Sapienza University of Rome
Sapienza Università di Roma
Rome's oldest university and Europe's largest, with income-based fees and English-taught degrees on a 1930s campus.
- Students
- 125,332
- Tuition
- €300
- From · 2025-26
- Founded
- 1303
- QS World Ranking
- #111
- 2027 edition
About Sapienza
Sapienza was founded in 1303 by a papal bull of Pope Boniface VIII, which makes it the oldest university in Rome, and with 125,332 students in 2022-23 it describes itself as the largest university in Europe. Its main site is the Città universitaria, a 1930s campus near Piazzale Aldo Moro, with further sites across Rome and in Latina.
The university is organised into 11 faculties, a School for Advanced Studies, a post-degree School of Aerospace Engineering and 58 departments. It offers 311 bachelor's and master's programmes; for 2026-27 it listed 8 bachelor's and 45 master's degrees taught entirely in English, from Applied Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence to Classics and Global Humanities. Research strengths it names include archaeology, physics and astrophysics, cultural heritage, aerospace, design and cell and gene therapy.
Fees are low by international standards. Italian-resident students pay according to their ISEE family income statement, with no fee up to an ISEE of 24,000 euros, while students with foreign income pay a flat 300, 700 or 1,500 euros a year depending on their country. Sapienza suits independent students who are comfortable navigating a very large institution and Italian bureaucracy, and who want to study in the middle of Rome.
Il futuro è passato qui
“The future has passed through here” — university motto
Why students choose Sapienza
Full-time tuition for students with foreign income is 300 to 1,500 euros a year, set by country band rather than by programme.
English-taught bachelor's degrees include Applied Computer Science and AI, Bioinformatics, Business Sciences, Economics and Finance, Classics and Sustainable Building Engineering.
Nobel laureates Enrico Fermi and Giorgio Parisi both held Sapienza's Chair of Theoretical Physics, and the university lists ten Nobel Prize winners among its professors and graduates.
Italian school leavers who score 100 with honours pay only 30 euros in their first year, and a selective School of Advanced Studies runs extra interdisciplinary courses alongside a regular degree.
Admissions
2027-28 entry (procedures and dates below are from the 2026-27 cycle)
Selectivity
Sapienza publishes no overall admission rate. Many programmes are open-access for eligible applicants, while restricted-access programmes (such as Medicine and Surgery and some English-taught degrees) use admission tests and capped places.
Typical entry requirements
| Secondary school diploma | A high school diploma earned after at least 12 years of schooling, recognised via ARDI or a CIMEA statement or Declaration of Value, plus any programme-specific test |
|---|---|
| Italian diploma (maturità) | Access through the Italian procedures in each programme's call for applications, with TOLC tests for restricted-access or assessed programmes |
| English language | IELTS 5.5 · TOEFL iBT 72 English-taught programmes require B2. For BSc Applied Computer Science and AI the minimum is IELTS Academic 5.5 or TOEFL iBT 72 (PTE Academic 42; FCE, CAE and CPE accepted); several other programmes list IELTS 5.5 or TOEFL iBT 80. Waived for IB diploma holders and those with an English-taught diploma from the EU/EEA, UK, US, Canada, Australia or New Zealand. |
Deadlines
- MoveIN pre-selection opens Non-binding Passed22 December 2025 (2026-27 cycle)
Pre-selection opened on this date for 2026-27 entry.
- Pre-selection deadline, non-EU visa applicants Non-binding Passed15 May 2026 (2026-27 cycle)
Pre-accepted students then had to register on Universitaly by 30 June 2026.
- Universitaly pre-enrolment, non-EU applicants Non-binding Passed30 June 2026 (2026-27 cycle)
Required for the study visa.
- Pre-selection deadline, EU and equivalent applicants Non-binding Passed31 July 2026 (2026-27 cycle)
For candidates who do not need a visa.
Sapienza has not yet published 2027-28 dates. The dates shown are from the 2026-27 cycle; expect a similar pattern (pre-selection opening around December, a mid-May deadline for visa applicants). Calls for applications for individual programmes are published from late June.
How to apply
For English-taught degrees, apply for online pre-selection on the MoveIN platform (maximum two programmes, 30 euro fee per application), then register on Infostud and follow the programme's call for applications in the Course Catalogue. Non-EU applicants living abroad must also complete pre-enrolment and the study visa request on Universitaly with their pre-acceptance letter.
What admissions looks for
- A recognised secondary diploma from at least 12 years of schooling, with a minimum GPA (often 75/100) for English-taught pre-selection.
- Proof of B2 English (or B2 Italian for Italian-taught degrees).
- Passing scores on the entry test set by the programme, such as SAT, TOLC or CEnT-S.
- For science programmes, basic mathematics and science knowledge plus logical and written comprehension skills.
Tips for applying to Sapienza
- 1 Download the Admission requirements PDF for your programme before applying: each English-taught degree sets its own tests and minimum scores.
- 2 You can submit at most two MoveIN pre-selection applications per year, so choose programmes carefully.
- 3 If you need a visa, treat the mid-May pre-selection deadline as the real deadline; after that non-EU applicants could only apply to Italian-taught programmes.
- 4 Start your diploma recognition (ARDI statement, CIMEA or Declaration of Value) early; enrolment can be cancelled if documents are missing.
Costs & financial aid
2025-26 · figures in EUR
Fees are set by family income (ISEE) for students with Italian income, with full exemption up to an ISEE of 24,000 euros and reductions up to 40,000 euros. Italian school leavers with 100 with honours pay only 30 euros in the first year and those with 95 to 100 get fee reductions; siblings get a discount, and the university offers merit and income-based scholarships, honours programmes and the School of Advanced Studies.
- ISEE up to 24,000 euros: no tuition
- Fee exemption threshold
- 30 euros per application, no waivers
- Pre-selection application fee
Academics
Applied Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence (BSc, in English)
Two common years of maths, statistics, computer science and AI, then specialisation and an internship in industry or a research lab.
Economics and Finance (BSc, in English)
One of eight English-taught bachelor's degrees open to international applicants through MoveIN pre-selection.
Classics (BA, in English)
An English-taught BA open to international applicants, at a university that lists archaeology and cultural heritage among its research strengths.
Physics
The department of Fermi, Segrè, Majorana and Parisi; the MSc in Physics and Astrophysics and Cosmology are taught in English.
Space and Astronautical Engineering (MSc, in English)
Builds on aerospace, one of Sapienza's named research strengths, and its dedicated School of Aerospace Engineering.
Research
- Enrico Fermi held the Chair of Theoretical Physics from 1926 to 1938, and Giorgio Parisi (Nobel Prize in Physics 2021) held it from 1992 to 2018.
- Sapienza names archaeology, physics and astrophysics, cultural heritage, nanotechnology, cell and gene therapy, design and aerospace as research strengths.
- The university runs 19 museums, a botanical garden and 44 libraries, some with 24-hour reading rooms.
Schools & faculties
- Faculty of Architecture
- Faculty of Economics
- Faculty of Pharmacy and Medicine
- Faculty of Law
- Faculty of Civil and Industrial Engineering
- Faculty of Information Engineering, Computer Science and Statistics
- Faculty of Arts and Philosophy
- Faculty of Medicine and Psychology
- Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry
- Faculty of Mathematical, Physical and Natural Sciences
- Faculty of Political Science, Sociology, Communication
- School for Advanced Studies
Student life
Life at Sapienza centres on the Città universitaria, a 1930s campus near Piazzale Aldo Moro, plus faculties spread around the city. With more than 125,000 students, it feels like a small city in its own right. The SapienzaSport centre covers over 100,000 square metres of facilities, and the university runs orchestras and choirs (Musica Sapienza), the Nuovo Teatro Ateneo, 19 museums and the web station RadioSapienza. Over 30,000 students come from other Italian cities and more than 11,000 are international.
- Musica Sapienza orchestras and choirs, the Nuovo Teatro Ateneo and the Theatron theatre project.
- SapienzaSport, with more than 100,000 square metres of sports facilities.
- 44 libraries, some with 24-hour reading rooms.
- HELLO help desk for international students and orientation and tutoring offices in every faculty.
- 3,500 students a year go abroad on exchange and mobility programmes.
Housing. Sapienza does not guarantee accommodation; most students rent privately in Rome.
Location
Rome is Italy's capital and largest city. The main Sapienza campus, the Città universitaria, sits near Piazzale Aldo Moro and the Campo Verano cemetery, close to the city centre, with other faculties spread across Rome and a site in Latina. Students share the city with tourists and one of the densest collections of ancient and Renaissance heritage anywhere, and rents are high by Italian standards, so budget carefully.
Nearest airport: Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO)
Notable alumni
- MM Maria MontessoriPhysician and educator who created the Montessori method
- MD Mario DraghiEconomist, President of the European Central Bank and Prime Minister of Italy
- SM Sergio MattarellaJurist and 12th President of the Italian Republic
- FM Franco ModiglianiEconomist, Nobel Prize in Economics 1985; graduated in Law in 1939
- EM Ettore MajoranaTheoretical physicist known for the Majorana fermion
- LB Lina Bo BardiArchitect and designer of São Paulo's MASP museum
- AA Alberto AngelaPalaeontologist and science broadcaster
- CV Carlo VerdoneActor and film director
Frequently asked questions
How much does Sapienza cost for international students?
Students whose income is outside Italy pay a flat fee of 300, 700 or 1,500 euros a year depending on their country (2025-26 rates). There is also a 30 euro fee for each pre-selection application.
Does Sapienza offer bachelor's degrees in English?
Yes. For 2026-27 there were eight English-taught bachelor's degrees, including Applied Computer Science and AI, Bioinformatics, Business Sciences, Economics and Finance, Classics and Global Humanities, plus 45 English-taught master's degrees.
What IELTS score do I need for Sapienza?
English-taught programmes require B2 level. Minimums vary by programme, for example IELTS 5.5 or TOEFL iBT 72 for Applied Computer Science and AI, and IELTS 5.5 or TOEFL iBT 80 for several others.
When is the Sapienza deadline for international students?
In the 2026-27 cycle, non-EU applicants who needed a visa had to complete MoveIN pre-selection by 15 May 2026 and Universitaly pre-enrolment by 30 June; EU applicants had until 31 July. Dates for 2027-28 are not yet published.
Is Sapienza free for Italian students?
Tuition is free for students with an ISEE of up to 24,000 euros and reduced up to 40,000 euros; above that the standard fee is 2,821 or 2,924 euros depending on the faculty.
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.
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