Studying at Sapienza University of Rome

The story

In 1303 Pope Boniface VIII issued the bull In suprema praeminentia dignitatis and founded the Studium Urbis, Rome's first university. It was built outside the Vatican walls and grew from its first seat in Trastevere to buildings between Piazza Navona and the Pantheon, bought in 1431.

The name comes from 1660, when the Studium moved to a new building on the Corso Rinascimento. It came to be known as Sapienza after the words over its gate: Initium Sapientiae timor Domini.

The present main campus, the città universitaria designed by Marcello Piacentini, opened in 1935. In 1931 the Fascist regime made all faculty swear an oath; only twelve professors in Italy refused, four of them from Sapienza. In December 2020 Antonella Polimeni became the first woman rector in more than 700 years.

The university today

Sapienza says it is the oldest university in Rome. It reported 125,332 students in 2022/23, with over 11,000 international students and more than 30,000 from other Italian cities. It is organised in 11 faculties and 58 departments.

Its own list of research strengths includes archaeology, physics and astrophysics, the humanities and cultural heritage, nanotechnologies, design, aerospace and the social and economic sciences.

We list 7 Bachelor's, 26 Master's and 2 single-cycle degrees at Sapienza taught entirely in English.

A selection of them:

• Applied Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence
• Artificial Intelligence
• Data Science
• Economics and Communication for Management and Innovation
• European Studies
• Space and Astronautical Engineering

How admission works for international students

International students start with MoveIN, Sapienza's online pre-selection. Each application is assessed on its own: CV, academic performance, previous studies and motivation. Passing the pre-selection is not a place: the program's own admission call follows.

Applicants who need a visa have an earlier MoveIN deadline than all other applicants.

Bachelor's. In the 2026/27 MoveIN document every English-taught Bachelor's program asks for an entry test. Which test depends on the program: the SAT, the CISIA CEnT-S or, for humanities programs, the SAT or the English Test HUM. The English TOLC no longer counts for new applicants.

Master's. The MoveIN document sets entry requirements program by program, including a minimum GPA and an English level. Some programs add a written entrance exam.

Our SAT guide and CEnT-S guide cover the Bachelor's tests, and our English TEST HUM guide the humanities test.

Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Medicine in English are covered on our Medicine in Italy page.

Fees

If your family's income is produced abroad, you cannot pay by Italian ISEE. You pay a fixed yearly contribution set by the country where the income is produced, in three bands. For 2026/27 it runs from €300 to €1,500 a year, plus a regional tax and stamp duty. The ISEE parificato is not accepted for income not declared in Italy.

Families whose income is produced in Italy pay on the ISEE scale for university benefits instead.

How Learnium helps with Sapienza

At Sapienza the work starts early: the MoveIN pre-selection comes before the program's own call. We read the MoveIN requirements for the programs you want and plan the SAT or CEnT-S sitting. The pre-selection, the admission call, the Universitaly pre-enrolment and the visa go on one timeline.

Questions students ask about Sapienza

Rules, dates and fees change every year. Confirm them in the official call for your own year before you act on them.