Studying at the University of Pavia

The story

The University of Pavia was founded by an act of the Emperor Charles IV in 1361. A law school existed in the city much earlier, regulated by an act of King Lotharius in 825. If that date were adopted, the university says, Pavia would be the oldest studium in Europe.

By its own account Pavia is younger than the universities of Bologna, Padua, Florence and Pisa, founded in 1088, 1222, 1321 and 1343.

The central campus is in the historic centre, in the Palazzo Centrale. The building dates back to the 15th century and has nine courtyards and forty historical theatre classrooms. The science campus, Polo Cravino, was built by the university in the early 1970s. It is also called La Nave, the Ship, because of its shape.

Who studies here

More than 26,000 students from Italy and overseas study at the University of Pavia. Pavia is a city-campus and has been one since the university's foundation.

Students can read subjects across the humanities, social sciences, experimental sciences, mathematics, engineering and medicine.

Medicine is taught in English in the Harvey course, a six-year single-cycle degree of 360 credits with programmed access. The university describes it as the first medical course in Italy taught in English.

Pavia has been part of the European university alliance EC2U since 2020.

Programs taught in English

We list 2 Bachelor's, 16 Master's and 1 single-cycle degree at Pavia taught entirely in English.

A selection of them:

• Artificial Intelligence
• Computer Engineering
• Finance
• International Business and Entrepreneurship
• World Politics and International Relations
• Social Sciences for Global Challenges

The city

The university describes Pavia as a medium-sized, uncrowded city where everything a student needs is within a fifteen-minute walk. The main campus is in the historic centre. The scientific campus, which hosts Medicine and the STEM subjects, is in the north-west of the city and is well connected by bus.

Pavia is a good starting point for cycling, and Milan can be reached along the Naviglio Pavese cycle path. The Certosa of Pavia, a Visconti chapel-mausoleum, is nearby. The university also teaches outside the city, in Voghera, a small city 30 km away, and in Cremona, 85 km away.

How admission works for international students

Applicants from outside the EU who live abroad start with a pre-enrolment application for a study visa on the Universitaly portal. The Ministry of University and Research (MUR) sets this step. Without it, enrolment cannot be confirmed. A university offer does not give a right to a visa: embassies and consulates decide that.

For a Bachelor's or single-cycle program, the university asks for a secondary school diploma after at least 12 years of schooling overall. It also asks for the academic eligibility exam, but only if the education system of your diploma requires it.

The test depends on whether the program has open or restricted access. Open-access Bachelor's and single-cycle programs use a non-selective assessment, which can be a CISIA test or a test set by the department. Failing it does not block enrolment, but it can leave educational debts to clear during the first year. Restricted-access programs use a selective test.

Each degree program sets its own English requirement. Students going into programs taught entirely in English do not sit the Italian language test that applies to Italian-taught programs.

For Master's programs with open access, the university may ask for an interview or an evaluative test if the commission requires one. Restricted-access Master's programs use a selective test or, for some, an evaluation of qualifications. Open-access programs take applications in several windows through the year, and non-EU applicants abroad can use the later windows only if places remain.

Learnium checks which call and which test apply to you, since they differ by program and by year. Our overview of Italian admission tests covers the options.

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

Fees

For 2026/27, students with a non-EU citizenship can pay a flat-rate tuition fee without sending any financial documents. The rate depends on citizenship and area of study, in three brackets, and runs from 390 to 4,550 euros a year. For students from the countries in bracket 1, which includes Pakistan, India, Nepal, Egypt and Nigeria, it is 390 euros a year, and that is the cost.

The bracket is set when you matriculate and stays the same for the normal length of the program plus one year. After opting for the flat rate you can leave it by submitting financial documents, so that the tuition fee is adjusted to the family's economic situation.

Students from the countries on the annual "particularly poor countries" list set by ministerial decree are assessed on documents. These include a statement from the Italian representation in the home country that the student's family is not known to be of high income and high social standing.

How we help

Pavia's flat-rate fee needs no financial documents and holds for the length of the course plus one year. We check which call and test apply to you, keep the Universitaly pre-enrolment and the visa in one plan, and prepare the documents Pavia asks for: the diploma, its legalisation or CIMEA statement, and the English certificate. If you are comparing Pavia with another university, we do it with you.

Questions students ask about Pavia

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