• Three faculties: Medicine and Surgery, Psychology, and Philosophy
• Part of Gruppo San Donato since 2015

Student Life & Environment

Campus life combines university services with student-led cultural, recreational, solidarity, and sporting activities. UniSR’s current campus directory lists groups and projects involving arts, drama, talks, games, cycling, and other interests. Organized sports include men’s and women’s basketball, football, and volleyball, as well as rugby, cheerleading, swimming, tennis, running, chess, and skiing. Participation conditions and team availability should be confirmed for the relevant year. Academic and personal support includes a library, tutoring, counseling, disability and specific-learning-difference services, international mobility support, scholarships, and career guidance. International students can obtain administrative and mobility advice through the relevant university offices. The campus also provides cafeterias, bars, and study facilities. University-managed housing is limited and assigned through formal calls rather than guaranteed with admission. UniSR identifies two residences, Cascina Melghera and Cassinella. Both provide furnished single rooms with private bathrooms, internet access, common study and leisure areas, laundry facilities, and gyms. Melghera is about 300 metres from the main university building, while Cassinella is approximately a 20-minute walk away. Students who do not obtain a residence place need to arrange housing in the wider Milan rental market, so accommodation planning should begin early.

Location & Surroundings

UniSR’s main site is at Via Olgettina 58 in the eastern part of Milan, beside the San Raffaele hospital and research complex. This is a specialized hospital-university environment rather than a traditional central-city campus. The setting is especially relevant to students seeking regular exposure to clinical and biomedical activity, while Milan’s broader cultural, commercial, and professional opportunities remain accessible by public transport. The nearest metro connection is Cascina Gobba on Milan’s M2 green line. From there, students can use the separate San Raffaele shuttle or bus 925 to reach the hospital and university area. The Milanodue facilities can also be reached by walking from San Raffaele or continuing on the bus. Journey times and fares should be checked with the transport operator before travel. Milan is served by Linate, Malpensa, and Orio al Serio airports. Linate is the closest of the three to the university. Students should budget for commuting and compare residence locations carefully: the main academic site lies outside Milan’s historic center, and evening or clinical schedules may make proximity to campus more important than a central address.

Costs & Career Outcomes

Tuition is program-specific, so there is no single reliable university-wide price. As a current reference, first-year tuition for the 2026/27 International Medical Doctor Program was €20,690 for both the published EU and non-EU routes, payable in three installments. This figure should not be applied to other degrees or later cohorts. Applicants should use the fee page and admission call for their exact program and entry year, then budget separately for housing, meals, transport, books, immigration requirements, and personal expenses. For 2026/27, UniSR published a regional right-to-study competition based on financial circumstances and merit requirements. Available support can include fee exemption, a scholarship, and related benefits, subject to the call, funding, rankings, and required academic progress. The Italian version of the call is identified by UniSR as the authoritative text. University residence places are also competitive. Cassinella’s published full-rate fee for 2026/27 was €7,000 for a single room over the specified residence period; meals were not included. Reduced-rate places were linked to the regional-benefit requirements. Career preparation is supported through incoming, in-course, and outgoing guidance, placements, mobility opportunities, and proximity to clinical and research environments. UniSR’s summary of the 2026 AlmaLaurea survey reports outcomes for defined graduate groups, but these should not be interpreted as guaranteed individual results. Field, qualification level, further study, professional licensing, language ability, and work authorization can all materially affect employment prospects.