University of Salerno
Università degli Studi di Salerno
A campus university in the hills above Salerno, heir to the city's medieval medical school and state university since 1968.
- Students
- 32,512
- 27,160 undergraduates
- International
- 1%
- of students
- Tuition
- €501
- From · 2026-27
- Founded
- 1968
About UNISA
The University of Salerno traces its roots to the Schola Medica Salernitana, the medieval medical school the university describes as having a claim to be Europe's oldest university institution, which was finally closed in the 19th century. The modern university grew from a teacher-training institute founded in 1944 and became a state university in 1968, adding letters and philosophy (1969), economics (1970), science and law (1972), engineering (1983), pharmacy (1991), political science (1992), foreign languages (1996) and medicine (2006).
Today UNISA is a campus university: its main site is at Fisciano, in the hills outside Salerno, with medicine at Baronissi and a branch in Avellino opened in 2023. Teaching and research are organised into 17 departments, from Chemistry and Biology, Physics 'E. R. Caianiello', Computer Science and three engineering departments to Pharmacy, Business Sciences, Cultural Heritage, Law and the Humanities. In 2025/26, 6,081 students entered university for the first time on its bachelor's and single-cycle programmes, up 5% on the year before.
Most teaching is in Italian, but UNISA offers an English-taught bachelor's in Science, Management and Politics in Global Health and English-taught master's degrees in fields such as Economics, Digital Marketing, Food Engineering and Nanotechnology and Physics for Sustainability. It suits students who want a self-contained campus with low, income-based fees in southern Italy, close to the Amalfi Coast.
Why students choose UNISA
Salerno raised its no-tax area to an ISEE of 30,000 euros: students with an ISEE up to 30,000 euros who meet the rules pay no annual contribution, only stamp duty and the regional tax.
Non-EU students living abroad are placed in a fixed third fee band (about 761 euros a year in total) unless they choose to submit an ISEE, and students from low human development countries are placed in the first band automatically.
An English-taught bachelor's in Science, Management and Politics in Global Health and English master's in Economics, Digital Marketing, Food Engineering, Smart Industry Engineering and Information Engineering for Digital Medicine.
A single self-contained campus at Fisciano with departments, library, canteen and student residences on site.
Admissions
Entry 2027/28 (academic year starting October 2027)
Selectivity
UNISA publishes no overall admission rate. Every bachelor's programme has a compulsory entry test: non-selective for open-access courses (you can enrol whatever your result) and selective, with a fixed number of places, for restricted-access courses such as Medicine.
Typical entry requirements
| Italian diploma di maturità | Gives access to bachelor's programmes after the compulsory entry test; restricted-access courses admit by ranking |
|---|---|
| Foreign secondary diploma | At least 12 years of schooling (or completed university years for shorter systems), with an ENIC-NARIC statement, official certification or Declaration of Value |
| Italian language (Italian-taught courses) | B2 certificate, or pass UNISA's online Italian L2 test (TEST@CASA) |
| English language | Italian-taught programmes require B2 Italian. English requirements for the English-taught bachelor's and master's programmes are set in their admission calls. |
Deadlines
- First-band application for non-EU students in hardship Non-binding Passed30 September 2026 (or date of enrolment if later)
For large families or single-parent households, with translated documents.
- Enrolment deadline, open-access bachelor's and single-cycle programmes (2026/27 cycle) Non-binding Next deadline · In 10 days16 October 2026
Restricted-access programmes follow the deadlines in their admission calls. The first instalment and regional tax must also be paid by this date.
- Study visa procedure, non-EU applicants abroad (2026/27 cycle) Non-binding In 55 days30 November 2026
Italian consulates finish issuing visas by this date for candidates already accepted by UNISA.
- Enrolment deadline, two-year master's programmes (2026/27 cycle) Non-binding In ~5 months1 March 2027
Except restricted-access master's with their own calls.
The 2027/28 calls had not been published at the time of checking; dates above are from the 2026/27 fee regulation and international pages.
How to apply
Italian, EU and non-EU students resident in Italy register and enrol online through UNISA's ESSE3 portal, sitting the entry test set in the programme's call. Non-EU citizens living abroad pre-enrol on Universitaly for their chosen programme and upload their documents for UNISA to evaluate; once accepted, the Italian embassy or consulate processes their study visa (the 2026/27 visa procedure ended by 30 November 2026). Applicants to Italian-taught courses without a B2 certificate take the online Italian L2 test.
What admissions looks for
- A secondary diploma after at least 12 years of schooling that gives university access in your country.
- Participation in the programme's entry test, and a good enough ranking for restricted-access courses.
- B2 Italian for Italian-taught programmes.
- For master's degrees, the curricular requirements set by each programme.
Tips for applying to UNISA
- 1 Do not skip the entry test: even for open-access courses, UNISA will not enrol students who did not sit it.
- 2 If you come from a country on UNISA's low human development list (e.g. Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Nepal, Senegal), you are placed in the lowest fee band automatically.
- 3 Italian residents should request the ISEE for university study before enrolling, or they are placed in the 'no ISEE' maximum band.
- 4 Apply to ADISURC, the Campania student agency, for a scholarship during the enrolment period; students with family abroad must send an ISEE parificato.
Costs & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in EUR
Students with an ISEE up to 30,000 euros who meet the enrolment-year and credit rules pay no contribution (first-year students need only the ISEE), and students eligible for an ADISURC scholarship are exempt from the second and third instalments. ADISURC, the Campania regional agency, awards scholarships covering money and services to Italian and international students by income and merit; students whose family lives abroad need an ISEE parificato from a CAF. Stateless people and refugees are treated as Italian citizens for fees.
- ISEE up to 30,000 euros
- No-tax area
- 1,647 euros plus 173 euro regional tax
- Highest band (ISEE above 58,800 euros)
- 15 euros per test (unless the call sets a different amount)
- Entry test fee
Academics
Academic calendar: Two semesters: first from 1 October, second from 1 March
Science, Management and Politics in Global Health (BSc, English-taught)
UNISA's English-taught bachelor's degree for 2026/27.
Medicine and Surgery
Taught in the department named after the Scuola Medica Salernitana, at the Baronissi campus.
Food Engineering (MSc, English-taught)
One of several English-taught engineering master's alongside Smart Industry Engineering and Electrical Engineering for Digital Energy.
Nanotechnology and Physics for Sustainability (MSc, English-taught)
An English-taught master's degree focused on nanotechnology and sustainability.
Digital Marketing (MSc)
A master's degree taught in English and Italian.
Economics (MSc, English-taught)
An English-taught master's, with an English-taught PhD in Economics and Policy Analysis of Markets and Firms to follow.
Research
- English-taught PhD programmes in Economics and Policy Analysis of Markets and Firms, Drug Discovery and Development, and Photovoltaics.
- The International Centre for Studies and Research 'Mediterranean Knowledge', founded in 2015 with 14 research units across Mediterranean universities, has its administrative office at UNISA.
- The E. R. Caianiello humanities library holds over 800,000 items.
Schools & faculties
- Department of Chemistry and Biology 'Adolfo Zambelli'
- Department of Pharmacy
- Department of Physics 'E. R. Caianiello'
- Department of Computer Science
- Department of Civil Engineering
- Department of Information and Electrical Engineering and Applied Mathematics
- Department of Industrial Engineering
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry 'Scuola Medica Salernitana'
- Department of Business Sciences - Management & Innovation Systems
- Department of Economics and Statistics
- Department of Legal Sciences (School of Law)
- Department of Humanities
Student life
UNISA is a campus university: departments, libraries, the canteen and student residences are grouped together at Fisciano, around open squares such as Piazza del Sapere, while the medical school is at nearby Baronissi. Student life revolves around the campus, with registered student associations, the CUS Salerno university sports club and a buddy system for incoming international students.
- Self-contained Fisciano campus with residences, canteen and library on site.
- CUS Salerno university sports club.
- Buddy system for incoming international students.
- Registered student associations supported by the university.
Housing. Student residences are located on the Fisciano campus, and ADISURC scholarships include accommodation services for eligible students.
Location
The Fisciano campus lies inland from Salerno, a port city in Campania near the Amalfi Coast, in a green valley ringed by mountains. The university also has sites at Baronissi (medicine) and Avellino.
Nearest airport: Salerno Costa d'Amalfi Airport (QSR), Pontecagnano; Naples International Airport (NAP) for most international routes
Notable alumni
- PM Pietro MenneaOlympic 200 m champion; degree in letters from Salerno
- MC Mara CarfagnaItalian government minister (Equal Opportunities; the South); law degree
- MS Michele SantoroJournalist and TV host; philosophy degree
- LA Lucia AnnunziataJournalist and former president of RAI; degree in history and philosophy
- CG Carmen GiannattasioOperatic soprano; degree in Russian and English literature
- TM Tiziana Di MatteoEconophysicist; degree 1994 and PhD 1999
Frequently asked questions
How much does the University of Salerno cost for international students?
For 2026/27, non-EU students living abroad pay the fixed third-band contribution of 610 euros plus the 151 euro regional tax, 761 euros a year (684 euros in the first year), by our calculation from UNISA's fee regulation. Students from low human development countries pay 501 euros in total.
Does the University of Salerno teach in English?
Yes, in some programmes: a bachelor's in Science, Management and Politics in Global Health and master's degrees such as Economics, Food Engineering, Digital Marketing and Nanotechnology and Physics for Sustainability.
Is there an entrance exam at the University of Salerno?
Yes. Every programme has a compulsory entry test: non-selective for open-access courses and selective for restricted-access courses such as Medicine.
What Italian level do I need for UNISA?
B2 for Italian-taught degrees. Without a certificate you can take UNISA's online Italian L2 test.
Where is the University of Salerno located?
The main campus is at Fisciano, outside Salerno in Campania, with the medical school at Baronissi and a branch in Avellino.
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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