Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore

Key facts

Checked against the sources listed at the bottom of this page on 5 November 2026.

About Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore

Università Cattolica was founded in 1921 by Father Agostino Gemelli and a group of Catholic intellectuals, and inaugurated in Milan on 7 December 1921. Its founding body, the Istituto Giuseppe Toniolo di Studi Superiori, was set up the year before.^[6] It received state recognition in 1924, and in 1932 the monastery of Sant’Ambrogio, acquired in 1927, became its main campus.^[6]

It now has five campuses: Milan, Brescia, Piacenza, Cremona and Rome, where the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery and the Gemelli university hospital are based.^[6] The university describes itself as the largest in-person non-state university in Europe and welcomes students from 126 nationalities.^[1]

How is Università Cattolica ranked?

In the QS World University Rankings 2027, published on 18 June 2026, Università Cattolica is 388th in the world and 9th in Italy, up 21 places. The university lists the same position on its international page. National press reports it as the ninth Italian institution, ahead of the University of Pavia (395th).^[1][2]

The university also lists these results on its international page: 343rd in the U.S. News Best Global Universities 2026-2027, the 301–325 band in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2027, 136th in Europe in the QS Europe ranking 2026, and the 401–500 band in the ARWU ranking. It reports that it is first in Italy for inbound and outbound exchange students in the QS Europe ranking 2026.^[1] Rankings differ by publisher and year, so treat one position as one view. How we compile rankings.

What can you study at Università Cattolica?

Cattolica has twelve faculties across its five campuses.^[6] For international students the English-taught offer for the September 2027 intake includes these three-year bachelor’s degrees:^[7]

• Business and Finance (Brescia)
• Communication Management, Criminology, Economics and Management, Finance, International Relations and Global Affairs, and Psychology (all in Milan)
• Food Production Management and International Business Management (Piacenza)
• Medicine and Surgery, a six-year programme taught in English (Rome, and a Bolzano campus)

At master’s level there are two-year Master of Science degrees (120 ECTS, with a thesis, giving access to a PhD) and one-year Specialising Masters (at least 60 ECTS, project or internship, no PhD access).^[9] English-taught two-year degrees listed on that page include Banking and Finance, Economics, Management, Data Analytics for Business and Innovation and Technology Management (Milan), Healthcare Management (Rome), and Global Business Management and Food Processing: Innovation and Tradition (Piacenza-Cremona), among others.^[9]

How much does Università Cattolica cost?

Cattolica’s international pages state that the tuition structure “is not based on citizenship, but on where the student’s family income is produced”. We found these amounts, which both pages describe for the 2027/28 academic year:^[3][4]

For EU and associated countries the flat fee needs a family income tax declaration; without it, or above €150,000, the maximum fee of €11,500 applies. Other programmes may price differently: both pages note that fees depend on the degree programme, and fees are published each spring for the next year and can rise slightly after the first year.^[3][4]

Scholarships and payment

Non-EU applicants can ask for the UCSC International Scholarship in the online application. It is renewed automatically each year up to three years beyond the normal study period, and it is not awarded if you receive EDUCatt aid.^[3] Fees are paid in five instalments; the first, €1,500, is due on admission.^[3] For living costs, see our Italy guide and the Study in Italy guide.

How do you apply to Università Cattolica?

Cattolica separates “international” from “domestic” applicants: you are international if you hold, or are about to complete, a non-Italian high-school diploma, whatever your citizenship. Domestic applicants use a different procedure, and the application fee is not refundable if you pick the wrong one.^[10]

• Bachelor’s: you apply for one programme only through the online portal and upload ID, CV, motivation letter, school documents and an English certificate. The application fee is €100. Cattolica may ask for CIMEA comparability statements.^[8] You need a high-school diploma with at least 12 years of total education; competitive programmes such as Economics and Management also weigh school grades, especially in mathematics, and SAT, ACT or the Cattolica Admission Test may be required.^[10]
• Master’s: applications for English-taught two-year degrees open on the graduate pages; the programme page lists entry requirements and the English certificate.^[9]
• Non-EU students needing a visa: after admission you accept the offer and pay the first instalment, receive the admission letter, submit a pre-enrolment request to the Italian consulate or embassy and then apply for the type D study visa. That page still carries an outdated 2019 date, so confirm current steps with the International Admissions Office. The bachelor’s entry rules refer to the Universitaly portal of the Ministry (MUR).^[11][10]

We give no deadlines here because they change every year and differ by programme; each programme page has an application timeline.

Which language level do you need?

Bachelor’s, English-taught (2027/28): at least B2, shown by a certificate dated 1 January 2025 or later, uploaded with the application. Accepted tests include IELTS Academic 6.0, TOEFL iBT 84, Cambridge First, Advanced or Proficiency, PTE Academic 65 and Oxford Test of English Advanced 111. B2 is the upper-intermediate level of the CEFR, the European scale from A1 to C2. Students from certain English-speaking education systems, and full IB Diploma students taught mostly in English, are exempt.^[5]

Master’s, English-taught two-year degrees (2026/27): a certificate dated 1 January 2024 or later, for example IELTS 6.0 or TOEFL iBT 84. Some programmes ask for more: The Art and Industry of Narration needs IELTS 7.0 or TOEFL 95, Banking and Finance IELTS 6.5, and Global Business Management IELTS 6.5 or TOEFL 85.^[12]

For Italian-taught programmes the international pages we read do not give a level; check the programme page.

More about studying in Italy

• Italy: best universities
• Study in Italy: complete guide
• Cost of Studying Abroad
• International Student Scholarships
• University Ranking Methodology

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