The Università della Calabria stands on the hills of Arcavacata, in the municipality of Rende just outside Cosenza, and owes its existence to a law passed in 1968. Teaching and research are organised in departments, and the ateneo counts fourteen of them, among them Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences (DiBEST), Economics, Statistics and Finance (DESF), Physics, and Mathematics and Computer Science (DeMaCS).
The campus is the best-known part of the project. After the founding law an international design competition was held, and a group led by the architect Vittorio Gregotti won it. Their plan is a straight axis about two kilometres long, a pier that carries a road and a pedestrian walkway across the Crati valley, with the department buildings attached to it as square-plan cubes. The main entrance bridge is named after Pietro Bucci, and the university’s address on Via Pietro Bucci carries the same name. The grounds cover about 200 hectares.
The university has a residential character: its Centro Residenziale provides housing, canteens and cultural, sports and recreational facilities within the campus. The departments named above reach from the natural sciences to mathematics and computing and to economics and statistics, and further departments widen the range. Degree programmes, admission rules, tuition and deadlines are published by the university itself, and applicants should consult those pages for the current academic year.
Domains taught:
AI and Machine Learning, Automation, Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Computer Vision, Data Analytics, Ecology and Sustainability, Electrical and Electronics, Engineering, Food Science, Geotechnics, Industrial Design, Life Sciences, Manufacturing, Materials, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Nanotechnologies, Physics, Process Control, Robotics, Software Engineering, Statistics, Structural Engineering, Telecommunications, Thermodynamics
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
EUA, UNIMED. Various international research collaborations.
Research:
AI and intelligent systems, Renewable energy and sustainable environment, Nanomaterials and nanotechnologies, Cultural heritage technologies.
Famous Alumnis:
N/A
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
1200
Current students***:
25000
Foreign students***:
N/A%
Cumulative former students***:
80000
Pros
Residential campus university, modern infrastructure, significant research activity in specific fields.
Cons
Located in a less economically developed region, job opportunities in Calabria can be scarce, somewhat isolated campus.
Best For
Campus-based university with strong engineering and science programs in Southern Italy.
Università degli Studi di Salerno is a public university in southern Italy where computer science, engineering and chemistry sit among the main fields, a mix that overlaps with the sciences and computing found in Calabria's departments.
Politecnico di Bari is a public technical university whose listed strengths in mechanical engineering, ICT and civil engineering offer an engineering-led counterpart to Unical's science and computing departments.
Università degli Studi di Catania, a public university in Sicily, combines engineering, physics and computer science, two of which also appear among Unical's departments.
Another southern public university with an engineering focus is Università degli Studi di Messina, which adds life sciences and chemical sciences to its engineering offer.
Università Politecnica delle Marche, in Ancona, pairs mechanical and automation engineering with marine biology and ecology, which echoes the earth-science side of Unical's departments.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Universität des Saarlandes in Germany is a public university in Saarbrücken whose computer science, materials science and systems engineering resemble Unical's mathematics and computing side.
In Ireland, University of Limerick is a public institution with materials science, aeronautical engineering and software engineering among its main fields.
Belgium's Université de Mons, a public university, lists materials science, engineering and computer science, a close match to Unical's computing and science departments.
Universität Bremen, a public German university, joins marine and environmental sciences with materials science and computer science, a pairing that recalls Unical's earth-science and computing departments.
Swiss public university Université de Fribourg offers materials science, biology, chemistry and computer science, comparable to Unical's mix of natural science and computing.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
When was the University of Calabria created?
It was established by a law of 1968, and an international architectural competition followed straight away to design its campus. The university is commonly abbreviated Unical.
Where is the main campus located?
The campus is at Arcavacata, in the municipality of Rende, close to the city of Cosenza in Calabria. It occupies hill slopes towards the Crati valley and covers about 200 hectares.
Who designed the Unical campus?
A group led by the architect Vittorio Gregotti won the international competition. Its plan is a straight path of about two kilometres, organised on several levels for vehicles and pedestrians, to which the cube-shaped department buildings are attached.
How is teaching organised?
Courses and research are grouped in fourteen departments. Examples include Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, Economics, Statistics and Finance, Physics, and Mathematics and Computer Science.
Can students live on the campus?
The university runs a Centro Residenziale that provides housing and canteens together with cultural, sports and recreational facilities. Availability and rules for places change from year to year, so they should be checked with the university.
What is the Pietro Bucci bridge?
It is the main entrance bridge of the campus, named after Pietro Bucci, and it forms part of the long elevated axis that crosses the Crati valley. The same name appears in the university's street address.
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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