University of Florence
Università degli Studi di Firenze
A large public university with roots in the 1321 Florentine Studium, now adding English-taught medicine and science.
- Students
- 51,000
- International
- 9%
- of students
- Tuition
- €536
- From · 2026-27
- Founded
- 1321
About UniFi
The University of Florence traces its origins to the Studium Generale that the Florentine republic set up in 1321, where Giovanni Boccaccio was commissioned to lecture on Dante's Divine Comedy. The Medici later moved the Studium to Pisa, and the modern institution grew out of an institute founded in 1859, gaining the name of university in 1924.
Today it is one of Italy's largest research and teaching organisations, with around 51,000 enrolled students, about 1,800 faculty members and permanent researchers, and 148 degree programmes, 17 of them taught in English, organised into 10 schools and 21 departments. Campuses are spread across Florence, with a science campus at Sesto Fiorentino and sites in Prato, Pistoia, Empoli and Calenzano.
Most bachelor's degrees are open access, with a TOLC entry check rather than a selective exam, and fees scale with family income. For 2026-27 the university lists a new English-taught Medicine and Surgery degree and a new English-taught bachelor's in Geological Hazards and Environmental Sustainability, alongside Sustainable Business for Societal Challenges. It suits students who want a big, broad public university in one of the world's great art cities, and who are comfortable managing their own paperwork.
Why students choose UniFi
Families with a university ISEE up to 24,000 euros pay only 156 euros a year in regional tax and stamp duty in the first year; the top rate is 2,900 euros.
The 2026-27 offer includes a new English-taught Medicine and Surgery degree with national limited access.
Most bachelor's courses are open access: you enrol, then sit a TOLC test that checks your starting knowledge rather than screening you out.
Research centres such as LENS (European Laboratory for Nonlinear Spectroscopy) and CERM (Centre for Magnetic Resonance) are part of the university.
Admissions
2027-28 entry (dates below are from the 2026-27 cycle, for reference)
Selectivity
Florence publishes no overall admission rate. Open-access bachelor's degrees have no cap on places: students enrol and take a TOLC test, and a low score only adds catch-up requirements (OFA). Limited-access courses select by ranking: locally (for example Sustainable Business for Societal Challenges) or nationally (Medicine, Dentistry and other health degrees). Medicine and Dentistry now start with an open first semester followed by national exams and a national ranking.
Typical entry requirements
| Italian diploma (maturità) | Upper-secondary diploma; enrol directly in open-access courses (TOLC required before exams) or pass the selection for limited-access courses |
|---|---|
| Foreign secondary school diploma | A qualification giving access to university after at least 12 years of schooling, supported by a Declaration of Value or CIMEA statements of comparability and verification |
| Sustainable Business for Societal Challenges (English-taught) | Secondary diploma, English at CEFR B2, and a compulsory but non-blocking entry test; local limited access |
| English language | Non-EU applicants living abroad who choose an Italian-taught degree must pass an Italian test at B2 (or hold a CLIQ B2 certificate or another exemption). English-taught degrees set their own English requirement, for example CEFR B2 for Sustainable Business for Societal Challenges; no single IELTS or TOEFL minimum is published centrally. |
Deadlines
- Universitaly pre-enrolment, non-EU applicants living abroad (open-access courses) Non-binding Passed31 July 2026 (2026-27 cycle)
Limited-access courses follow the deadlines in their own calls. Classes started on 14 September 2026.
- Medicine and Dentistry open semester (Universitaly registration) Non-binding Passed3 August 2026 (2026-27 cycle)
Registration ran from 13 July to 3 August 2026 at 18:00; fee payment by 6 August 2026. National exams on 10 December 2026 and 11 January 2027.
- Enrolment in open-access courses Non-binding Next deadline · In 31 days6 November 2026 (2026-27 cycle)
Enrolment opened on 1 July 2026; late enrolment until 18 December 2026 costs an extra 100 euros.
Florence has not yet published 2027-28 dates; the dates above are from the 2026-27 Manifesto degli Studi and are now past or close. Expect a similar pattern: enrolment from July to early November, Universitaly pre-enrolment by late July for open-access courses, and Medicine registration in July.
How to apply
Register on the university's online services, fill in the enrolment application and pay the fee generated from your ISEE; enrolment is complete once you pay. Limited-access courses require you to register for the selection in their call first; Medicine and Dentistry use the national open-semester procedure on Universitaly. Non-EU students living abroad must also pre-enrol on Universitaly, obtain a study visa, pass the Italian test for Italian-taught degrees and then upload their documents and email the International Desk.
What admissions looks for
- A secondary qualification valid for university access, earned after at least 12 years of schooling.
- For limited-access courses, a high enough place in the local or national ranking.
- For open-access courses, adequate starting knowledge measured by the TOLC; gaps become obligations (OFA) to clear in the first year.
- Italian at B2 for Italian-taught degrees, or the required English level (B2 for Sustainable Business for Societal Challenges) for English-taught ones.
Tips for applying to UniFi
- 1 Take the TOLC early: you can sit it from your penultimate year of school, online or in person, and even at another university.
- 2 If you live abroad, your fee is set automatically from a notional ISEE based on your country's World Bank income group, from 536 euros (low income) to 2,395.30 euros (high income) a year.
- 3 Italian residents should authorise the university to fetch their ISEE from INPS before paying: without it you pay the top rate of 2,900 euros.
- 4 Request your Declaration of Value or CIMEA statements well before classes start in mid-September; the university can only confirm enrolment once your foreign qualification is verified.
Costs & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in EUR
Fees are set by the university ISEE, so lower-income families pay only the 156 euro regional tax and stamp duty. Students who apply for a regional grant from ARDSU (the Tuscan right-to-study agency, which also runs student housing) pay only the stamp duty at enrolment, students from developing countries pay 156 euros, and students with disabilities, refugees and holders of Italian government scholarships are exempt from the university contribution.
- 156 euros
- Minimum annual fee (ISEE up to 24,000 euros)
- 2,900 euros
- Maximum annual fee (first year)
- 156 euros a year (contribution waived)
- Students from developing countries
- 100 euro administrative charge
- Late enrolment or payment
Academics
Academic calendar: Semesters; 2026-27 classes began on 14 September 2026
Medicine and Surgery (English-taught, from 2026-27)
A new single-cycle medical degree taught entirely in English, with national limited access.
Sustainable Business for Societal Challenges (BSc, English)
A three-year blended, double-degree programme in the School of Economics and Management, with local limited access and a B2 English requirement.
Geological Hazards and Environmental Sustainability (BSc, English)
A new English-taught bachelor's in the School of Mathematical, Physical and Natural Sciences.
Law
Florence's law school counts former prime minister Matteo Renzi and EssilorLuxottica CEO Francesco Milleri among its graduates, and offers a five-year Italian and French Law programme.
Architecture
Taught in the centre of one of the world's great architectural cities, with Italian-English and double-degree master's options.
Physics and Astrophysics
Linked to research centres such as LENS and the university's historic scientific collections; astrophysicist Margherita Hack studied here.
Research
- Researchers work in 21 departments and use around 40 research facilities, including LENS (European Laboratory for Nonlinear Spectroscopy) and CERM (Centre for Magnetic Resonance).
- Since November 2020 the university has been part of EUniWell, the European University of Well-being alliance funded by the EU.
- The university library system holds over 3.5 million documents, and the university has more than 500 international collaboration agreements in about 100 countries.
Schools & faculties
- School of Agriculture
- School of Architecture
- School of Economics and Management
- School of Law
- School of Engineering
- School of Psychology
- School of Human Health Sciences
- School of Mathematical, Physical and Natural Sciences
- School of Political Science 'Cesare Alfieri'
- School of Humanities and Education
The university reports that the share of its graduates in work one year after graduating is above the Italian average, according to AlmaLaurea data, with over 9,000 graduates a year.
Student life
The University of Florence has no single campus. Humanities are taught in the historic centre, the rectorate sits on Piazza San Marco, social sciences are at the Novoli campus, medicine is near the Careggi hospital and the sciences are at Sesto Fiorentino, with further sites in Prato, Pistoia and Empoli. Most students rent privately; grants and university residences are managed by ARDSU, the regional right-to-study agency. With about 700 Erasmus agreements, the student body mixes Tuscans, students from across Italy (a quarter come from outside the region) and exchange students.
- About 700 Erasmus agreements and more than 500 international collaboration agreements.
- Part of the EUniWell European University alliance since 2020.
- A university natural history museum and historic scientific collections.
- Library system of over 3.5 million documents, with evening study rooms in Via Alfani.
Housing. The university does not guarantee housing; student residences and grants are run by ARDSU, the Tuscan regional right-to-study agency, and most students rent privately.
Location
Florence is the capital of Tuscany and the birthplace of the Renaissance, with a compact historic centre full of museums, churches and piazzas. It is compact and walkable, but it also draws very large tourist crowds, which pushes up rents in the centre. Fast trains reach Bologna, Rome and Milan easily.
Nearest airport: Florence Airport, Peretola (FLR)
Notable alumni
- MR Matteo RenziPrime Minister of Italy (2014-2016); law graduate (1999)
- MH Margherita HackAstrophysicist and science communicator; physics degree (1945) with a thesis based at the Arcetri Observatory
- ML Mario LuziPoet; degree in French literature
- FM Francesco MilleriCEO of EssilorLuxottica; law graduate
- MJ Michaëlle JeanGovernor General of Canada (2005-2010); studied language and literature in Florence
- IM Indro MontanelliJournalist, founder of il Giornale; law graduate (1930)
Frequently asked questions
How much are the fees at the University of Florence?
For 2026-27, first-year fees for Italian residents run from 156 euros (ISEE up to 24,000 euros) to 2,900 euros, including regional tax and stamp duty. Students resident abroad are charged from a notional ISEE by country income group, from about 536 to 2,395 euros a year.
Does the University of Florence teach in English?
Yes: 17 of its 148 degree programmes are taught in English, including Sustainable Business for Societal Challenges, the new Geological Hazards and Environmental Sustainability bachelor's and a new English-taught Medicine and Surgery degree for 2026-27.
Is there an entrance exam at the University of Florence?
Open-access courses require the TOLC test, which does not block enrolment but can add catch-up requirements. Limited-access courses select by ranking, and Medicine and Dentistry use an open first semester with national exams.
When is the application deadline?
In the 2026-27 cycle, enrolment in open-access courses ran from 1 July to 6 November 2026, and non-EU applicants living abroad had to pre-enrol on Universitaly by 31 July 2026. 2027-28 dates are not yet published.
Do I need Italian to study at the University of Florence?
For Italian-taught degrees, non-EU applicants living abroad must pass an Italian test at B2 or hold an equivalent certificate. English-taught degrees do not require Italian.
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.
- QS World University Rankings 2027 (topuniversities.com)
- THE World University Rankings 2026: University of Florence
- ShanghaiRanking ARWU 2026
- University of Florence: History and Profile (archived July 2026)
- University of Florence: Manifesto degli Studi 2026/2027 (PDF)
- University of Florence: Manifesto degli Studi 2025/2026 fee tables (PDF)
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