University of Trento
Università degli Studi di Trento
A compact Alpine university founded in 1962, where every bachelor's place is won by test and ranking.
- Students
- 18,321
- 9,346 undergraduates
- International
- 9%
- of students
- Tuition
- €0
- From · 2025-26
- Founded
- 1962
About UniTrento
The University of Trento began in 1962 as a higher institute of social sciences founded by Bruno Kessler, and became Italy's first faculty of sociology. It added science in 1972, economics in 1973, then humanities, law and engineering after becoming a state university in the early 1980s, and cognitive sciences in 2004. Since 2012 it has been organised into 11 departments and 4 centres, with campuses in the city of Trento, on the Povo hill and in Rovereto.
It is a mid-sized university of about 18,300 students, including 9,346 in bachelor's programmes and 3,804 in single-cycle degrees in 2025-26, with 695 professors. Nearly all bachelor's and single-cycle degrees have capped intakes: applicants sit a CISIA test, a UniTrento test or a national exam and are admitted by ranking.
Several degrees are taught in English, including bachelor's programmes in Computer Science, Economics and Management, and Computer, Communications and Electronic Engineering, plus the single-cycle Comparative, European and International Legal Studies law degree. Non-EU students living abroad pay fees tied to their admission score, and the best-ranked pay nothing. It suits students who want a well-organised, safe and outdoorsy small city, with strong computer science and cognitive science.
Why students choose UniTrento
Non-EU students living abroad with an admission score of 90 or more pay no tuition in their first year, and keep the exemption by earning enough credits.
UniTrento scholarships for non-EU students living abroad are worth 7,200 euros a year (8,500 euros for women in STEM programmes) and include a tuition waiver.
Non-EU enrolled students are entitled to a place in Opera Universitaria student housing, costing from 190 to 390 euros a month with utilities.
The Centre for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC) in Rovereto and the CIBIO integrative biology department anchor research in neuroscience and life sciences.
Admissions
2027-28 entry (fees and procedures shown are the latest published, 2025-26 and 2026-27)
Selectivity
UniTrento publishes no overall admission rate. To enrol in any undergraduate or single-cycle programme you must pass an admission test (a CISIA TOLC, a UniTrento test or a national exam) and be placed in the ranking for a limited number of places. Medicine and Surgery follows the national filter-semester procedure.
Typical entry requirements
| Secondary school diploma | A diploma awarded after at least 12 years of schooling, plus a pass in the programme's admission test and a place in its ranking |
|---|---|
| Non-EU applicants living abroad (from 2026-27) | For the study visa: an international English certificate at B2 in all four skills, plus CIMEA comparability and verification certificates or a Declaration of Value |
| English-taught bachelor's degrees | Computer Science; Computer, Communications and Electronic Engineering; Economics and Management; and CEILS (law) each run their own call, with calls for non-EU applicants open from December to March |
| English language | From 2026-27, non-EU applicants living abroad must present an international English certificate at B2 in speaking, writing, reading and listening when applying for the visa. Specific certificates and scores accepted are set in each programme's call; no single IELTS or TOEFL minimum is published centrally. |
Deadlines
- First fee instalment (undergraduate and single-cycle) Non-binding Next deadline · In ~12 months30 September 2027
Second instalment 30 November, third 31 March, per the university's standing deadlines page.
- Non-EU applicants living abroad: call for applications Non-bindingDecember 2026 to March 2027 (exact deadline in each programme's call)
Selected candidates then pre-enrol on Universitaly from May and apply for a visa; courses start between mid and late September, with crash courses for Economics and Management in late August.
- EU and Italian applicants: programme calls (CISIA test and ranking) Non-bindingSet in each 2027-28 call, published on programme websites
The 2026-27 calls were published on individual programme websites; admitted candidates must pre-enrol by the ranking deadline or lose their place.
UniTrento publishes admission deadlines in each programme's call rather than centrally; 2027-28 calls were not yet available. The payment dates shown are the university's standing annual deadlines.
How to apply
Choose a programme and read its call for applications on the programme website, then apply online with SPID, CIE or another login and take the required test (usually a CISIA TOLC) within the call's deadline. If you appear as admitted in the ranking, pre-enrol by the stated deadline and later confirm your diploma. Non-EU applicants living abroad apply to the call between December and March, then pre-enrol on Universitaly from May and apply for a study visa.
What admissions looks for
- A secondary diploma earned after at least 12 years of schooling.
- A strong score in the programme's admission test, since places are allocated by ranking.
- For non-EU applicants, B2 English in all four skills and verified qualifications (CIMEA certificates or a Declaration of Value) for the visa.
- After admission, steady progress: fees and scholarships for international students depend on credits earned by 10 August each year.
Tips for applying to UniTrento
- 1 Register for the call before or after your CISIA test, but you must submit the call application to enter the ranking: passing the test alone is not enough.
- 2 Aim for 90 or more in the admission score if you are a non-EU applicant: it means no tuition in your first year.
- 3 Apply for UniTrento's merit scholarships for non-EU students at the same time; they cover fees and pay 7,200 to 8,500 euros a year.
- 4 Economics and Management students should plan to arrive in late August for the compulsory crash courses.
Costs & financial aid
2025-26 · figures in EUR
EU students pay fees by ISEE, and holders of Opera Universitaria grants (the Trentino right-to-study agency) pay only 16 euros stamp duty. Non-EU students living abroad can win UniTrento merit scholarships of 7,200 euros a year (8,500 euros for women in STEM), which also waive tuition, and MAECI Italian government scholarships halve or waive fees.
- 7,200 euros a year (8,500 euros for women in STEM) plus tuition waiver
- UniTrento scholarship for non-EU students living abroad
- Exempt
- First-year tuition, non-EU, admission score 90+
- 190-390 euros a month, utilities included
- Opera Universitaria residence
- 300-700 euros a month, utilities excluded
- Private accommodation
- About 150-200 euros a month
- Food
Academics
Academic calendar: Semesters; courses start between mid and late September
Computer Science (BSc, English)
Taught in English at the Department of Information Engineering and Computer Science on the Povo campus; entry by CISIA test and ranking.
Economics and Management (BEM, English)
An English-taught bachelor's with compulsory crash courses starting in the last week of August.
Comparative, European and International Legal Studies (CEILS)
A single-cycle law degree in English with its own UniTrento admission test.
Computer, Communications and Electronic Engineering (English)
An English-taught engineering bachelor's run with the Computer Science admissions team.
Sociology
Trento founded Italy's first faculty of sociology in 1962; alumni include Slow Food founder Carlo Petrini.
Cognitive Science
Grounded in the Rovereto-based Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science and CIMeC, with an English-taught master's.
Research
- The Centre for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC) in Rovereto focuses on cognitive neuroscience.
- CIBIO, the Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology, works in integrative and computational biology.
- The C3A Centre for Agriculture, Food and Environment is run with the Edmund Mach Foundation, and the university is a member of the ECIU European university alliance.
Schools & faculties
- Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology (CIBIO)
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering
- Department of Economics and Management
- Faculty of Law
- Department of Humanities
- Department of Industrial Engineering
- Department of Information Engineering and Computer Science
- Department of Mathematics
- Department of Physics
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science
- Department of Sociology and Social Research
- Centre for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC)
Student life
UniTrento is spread over three areas: social sciences, economics, law and humanities in the historic city centre, engineering, science and computing on the Povo hill, and psychology and cognitive science in Rovereto. Student housing is run by Opera Universitaria, and non-EU students are entitled to a room. Student associations range from ESN and ELSA to a debating team, a student law review, an e-sports club and E-Agle, and the university runs a TopSport programme for athletes and a UniTrento volleyball team. Local transport costs about 70 euros a year.
- Opera Universitaria residences from 190 to 390 euros a month, guaranteed for non-EU enrolled students.
- Dozens of student associations, including ESN, ELSA, Tridentum Debating Team and Trento Student Law Review.
- TopSport programme for student athletes.
- A mentoring programme and guidance tutors for new students.
Housing. Non-EU enrolled students are entitled to Opera Universitaria housing booked before arrival; EU students apply through Opera's call around June with an ISEE, and others rent privately (300-700 euros a month).
Location
Trento is a small, prosperous city in the Adige valley of northern Italy, surrounded by mountains, with the Dolomites and Lake Garda close by. It is quiet, safe and very outdoorsy, with skiing, hiking and cycling on the doorstep, and it sits on the Brenner rail line between Verona and Bolzano. Rovereto, home to the cognitive science campus, is a short train ride south.
Nearest airport: Verona Villafranca Airport (VRN)
Notable alumni
- CP Carlo PetriniFounder of the Slow Food movement; studied sociology
- KB Katia BertoldiProfessor of applied mechanics at Harvard University; master's degree (2002)
- KU Kirmen UribeBasque novelist and poet; graduate studies in comparative literature
- RF Riccardo FraccaroItalian politician, Undersecretary to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers (2019-2021); degree in international environmental law
- FD Federico D'IncàItalian Minister for Parliamentary Relations (2019-2022); economics graduate
- AA Anna AscaniItalian politician; master's degree (2012)
Frequently asked questions
Is there an entrance exam at the University of Trento?
Yes. Every undergraduate and single-cycle programme requires an admission test, usually a CISIA TOLC, and places are allocated by ranking. Medicine and Construction Engineering-Architecture use national procedures.
How much are fees for international students at Trento?
For non-EU students living abroad on English-taught degrees, first-year fees depend on the admission score: nothing for 90 or more, then 1,000, 2,000 or 4,500 euros (2025-26). EU students pay by ISEE, from 146 to 2,384 euros a year for bachelor's degrees.
Does the University of Trento teach bachelor's degrees in English?
Yes: Computer Science; Computer, Communications and Electronic Engineering; Economics and Management; and the single-cycle law degree CEILS.
When do non-EU students apply to UniTrento?
Calls for applications run from December to March; selected candidates pre-enrol on Universitaly from May and apply for a visa, arriving in late August or September.
Does Trento offer scholarships to international students?
Yes. Non-EU students living abroad can win merit scholarships of 7,200 euros a year (8,500 euros for women in STEM) that also waive tuition, renewable if they earn enough credits.
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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