Università degli Studi della Basilicata

About Università degli Studi della Basilicata

The University of Basilicata is an autonomous, degree-granting public institution whose official Italian name is Università degli Studi della Basilicata. Italian legislation established the state university with effect from the 1982/83 academic year. Teaching began during a period of reconstruction after the destructive 1980 earthquake, and this regional role remains important to the institution’s identity. The university now operates in both provincial capitals of Basilicata. Potenza contains the Macchia Romana campus and the Francioso site, while Matera has a campus on Via Lanera. The university reports that its facilities occupy three areas across the two cities. The current academic structure consists of departments covering agricultural, forest, food and environmental sciences; engineering; basic and applied sciences; health sciences; and humanistic, scientific and social innovation. For 2026/27, the university is actively enrolling students and publishing a current study portfolio. Its scale and regional distribution may appeal to students who prefer a public university embedded in a smaller southern Italian region rather than a large metropolitan institution. The practical trade-off is that academic activity is divided between Potenza and Matera. Applicants should identify the teaching location shown for each program, since access to departments, libraries, placements and housing will depend on the assigned city and campus. The official institutional website is primarily in Italian, although international information is also available in English. Prospective international students should therefore expect to use Italian-language administrative material and confirm the teaching language of the individual course rather than assuming that the presence of English webpages indicates an English-taught degree.

For 2026/27, applications to open-access degree courses are submitted online through the university’s student-services system. The ordinary enrollment window runs from 1 July through 30 September 2026. Late enrollment is permitted through 31 October with a €50 late charge or through 31 December with a €100 late charge. Programmed-access courses follow their own calls and deadlines, which take precedence over the general timetable. Admission to a bachelor’s or single-cycle course normally requires a five-year upper-secondary qualification or a foreign credential recognized as suitable by the university. Master’s applicants need an appropriate bachelor’s degree or equivalent foreign qualification and must satisfy the curricular and preparation requirements of the chosen course. Open access does not necessarily mean entry without evaluation: many undergraduate programs assess initial preparation, while master’s programs examine prior coursework and academic preparation. Non-EU applicants living abroad who require a visa must complete pre-enrollment through Universitaly. For 2026/27, the university states a pre-enrollment deadline of 31 October 2026 and a study-visa application deadline of 30 November 2026. University acceptance does not guarantee a visa, which remains the responsibility of the relevant Italian diplomatic mission. International applicants must also follow the university’s credential-recognition and language procedures. The 2026/27 manifesto schedules remote Italian-language tests on 28 July, 16 September and 18 November 2026, with exemptions under the applicable ministerial rules. Applicants should verify whether their course is taught in Italian or English and whether a recognized language certificate removes the testing requirement.

The 2026/27 study manifesto confirms provision at bachelor’s, master’s and five-year single-cycle level. Subject areas include agricultural, forestry, food and environmental studies; civil, mechanical, information and environmental engineering; biotechnology, chemistry, geology and mathematics; economics, education, humanities, cultural heritage and history; and regulated professional fields including architecture, pharmacy, medicine and primary education. Applicants should use the manifesto as a starting point and then consult the course catalogue for the curriculum, teaching language and campus of the exact program. Access rules vary materially. Many bachelor’s courses are open-access but require an assessment of initial preparation. Open-access master’s courses generally require the specified curricular background and an assessment of the applicant’s preparation. Other courses have locally or nationally programmed places. For 2026/27, the programmed-access list includes Biotechnology and single-cycle programs in Architecture, Pharmacy, Medicine and Surgery, and Primary Education. Medicine uses Italy’s nationally regulated open-semester and ranking process, so its procedure should not be generalized to other degrees. The portfolio is divided geographically. Much of the engineering, laboratory science, health, agriculture and economics provision is based in Potenza. Matera hosts offerings connected with cultural heritage and archaeology, architecture, primary education and selected environmental or territorial subjects. Some courses are being phased out, while certain newly proposed 2026/27 courses were still awaiting final ministerial accreditation when the manifesto was issued; applicants should confirm their final activation status before applying. Research training is also available. The university lists active doctorates in cities and landscapes, engineering for innovation and sustainable development, sciences, agricultural and food-related sciences, and Mediterranean European history and cultures. Doctoral admission is through a separate annual public competition rather than ordinary degree enrollment.

Key Highlights

• Public Italian university established for the 1982/83 academic year
• Active 2026/27 degree portfolio across Potenza and Matera
• Five current departments span sciences, engineering, health, agriculture, humanities and social fields
• Three university sites: two in Potenza and one in Matera

Student Life & Environment

Student services are distributed across the university’s two cities. At Macchia Romana in Potenza, students can access the central library, IT services, student administration and the POLiS orientation center alongside the main science, engineering, agriculture and health departments. The Francioso site includes library provision, the University Language Centre, disability support, student administration and computer facilities. Matera’s Via Lanera campus includes student administration, library services and offices supporting internships. Housing requires advance planning. The university’s 2026 enrollment information identifies an ARDSU-managed residence in Potenza and states that a university residence in Matera is intended to be available for 2026/27. It also points students toward private accommodation and a housing-office service. Because availability, eligibility and application windows can change, students should obtain current details directly from ARDSU before relying on a residence place. ARDSU also administers regional right-to-study support and dining services. On campus, students can use language learning, orientation and career support, disability and specific-learning-difference services, and library resources. The university advertises student associations, cultural initiatives, a university choir and sports through CUS Basilicata. These options provide organized activities beyond classes, although the experience will differ between the larger Potenza academic sites and the more specialized Matera campus. Students comparing programs should consider both academic fit and the services available in the relevant city.

Location & Surroundings

The university is located in Basilicata, a southern Italian region, and operates in Potenza and Matera rather than on one consolidated campus. Potenza, the regional capital, contains two sites. Macchia Romana is the principal science-oriented campus and houses most departments, central administration, student services, IT facilities and the central library. The Francioso site on Via Nazario Sauro supports humanities and social fields as well as language, disability, library and student-administration services. Matera’s campus is on Via Lanera. It supports teaching and services associated particularly with humanities, cultural heritage, architecture, education and related territorial subjects. Matera is internationally known for its historic urban landscape, giving cultural-heritage and architecture students a distinctive local context, though the profile makes no assumption that every program uses the city itself as a formal teaching resource. The two-city arrangement is the main logistical issue for applicants. Potenza and Matera are separate cities, and students should not choose accommodation until the official manifesto or course catalogue confirms their program location. Departmental offices, internship support, libraries and student administration are available in both cities, but their functions and academic coverage are not identical.

Costs & Career Outcomes

The university does not publish one flat tuition figure applicable to every student. Its 2026/27 contribution regulation uses a differentiated system, so the annual comprehensive contribution depends on factors defined in that regulation, including the student’s financial and enrollment circumstances. Applicants should calculate their liability using the current rules rather than treating an illustrative amount as universal. At enrollment, the 2026/27 study manifesto identifies a €16 virtual stamp duty and a €140 regional right-to-study tax. An additional annual comprehensive university contribution is payable when applicable. Students enrolling in an open-access course by 31 July 2026 receive a 50% reduction on the first installment if they are not already covered by the no-tax area. Regional scholarships, exemptions and other concessions have separate eligibility and documentation requirements, commonly involving Italian financial indicators. International students should seek guidance early if their household income and assets were earned outside Italy, since equivalent documentation may be required. Housing and dining are administered in cooperation with ARDSU and should be budgeted separately. Residence places and scholarship support are not automatic, and the institution does not provide a single verified room-and-board price suitable for this profile. For career preparation, curricular internships can place students with companies, public bodies, professional practices or associations. POLiS also operates a placement service linking students and graduates with employers, publishes opportunities, uses the AlmaLaurea platform and organizes employer meetings and Placement Days. These services create practical routes into work, but the available official sources do not support a university-wide salary, employment-rate or employer-outcomes claim.