Italy is the land of fashion, brands, innovations and new trends. This nation has introduced a lot of new ideas and trends in food, style, shoes, automobiles and much more. It is a dream destination for food lovers, fashion lovers, music lovers, history and culture lovers. Italy is the birthplace of many musicians, artists, scientists, performers, painters and writers. Italians are living a vibrant, electrifying and full of fun life. They like to eat, drink and dance.
Italy is located in Southern Europe and it is the second largest favorite study destination of students in the world after United States. It is the top UNESCO worlds’ heritage site. Tourists from all around the world visit Italy for its beautiful places and pleasant surroundings. Students also go to study in Italy. Italy has played an important role in European Higher Education. It is one of the four countries who has created “European Area for Higher Education. Italy is top one from the 8 industrialized countries in the world, it is providing advanced education and research facilities to students to gain experience.
Italy is providing following facilities to students:
- Education in Italy is free.
- Non-European international students must apply for a student visa at least three months before arrival in the country.
- Post study work permit.
- After work permit students can apply for permanent residence in Italy.
National Language and Major Religions in Italy:
The national language of Italy is Italian. There are top three religions in Italy i.e., Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism.
Italian currency:
The currency used in Italy is Euro.
Education System in Italy:
There are two types of higher educational institutes in Italy, private and public. Along with educational universities and institutes, there are lots of institutes of High Training in Arts and Music in English Language. About 32,000 international students are currently studying in Italy.
Universities of Italy:
There are about 96 public and private universities in Italy which are serving the national and international students. Other than universities there are total 12 research centers which are fully equipped with modern apparatus and gadgets. AFAM (Alta Formazione Artistica e Musicale) institutes provides a lot of choices in High Training of Art and Music. In Italy, total AFAM institutes are 132 and these 132 institutes are segregated as:
- 20 public Academies of Fine Arts.
- 58 conservatories institutes.
- 24 recognized academies of Fine Arts.
- 21 recognized institutes of Music.
- 4 Higher Education Institutes for Artistic Industries (ISIA).
- 5 Institutions authorized to issue Higher Education qualifications in Arts, Music and Dance.
Top Universities of Italy
Here is the list of the top Italian universities:
- Politecnico di Milano
- Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa
- Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna Pisa
- Università di Bologna
- Sapienza – Università di Roma
- University of Padua
- Vita-Salute San Raffaele University
- University of Trento
- The University of Milan
- University of Milano – Bicocca
- Free University of Bozen-Bolzano
Study programs offered by Higher education institutions of Italy:
The Higher Education System in Italy consists of three phases.
- The first phase is bachelor’s degree programs,
- The second phase is of Master’s degree programs, and
- The third phase is consisting of doctoral degree program.
The Higher Education System of Italy also follows the European combined education system, the Bologna System. Under this system, students have to complete Required European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) to take degree. In Italy ECTS is called CFU.
Tuition fees
Most of the institutes of Italy are public or state funded. Therefore, students are charged minimum 850 Euros to maximum 1000 Euros annually by state funded universities. As private universities are not funded by the state therefore, these universities charge more fee.
Scholarships
More than 256 Italian scholarships, fellowships and grants are awarded to European and Non-European international students. Study in Italy for Pakistani students who wish to study in Italy but can’t afford, may avail this offer.
Needy students who want to avail financial grants or scholarships in Italy must provide the actual financial position or condition of their parents. Because these grants and scholarships are given or granted on first come first serve basis. Some of the scholarships and grants are only granted to researchers for research purposes and these grants are mostly state funded or any research organization.
Work permit for international students
Students are permitted to work for 20 hours per week.
Cost of living
Italy is a highly expensive country as compared to other European countries. The cost of living greatly varies from city to city and institution to institution. Rent of accommodation is specifically increasing day by day. Generally, international students need 1000 Euros per month to cover all living expenses.