University of Padua

Key facts

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

About the University of Padua

The university dates its foundation to 1222.^[1] Wikipedia describes it as a public research university that began when a group of students and professors left the University of Bologna in search of academic freedom, first settling in Vicenza before moving to Padua.^[3] Galileo Galilei held the mathematics chair from 1592 to 1610.^[3]

The university says it has more than 70,000 students in a city of about 210,000 inhabitants, and that 16,970 students graduated in 2025.^[2] Besides Padua it has sites in Treviso, Legnaro, Vicenza, Asiago, Chioggia and Conegliano.^[1] Wikipedia counts 32 departments in eight schools (Agricultural Science and Veterinary Medicine; Economics and Political Sciences; Engineering; Human and Social Sciences and Cultural Heritage; Law; Medicine and Surgery; Psychology; Sciences).^[3] The schools matter for fees, because they decide the fee group (see below).

How is the University of Padua ranked?

In the QS World University Rankings 2027, published on 18 June 2026, the University of Padua is 204th in the world and fourth among Italian universities, behind Politecnico di Milano (87th), Sapienza (111th) and Bologna (123rd).^[4] A second report lists the same position with a score of 55.4 points.^[5] We read the position in Italian press, because topuniversities.com blocks automated access.

Rankings differ by publisher and year, so treat one position as one view. How we compile rankings.

What can you study at the University of Padua?

The university lists 236 degree courses in all subject areas, among them 114 bachelor’s and 15 single-cycle master’s programmes.^[8] Its website has a separate section for bachelor’s programmes in English, but the page we read gives no count of English-taught programmes.^[8]

The eight schools cover agriculture and veterinary medicine, economics and political science, engineering, human and social sciences and cultural heritage, law, medicine and surgery, psychology, and sciences.^[3]

How much does the University of Padua cost in 2026/27?

The groups follow the school of the degree programme. Group A covers the schools of Economics and Political Science, Law, and Human and Social Sciences and Cultural Heritage. Group B covers Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Engineering, Medicine and Surgery, Psychology and Sciences, plus the degrees in Primary Education Sciences and in Management of Educational Services and Continuing Education.^[6]

Non-EU students living abroad

Non-EU citizens with a household that does not live in Italy, registered from 2023/24, pay a fixed fee that is not recalculated. They can use an ISEE Parificato (the version for foreign income) only to reduce the regional fee. Students from the low-income countries on the ministerial list pay one third of the reference amount.^[6] The university’s fee page calls the figures “all-inclusive” and does not say that the regional fee comes on top of them; the notice shows a regional fee of €192 plus €16 stamp duty in its table of maximum amounts.^[9][6] Ask the student service office whether the first instalment includes it.

EU students and non-EU students living in Italy

The all-inclusive fee depends on ISEE, year of enrolment and progress in credits. Students with ISEE up to €30,000 who meet the progress rules pay no all-inclusive fee; the highest bracket is capped by the group maximum above.^[6] The fee page summarises this as a range from 0 to about €3,000 a year.^[9]

Instalments and extras

Fees are paid in three instalments that cannot be deferred.^[6] The first instalment of a first-year student is €208 (regional tax €192 plus €16 stamp duty).^[9] Income-based reductions need the “Application for Benefits” in the Uniweb portal by the deadline in the notice.^[6]

Living costs are not part of the fee. See our Italy guide and the Study in Italy guide.

How do you apply to the University of Padua?

Applications run through the portal apply.unipd.it. We give no deadlines here because they change every year and differ by programme; the portal and the calls for admission show the current windows.

• Italian-taught programmes: you register, upload your documents as PDFs, pay a non-refundable €60 application fee and can apply to up to two degree programmes. Where a TOLC test is required, you register for it with CISIA (€35) instead of paying the application fee.^[10]
• English-taught programmes: you apply through the same portal, except for single-cycle Medicine and Surgery.^[11]
• Programmes with limited places: these have their own calls. For the current cycle there is a separate window for non-EU citizens living outside Italy.^[10]
• Non-EU citizens living abroad: key information and deadlines are on the Ministry’s Universitaly page, where pre-enrolment is made. Validation of a pre-enrolment does not guarantee a visa.^[10][12]

Bachelor’s and single-cycle programmes require a 12-year school record, which shorter schooling can meet through extra academic years, a post-secondary qualification or a foundation course; master’s programmes require a bachelor’s degree or an equivalent foreign qualification.^[11] Where your country has a national entrance exam, you need to show you passed it.^[11]

Which language level do you need?

For Italian-taught programmes, applicants with a foreign qualification need Italian at a level equivalent to at least B2; the Master’s in Linguistics requires C1. The certificate must come from the CLIQ quality system and must be less than two years old at the selection opening date.^[7] For English-taught programmes, all applicants with a foreign qualification, whatever their citizenship, need English at least at B2, with a minimum score for each accepted certificate.^[7]

B2 is upper-intermediate on the CEFR scale (the European scale from A1 to C2). There are exemptions, for example for Italian citizens and for holders of Italian qualifications. Some Italian-taught programmes may also ask for English, so check the programme’s entry requirements. Certificates can be submitted after the application but before the end of the enrolment period.^[7] At national level, the Ministry says each institution sets a language test of at least B2 for Italian-taught degrees.^[12]

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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