Free University of Bozen-Bolzano
Libera Università di Bolzano / Freie Universität Bozen
A small South Tyrolean university where every bachelor's degree is taught and examined in Italian, German and English.
- Students
- 4,340
- International
- 16%
- of students
- Tuition
- €1,200
- 2026-27
- Founded
- 1997
About unibz
The Free University of Bozen-Bolzano (unibz) was founded in 1997 in South Tyrol, the German- and Italian-speaking province in Italy's far north. It is a public-law non-state university: most of its funding comes from the Autonomous Province of Bozen-Bolzano, which provided 77% of a budget of about 121.8 million euros in 2025. With about 4,340 students, it is deliberately small, and teaches across four campuses in Bozen-Bolzano (city centre and NOI Techpark), Brixen-Bressanone and Bruneck-Brunico.
Its defining feature is language. All bachelor's programmes are trilingual: lectures and exams run in Italian, German and English, and applicants need a certified B2 level in two of the three languages to be admitted. The third language is taught free of charge alongside the degree, and students graduate with a language supplement recording the levels they reached. There is no English-only bachelor's degree; most master's programmes are taught in English.
Teaching is organised in five faculties: Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences; Design and Art; Economics and Management; Education; and Engineering. Classes are small, a quarter of professors come from abroad, and research links run to the NOI Techpark and the Laimburg research centre. It suits applicants who already speak two of the three languages well, want close contact with lecturers and like the idea of studying at the foot of the Dolomites.
Why students choose unibz
Every bachelor's degree is taught in Italian, German and English, with free language courses to bring the third language up to B2 by the end of year two.
Tuition is about 1,200 euros a year for all nationalities, and grant holders of the Province of South Tyrol get their fees refunded.
Programmes are small, with fixed numbers of places, for example 50 EU and 4 non-EU places in Computer Science.
AlmaLaurea data show 29.4% of unibz bachelor's graduates studied abroad during their degree, against a national average of 8.1%.
Admissions
2027/28 entry (dates shown are from the 2026/27 cycle)
Selectivity
Every bachelor's programme has a fixed number of places split between EU and non-EU applicants (e.g. Economics and Management 150 EU + 5 non-EU; Design 58 EU + 2 non-EU; Computer Science 50 EU + 4 non-EU). Applicants are ranked on school grades and programme-specific criteria; unibz does not publish an overall admission rate.
Typical entry requirements
| Secondary school diploma | An Italian upper secondary diploma or a foreign qualification recognised as equivalent after 12 years of schooling; the last two years must have been spent in the foreign system. Special Italian ministry rules apply to some qualifications, such as US and British certificates. |
|---|---|
| Languages | B2 in two of Italian, German and English at application; exit levels C1, C1 and B2 to graduate. |
| English language | English is one of three teaching languages. Applicants need B2 in two of the three languages (not necessarily English), shown by the language of their final school year, a degree, a recognised certificate or a unibz Language Centre exam. A B1 in the third language is needed before taking exams in it. |
Deadlines
- Early Bird Application (all applicants; only round for non-EU citizens living abroad) Non-binding Passed28 April 2026, noon (2026/27 cycle, past)
Opened 2 March 2026; online language exams in March and April; ranking lists by 27 May; first instalment due 5 June 2026.
- Late Application (EU citizens only) Non-binding Passed8 July 2026, noon (2026/27 cycle, past)
Opened 28 May 2026; ranking lists by 30 July. Remaining places from Early Bird are offered here.
- Additional Application Session (EU citizens only, programmes with free places) Non-binding Passed4 September 2026, noon (2026/27 cycle, past)
Opened 18 August 2026 for selected programmes.
unibz had not published 2027/28 dates on 29 September 2026. The Early Bird round usually runs from March to April; expect a similar pattern for 2027 entry and check the programme's admission information PDF.
How to apply
Apply online through the unibz application portal (not Universitaly), upload ID, school reports and language certificates, then secure a place by paying the first fee instalment after ranking lists are published and enrol online. Non-EU citizens living abroad can only apply in the Early Bird round, pay a 50 euro application fee and must then complete the Universitaly pre-enrolment for their visa.
What admissions looks for
- Certified B2 in at least two of the three teaching languages; applicants without it are excluded.
- Strong school grades in the final years, weighted towards subjects relevant to the programme (for Computer Science, mathematics).
- For some programmes, certified extra-curricular work in the field, such as maths olympiads or robotics competitions for Computer Science.
- Language levels above the minimum, which earn bonus points in programmes such as Economics and Management.
Tips for applying to unibz
- 1 Get your language certificates early: unibz runs online B2 exams in fixed registration windows during the application period.
- 2 Non-EU applicants living abroad have one chance per year, the Early Bird round in spring, and a small quota (often 2 to 5 places per programme).
- 3 Read the programme's admission information PDF: scoring differs by programme, e.g. Computer Science gives separate points for your maths average and for certified science or IT activities.
- 4 If you start as an absolute beginner in the third language, take the free three-week intensive course in September before classes.
Costs & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in EUR
The Autonomous Province of South Tyrol awards ordinary and merit study grants, and grant holders have their unibz fees refunded; non-EU students qualify only with a long-term residence permit or after a year's residence in South Tyrol. Italian government scholarship holders from abroad are exempt from fees. unibz reports 883 local grants awarded to students in 2025.
- 883
- Local grants awarded to students (2025)
- 3.2%
- Tuition fees as share of university budget (2025)
Academics
Academic calendar: Semesters (first semester late September to February, second March to July)
Computer Science (BSc, L-31)
Trilingual degree at the NOI Techpark, awarded the GRIN quality label in 2021, with lab work in every lesson and a final project with a company or research group.
Economics and Management (BSc, L-18)
The largest bachelor's intake, with 150 EU and 5 non-EU places, taught in three languages in central Bozen-Bolzano.
Design and Art (bachelor, Design or Art major)
Taught with 11 design workshops and the BITZ fablab; Censis ranks the faculty's bachelor's and master's first among Italian non-state universities.
Food and Enogastronomy Sciences (bachelor)
A trilingual food degree in Bozen-Bolzano at a university that hosts the International Competence Centre on Food Fermentations.
Tourism, Sport and Event Management (bachelor)
Taught at the Bruneck-Brunico campus in the Puster valley; unibz also runs a Competence Centre for Sustainable Tourism.
Research
- 452 research projects ran in 2025, including 129 new projects worth 20.1 million euros, 13.3 million of it from international and European funds.
- 94 laboratories, 26 of them at the NOI Techpark innovation district and 3 at the Laimburg research centre.
- In the ANVUR 2020–2024 research evaluation, the agricultural faculty placed 6th of 73 nationally and economics and statistics 7th of 141.
Schools & faculties
- Faculty of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences
- Faculty of Design and Art
- Faculty of Economics and Management
- Faculty of Education
- Faculty of Engineering
74% of graduates are employed 12 months after graduating (unibz). AlmaLaurea data: 67% of bachelor's students graduate on time (national average 60.1%), and bachelor's graduates find a first job 2.9 months after graduating on average.
Student life
Student life is spread across three small towns, so it feels more like a close community than a big-city campus. The sports club SCUB organises courses, races and tournaments from climbing to handball, and the Dolomites, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, are on the doorstep for hiking, cycling and skiing. Other student groups such as k!kero, PRO – Students for Business and Talìa UniLife run events through the year. Bozen-Bolzano has the Museion modern art museum, theatre and jazz, film and dance festivals, and Christmas markets across South Tyrol in December.
- SCUB, the student sports club, runs events from climbing to handball.
- Free language courses help every student reach B2 in the third teaching language.
- Four campuses: Bozen-Bolzano city centre, NOI Techpark, Brixen-Bressanone and Bruneck-Brunico.
- The BITZ fablab and 11 design workshops are open to design students.
Housing. unibz lists partner student halls in its towns, such as Casa San Benedetto and the Elisabethinum in Bozen-Bolzano, but does not guarantee rooms.
Location
Bozen-Bolzano is the capital of South Tyrol, an autonomous, largely German-speaking province of Italy where Mediterranean and Alpine climates meet. It is a compact city ringed by mountains, home to the Ötzi iceman museum, with the Dolomites close by. Brixen-Bressanone and Bruneck-Brunico, the other campus towns, are smaller and further up the valleys.
Nearest airport: Bolzano Airport (BZO)
Notable alumni
- RF Robert FliriMountain athlete (1976-2025) and inventor of the modern barefoot shoe, which he developed as a design student at unibz
- MB Martin BinderBerlin-based artist and designer; bachelor's in industrial design at unibz (2009–2012)
- MV Maicol VerzottoItalian platform diver; bachelor's in economics at unibz
- HZ Hannes ZingerleSouth Tyrolean politician; bachelor's in communication sciences
- HK Hans Karl PeterliniJournalist and professor of education at the University of Klagenfurt; PhD from the unibz Faculty of Education (2010)
- SR Simon RazniewskiComputer scientist and professor of knowledge-based AI at TU Dresden; PhD from unibz (2014)
Frequently asked questions
Can I study at unibz in English only?
Not at bachelor's level: all bachelor's programmes are trilingual (Italian, German and English), and you need B2 in two of the three languages to be admitted. Most master's programmes are taught only in English.
How much does unibz cost per year?
Tuition is 1,200 euros a year, paid in two instalments of 600 euros, for EU and non-EU students alike. Non-EU applicants living abroad also pay a 50 euro application fee.
When is the unibz application deadline for 2027?
The 2027/28 dates were not yet published in September 2026. In the 2026/27 cycle the Early Bird round ran from 2 March to 28 April 2026, and it is the only round open to non-EU citizens living abroad.
Do I apply to unibz through Universitaly?
You apply through unibz's own portal. Non-EU applicants who win a place then complete the Universitaly pre-enrolment for their student visa, which is mandatory to enrol.
What if I don't speak the third language?
You can start as a beginner: unibz offers free intensive courses in September and courses during the year, aiming for B1 by the end of year one and B2 by the end of year two.
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.
Explore nearby in the world top 100
Universities ranked close to unibz in the QS World University Rankings 2027.