Università degli Studi di Cagliari

Key Highlights

• Public state university recognized by Italy’s Ministry of University and Research
• Legally founded in 1620; teaching began in 1626
• Organized into six faculties and 15 departments
• Official institutional profile reports more than 24,750 enrolled students

Student Life & Environment

Student life is spread across university buildings and the wider city rather than centered on a single self-contained campus. This arrangement can suit students who want daily contact with Cagliari, but it makes the location of a chosen faculty important when planning housing and travel. Scientific and medical activity is concentrated substantially at Monserrato, while historic university buildings and other faculties occupy sites in Cagliari. ERSU Cagliari, the regional right-to-study authority, manages major welfare services connected with university study. For 2026/2027 it published a combined competition for scholarships and accommodation places. Eligibility is governed by the ERSU call and includes economic, academic, residency, and enrollment conditions; international students whose families live abroad must follow the separate documentation rules for the equivalent ISEE assessment. Housing is therefore competitive assistance, not guaranteed accommodation for every enrollee. UniCa’s international guidance warns that September remains a busy tourist period in Sardinia and that accommodation may be more expensive then. Incoming students are advised to arrange an initial stay while seeking longer-term housing. The university also documents specialized tutoring and inclusion support for students with disabilities or specific learning disorders, including exam accommodations, accessible materials, study assistance, assistive equipment, and certain transport services. Students should contact the relevant office early because support is tailored to documented needs.

Location & Surroundings

UniCa is based in Cagliari, the principal city of Sardinia, with its rectorate at Via Università 40. The university’s physical layout combines historic central buildings with later teaching, research, and clinical facilities. Palazzo Belgrano remains the seat of the rectorate and University Library, while the Botanical Garden reflects the institution’s nineteenth-century scientific development. The Monserrato university complex and teaching hospital emerged from the university’s twentieth-century expansion. This distributed arrangement means that “near the university” can describe quite different areas. Applicants should identify the teaching location for their specific course before signing a lease, particularly when comparing central Cagliari with Monserrato. Travel time between housing, classrooms, laboratories, hospitals, and administrative offices may matter more than distance from the rectorate. Cagliari’s island setting also requires practical planning for students arriving from mainland Italy or abroad. The university’s international pages emphasize securing temporary accommodation before arrival, especially during the late-summer tourist season. Prospective students should evaluate transport and housing using their program’s actual site rather than assuming that all classes take place at the central university address.

Costs & Career Outcomes

UniCa does not publish one flat tuition figure applicable to every student. Under its official 2026/2027 contribution regulation, the individual amount depends on income, merit, personal circumstances, course, enrollment progress, and credits earned. The annual charge combines the university’s comprehensive contribution with the regional right-to-study tax and statutory stamp duty where applicable. Payments are divided into three installments, ordinarily due on 1 October, 1 March, and 30 June, although a limited-admission course call may set a different first-payment deadline. The regulation provides full or partial exemptions for defined groups. First-year students with an eligible university-study ISEE up to €24,335.11 are covered by the stated exemption provision, while later-year relief also depends on credit thresholds and study progress. Students classified as eligible for or receiving an ERSU scholarship are exempt from the university’s comprehensive annual contribution. International students and Italian students whose households reside abroad should follow the separate economic-documentation rules rather than assume that domestic ISEE procedures transfer automatically. Housing and living costs are separate from tuition; ERSU accommodation requires a competitive application. Career support is available free to UniCa students and graduates. The job-placement service offers individual career guidance, job-search and interview preparation, employer meetings, extracurricular internship and higher-apprenticeship support, seminars, and an opportunities board. Dedicated guidance is also available for doctoral candidates and doctorate holders. These services provide preparation and employer contact, but the university does not make a general employment or salary guarantee.