University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli
Università degli Studi della Campania Luigi Vanvitelli
The former Second University of Naples, spread across 16 departments in Naples, Caserta, Aversa, Capua and Santa Maria Capua Vetere.
- Students
- 24,000
- Tuition
- €202
- From · 2026-27
- Founded
- 1991
- QS World Ranking
- 951-1000
- 2027 edition
About Vanvitelli
The University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli was established in 1991 as the Second University of Naples, split off from the University of Naples, and began teaching on 1 November 1992. It took its current name, after the architect of the Royal Palace of Caserta, in 2016. Its legal seat is in Caserta, and it has nearly 24,000 students.
Instead of a single campus, the university's 16 departments are spread across five towns in Campania, many of them housed in restored monasteries, convents and abbeys with 18th- and 19th-century cloisters. Naples hosts the School of Medicine and its departments along with the university hospital; Caserta has Mathematics and Physics, Psychology, Political Science and Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences; Aversa has Engineering and Architecture and Industrial Design; Santa Maria Capua Vetere has Law and Humanities and Cultural Heritage; and Capua has Economics.
Most teaching is in Italian, but Vanvitelli offers English-taught bachelor's degrees in Data Analytics and Nursing and English-taught master's or single-cycle degrees in Medicine and Surgery, Architecture (Regeneration of Built Environment), Data Science, Molecular Biotechnology and Physics. It suits students who want a large, medically strong public university in southern Italy with low fees, and who are comfortable commuting between historic town centres around Naples and Caserta.
Why students choose Vanvitelli
Medicine and Surgery is taught in English, with 50 of its 120 places for 2026/27 reserved for non-EU candidates living abroad.
Fees are low: students with an ISEE up to 22,000 euros pay only stamp duty and the regional tax, and foreign students' all-inclusive fee is capped at 500 euros (202 euros for developing countries) in 2026/27.
English-taught options include bachelor's degrees in Data Analytics and Nursing and master's degrees in Data Science, Molecular Biotechnology and Physics.
Double-degree routes run with partners in Brazil, France, Spain, Turkey, China and other countries, for example in Law, Data Analytics and Architecture.
Admissions
Entry 2027/28 (academic year starting autumn 2027)
Selectivity
Open-access degrees take all eligible applicants. Limited-access courses (Medicine and Surgery in English, Architecture, health professions, Nursing, Psychology, Primary Education and others) admit through a ranked admission test; Italian-taught Medicine and Dentistry use the national filter semester. Vanvitelli publishes no overall admission rate.
Typical entry requirements
| Italian diploma di maturità | Gives access to open-access degrees; limited-access degrees also require a place in the admission ranking |
|---|---|
| Foreign secondary diploma | A school-leaving qualification valid for university entry in your country, assessed through the national Universitaly procedure for international students |
| English language | English-language requirements for English-taught courses are set in each course's admission call; Vanvitelli's central pages do not publish a single IELTS or TOEFL minimum. |
Deadlines
- Nursing in English, test registration (2026/27 cycle, past) Non-binding Passed4 September 2026
Three-year degree with a local admission test.
- Medicine and Surgery in English, test registration on Universitaly (2026/27 cycle, past) Non-binding Passed26 August to 9 September 2026, 3 pm Italian time
Test on 29 September 2026; 70 places for EU candidates and non-EU residents in Italy, 50 for non-EU candidates living abroad.
- ISEE for fee reduction (2026/27) Non-binding Next deadline · In ~2 months16 December 2026
ISEE issued in 2026 must be in the INPS database between 1 June and 16 December 2026 (or an ISEE issued in 2027 between 15 January and 28 February 2027); otherwise the top fee band applies.
- Open-access degrees, online enrolment (2026/27) Non-bindingFrom 13 July 2026, until the deadline in the fee regulations
The first instalment (stamp duty and regional tax) is due by 30 October 2026.
2027/28 admission calls had not been published when checked; the dates shown are from the 2026/27 (previous) cycle, when calls appeared on 12 August. Universitaly pre-enrolment deadlines for non-EU applicants are set nationally each year.
How to apply
Open-access degrees: register on the student portal and submit the enrolment application online from 13 July, uploading the signed form and the receipt for the first instalment; the student office then assigns a student number. Limited-access degrees: apply to the course's admission call and take the test. Non-EU applicants living abroad must also follow the national Universitaly pre-enrolment procedure for international students to obtain a study visa. For Medicine and Surgery in English, candidates register for the test on Universitaly.
What admissions looks for
- A secondary qualification that gives access to university study.
- For limited-access courses, a high enough score in the admission test to place within the available places.
- For English-taught Medicine, a strong result in the September admission test, with separate rankings for EU and non-EU applicants.
- Complete online enrolment paperwork and payment of the first instalment within the deadline.
Tips for applying to Vanvitelli
- 1 Check the Bandi e Avvisi page for your course from August: in 2026 most admission calls were issued on 12 August with registration closing in early September.
- 2 Non-EU applicants abroad applying to Medicine in English compete for a separate quota (50 places in 2026/27), so register on Universitaly early.
- 3 Make sure your ISEE is in the INPS database by 16 December; without it you are placed in the highest fee band.
- 4 Choose four instalments instead of seven if you can: the seven-instalment plan adds 5 euros to each contribution instalment in 2026/27.
- 5 Look at ADISURC, the Campania study-rights agency, for scholarships; scholarship holders and eligible students are exempt from university fees.
Costs & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in EUR
Students with an ISEE up to 22,000 euros are exempt from tuition contributions by the university's own decision, and students with a disability of 66% or more are fully exempt. ADISURC, the Campania regional study-rights agency, awards scholarships, and its scholarship holders and eligible students are exempt from university fees. Foreign students on Italian government development-cooperation scholarships are exempt, and the university also offers merit awards and reductions for siblings and working students.
- ISEE up to 22,000 euros (stamp duty and regional tax only)
- No contribution
- 500 euros (202 euros for developing countries); the manifesto is unclear whether stamp duty and regional tax are included
- Foreign students' all-inclusive fee
- 130, 151 or 173 euros depending on ISEE
- Regional tax, 2026/27
Academics
Academic calendar: Two semesters
Medicine and Surgery in English
An English-taught single-cycle medical degree with 120 places in 2026/27, including 50 for non-EU candidates living abroad.
Architecture - Regeneration of Built Environment (English-taught)
An English-taught limited-access architecture degree run by the Aversa department.
Data Analytics (BSc, English-taught)
An English-taught bachelor's with a double-degree route in France.
Nursing (English-taught)
A three-year English-taught nursing degree with a local admission test.
Law (single-cycle)
Taught in Santa Maria Capua Vetere, with double-degree routes with partners in Brazil and Castilla, Spain.
Physics and Molecular Biotechnology (MSc, English-taught)
English-taught master's degrees in the Caserta science departments.
Research
- The medical departments in Naples work alongside the Luigi Vanvitelli University Hospital.
- Interdepartmental research centres include CIRLaM (language and medicine), CRECS (cognitive and experimental economics) and COSME (observatory on the European Mezzogiorno).
- MUSA, the University Museum of Sciences and Arts, holds the university's anatomy, pharmacology, stomatology and art collections.
Schools & faculties
- School of Medicine (7 departments, Naples)
- Department of Engineering (Aversa)
- Department of Architecture and Industrial Design (Aversa)
- Department of Mathematics and Physics (Caserta)
- Department of Psychology (Caserta)
- Department of Political Science (Caserta)
- Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies (Caserta)
- Department of Law (Santa Maria Capua Vetere)
- Department of Humanities and Cultural Heritage (Santa Maria Capua Vetere)
- Department of Economics (Capua)
Student life
Student life at Vanvitelli depends on which town your department is in: medicine is taught in Naples' historic centre, while engineering and architecture are in Aversa, law and humanities in Santa Maria Capua Vetere, economics in Capua and the sciences, psychology and political science in Caserta. Many departments occupy restored monasteries and convents with cloisters. The university runs a student transport service (v:erysoon), a university sports committee and a polyphonic choir, and it has an International Welcome Desk and a housing agreement with the SNA residential centre in Caserta for international students.
- Departments in restored historic complexes, many with 18th- and 19th-century cloisters.
- International Welcome Desk and a Welcome International Students Project.
- University choir and university sports committee.
- v:erysoon student transport service.
Housing. The university points international students to an accommodation agreement at the Caserta residential centre of the National School of Administration (SNA) and to HousingAnywhere; ADISURC handles regional student-rights benefits.
Location
Vanvitelli is spread across Campania in southern Italy: Naples, the region's capital, and the smaller towns of Caserta, Aversa, Capua and Santa Maria Capua Vetere to its north. Caserta is home to the Royal Palace begun by the architect Luigi Vanvitelli in 1752, after whom the university is named. Naples International Airport serves the whole area.
Nearest airport: Naples International Airport (NAP)
Notable alumni
- MF Marta FilizolaComputational biophysicist and dean of the graduate school of biomedical sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; PhD in computational chemistry, 1999
- AS Agostino SantilloItalian politician, member of the Chamber of Deputies since 2022 and former senator; civil engineering graduate
- DD Danilo Della ValleMember of the European Parliament since 2024; graduate in international relations
- CC Costantino CatenaClassical pianist; psychology graduate
- SG Stefano GrazianoItalian politician, Member of the Chamber of Deputies since 2022 (previously 2008-2013) and Campania regional councillor 2015-2020; graduated in environmental and land engineering from the Second University of Naples
- GS Gianfranco Di SarnoLawyer and law teacher from Caserta, Member of the Chamber of Deputies 2018-2022; law graduate
Frequently asked questions
How much does the University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli cost for international students?
For 2026/27 foreign students pay an all-inclusive fee of 500 euros a year (202 euros for students from developing countries) unless a lower fee or exemption applies. Italian-resident students pay by ISEE, from 146 euros to at most 2,907 euros.
Can I study medicine in English at Vanvitelli?
Yes. Medicine and Surgery in English had 120 places in 2026/27, 70 for EU candidates and non-EU residents in Italy and 50 for non-EU candidates living abroad, with admission by a test on 29 September 2026.
Which courses are taught in English at Vanvitelli?
Bachelor's degrees in Data Analytics and Nursing, and master's or single-cycle degrees in Medicine and Surgery, Architecture (Regeneration of Built Environment), Data Science, Molecular Biotechnology and Physics.
Where is the University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli?
Its legal seat is in Caserta, and its 16 departments are spread across Naples, Caserta, Aversa, Santa Maria Capua Vetere and Capua in Campania.
Is Vanvitelli the same as the Second University of Naples?
Yes. It was founded in 1991 as the Second University of Naples and was renamed the University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli in 2016.
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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