University of Milan (La Statale)

It's the only Italian member of LERU, the League of European Research Universities — a 21-member group of Europe's most research-intensive universities — and counts a Nobel laureate physicist and a Fields Medal-winning mathematician among its alumni. Today it's one of Italy's largest universities, with around 60,000 students across nine faculties.

Its scale gives an incoming student real depth in almost any subject, a large and long-established international exchange network, and a genuinely research-driven academic culture — though, like any large comprehensive university, it takes a bit more navigating than a smaller, single-focus institution.

Admission for international students generally runs through the standard route: Universitaly pre-enrolment, a Declaration of Value or CIMEA comparability statement for your prior qualification, and — depending on faculty — an entrance test or a language requirement if you're studying in Italian.

See the Milan city guide for what studying here actually costs and looks like day to day — rent by neighbourhood, getting around, and settling in.