Address: Via VIII Febbraio 2, 35122 Padova, Veneto, Italy
Engineering, Physics, Life Sciences
Founded in 1222, the University of Padua is one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Europe. It has strong traditions in science, engineering, and medicine.
The Università degli Studi di Padova, one of the oldest universities in Europe, was founded in 1222 when a group of students and teachers left Bologna and settled in Padua. It has about 65,000 students and 6,000 staff, and roughly one student in ten comes from abroad. The historic seat is the Palazzo del Bo, on Via VIII Febbraio, a building named after an inn with an ox sign, which now holds the rectorate, lecture halls and a famous anatomical theatre.
The Anatomical Theatre, built in 1594, is the oldest permanent one in the world, and it was used for public dissections. Andreas Vesalius, who published a landmark atlas of the human body, taught anatomy here, and William Harvey studied in Padua before describing blood circulation. Galileo Galilei held the chair of mathematics from 1592 to 1610 and made his first telescope observations while in the city. Copernicus also studied medicine and canon law at Padua.
In 1678 Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia became the first woman in the world to receive a university degree, a doctorate in philosophy, at Padua. The university still carries the motto Universa Universis Patavina Libertas, which means that the freedom of Padua is for all. The Botanical Garden of 1545 is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the oldest university botanical garden still in its original location.
Today the university is strong in medicine, engineering, physics, psychology, law and the life sciences. Italian public universities charge fees that depend on family income, with special rules for students from outside the EU. Check the current tariff. Many courses are open, but medicine and some other degrees use tests and limited places. Bachelor’s programmes are mostly in Italian, and many master’s programmes are in English.
Padua is a mid-sized city close to Venice, so rents are cheaper than in the lagoon city, and the train takes about 25 minutes.
Domains taught:
Aerospace, Agriculture, AI and Machine Learning, Astroscience, Automation, Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Computer Vision, Data Analytics, Ecology and Sustainability, Electrical and Electronics, Engineering, Food Science, Geotechnics, Life Sciences, Materials, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Microbiology and Genetics, Nanotechnologies, Physics, Process Control, Robotics, Software Engineering, Statistics, Structural Engineering, Telecommunications, Thermodynamics
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Coimbra Group, The Guild, ARQUS European University Alliance. Extensive international partnerships.
Research:
Astrophysics and cosmology, Biomedical sciences and engineering, Sustainable agriculture and food, Data science and AI, Cultural heritage.
Famous Alumnis:
Galileo Galilei, Nicolaus Copernicus (attended), Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
6000
Current students***:
65000
Foreign students***:
10%
Cumulative former students***:
400000
Pros
Historic and highly-ranked university, strong research tradition (Galileo Galilei taught here), beautiful city.
Cons
Can be competitive, bureaucracy, finding accommodation in Padua can be challenging.
Best For
Historic university with excellent research in sciences and engineering.
Where this institution leans on astroscience, aerospace and agriculture, Università degli Studi di Bologna does the same, and it covers industrial design as well, and is slightly larger, at about 90,000 students against roughly 65,000 here.
Università degli Studi di Firenze sits close to this institution on astroscience, aerospace and agriculture; it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes.
Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II offers a comparable education in astroscience, aerospace and agriculture: it is slightly larger, at about 80,000 students against roughly 65,000 here, and is also a public institution.
Università degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza overlaps with this university on astroscience, aerospace and bioinformatics, so the two are easy to compare, and it covers optics and fluid dynamics as well, and is larger, enrolling about 120,000 students against roughly 65,000 here.
Also strong in agriculture, food science and geotechnics, Università degli Studi di Palermo makes a sensible second look at home; it covers marine science and industrial design as well, and is smaller, enrolling about 40,000 students against roughly 65,000 here.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Abroad, Sorbonne Université (France) covers astroscience, aerospace and bioinformatics in a comparable way, and it covers sound engineering and marine science as well, and is slightly smaller, at about 55,000 students against roughly 65,000 here.
Zhejiang University, based in China, is built around astroscience, aerospace and agriculture much like this university, and it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral, and covers marine science and transportations as well.
Université de Strasbourg (France) works on the same fields as this institution, chiefly astroscience, food science and bioinformatics; it is also a public institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral.
Students considering a move abroad can look at Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn in Germany, where astroscience, agriculture and food science also form the core, and it covers optics and signal processing as well, and is smaller, enrolling about 38,000 students against roughly 65,000 here.
For aerospace, food science and bioinformatics outside the home country, Université de Liège in Belgium is a natural reference; it is smaller, enrolling about 26,000 students against roughly 65,000 here, and is also a public institution.
*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
Where is the University of Padua?
The historic seat is the Palazzo del Bo at Via VIII Febbraio 2 in Padua, Italy.
When was it founded?
In 1222, when students and teachers left Bologna and settled in Padua.
How large is it?
About 65,000 students and 6,000 staff.
What is the Anatomical Theatre?
A theatre built in 1594 that is the oldest permanent one in the world.
Who taught at Padua?
Galileo Galilei held the chair of mathematics from 1592 to 1610, and Andreas Vesalius taught anatomy.
Who was Elena Cornaro Piscopia?
In 1678 she became the first woman in the world to receive a university degree, a doctorate in philosophy, at Padua.
What is the university's motto?
Universa Universis Patavina Libertas.
What does it cost to study there?
Fees depend on family income, with special rules for students from outside the EU. Check the current tariff.
In which language are courses taught?
Mostly Italian at bachelor level, with many master's programmes in English.
*: 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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