Founded in 1303, Sapienza University of Rome is one of the largest European universities by enrollments and one of the oldest in history. It offers a vast range of programs, including strong engineering and science departments.
Sapienza Università di Roma is one of the largest universities in Europe by enrolment, with about 120,000 students and 8,000 staff. Roughly one student in ten comes from abroad. It was founded in 1303 by Pope Boniface VIII, and the name means wisdom. The main campus, the Città Universitaria near the Termini station, was opened in 1935 and was designed by Marcello Piacentini, with white monumental buildings, a central square and a bell tower.
The university has contributed to physics, medicine and archaeology. In the 1930s, Enrico Fermi and a group of young physicists known as the Via Panisperna boys carried out the experiments on slow neutrons that led to the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1938. Sapienza archaeologists have excavated at Ebla in Syria, and the university runs the Policlinico Umberto I, one of the largest hospitals in Italy, alongside other teaching hospitals.
It offers a full range of faculties covering architecture, economics, law, engineering, humanities, medicine, pharmacy, philosophy, sciences, statistics and political science. Research is strong in physics, mathematics, engineering, classical studies, archaeology and oriental studies. The large number of students makes some courses crowded, but the university has many libraries and museums and a very wide choice of master’s and doctoral programmes.
Italian public universities charge fees that depend on family income, and special rules apply to students from outside the EU. Amounts range from a few hundred euros to a few thousand a year. 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 several master’s programmes are in English.
Rome has high rents, particularly near the centre. Students often live farther from the campus and use the metro and buses, which are cheap with a student pass.
Domains taught:
Aerospace, AI and Machine Learning, Astroscience, Automation, Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Computer Vision, Data Analytics, Ecology and Sustainability, Electrical and Electronics, Engineering, Fluid Dynamics, Industrial Design, Life Sciences, Materials, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Microbiology and Genetics, Nanotechnologies, Optics, Physics, Process Control, Robotics, Software Engineering, Statistics, Structural Engineering, Telecommunications, Thermodynamics
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Member of UNICA, EUA, Mediterranean Universities Union (UNIMED). Numerous international agreements.
Research:
Particle physics, Space research, AI and robotics, Cultural heritage preservation, Nanotechnology, Health sciences.
Famous Alumnis:
Enrico Fermi, Federico Fellini, Maria Montessori, Mario Draghi
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
8000
Current students***:
120000
Foreign students***:
10%
Cumulative former students***:
700000
Pros
Largest university in Europe, wide variety of courses, located in Rome with rich cultural environment, significant research output.
Cons
Extremely large and can be impersonal, facilities can be crowded and spread out, bureaucracy.
Best For
Vast comprehensive university with strong research in physics, aerospace, and ICT.
Università degli Studi di Bologna shares the core fields of this institution, namely astroscience, aerospace and bioinformatics; it is slightly smaller, at about 90,000 students against roughly 120,000 here, and is also a public institution.
Università degli Studi di Roma "Tor Vergata" offers a comparable education in astroscience, aerospace and bioinformatics: it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral, and covers manufacturing as well.
Università degli Studi di Firenze works in much the same fields, chiefly astroscience, aerospace and bioinformatics, and it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral, and covers agriculture and food science as well.
Università degli Studi di Padova overlaps with this university on astroscience, aerospace and bioinformatics, so the two are easy to compare, and it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes.
Among national alternatives, Università degli Studi di Roma Tre stands out for its focus on aerospace, bioinformatics and nanotechnologies, and it is far smaller, with about 33,000 students against roughly 120,000 here, and is also a public institution.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Aix-Marseille Université, based in France, is built around astroscience, aerospace and bioinformatics much like this institution, and it covers sound engineering and marine science as well, and is smaller, enrolling about 78,000 students against roughly 120,000 here.
Sorbonne Université, based in France, is built around astroscience, aerospace and bioinformatics much like this university, and it is smaller, enrolling about 55,000 students against roughly 120,000 here, and is also a public institution.
Abroad, UTokyo (Japan) covers astroscience, aerospace and bioinformatics in a comparable way, and it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral, and covers marine science and transportations as well.
For a study option in China with a comparable spread of aerospace, bioinformatics and nanotechnologies, Huazhong University of Science and Technology is the reference point: it covers transportations and signal processing as well, and is smaller, enrolling about 58,000 students against roughly 120,000 here.
If this university is on your list for astroscience, aerospace and bioinformatics, Zhejiang University in China deserves a comparison, because it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes.
*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 Sapienza?
The main campus is at Piazzale Aldo Moro 5 in Rome, Italy, near the Termini station.
When was it founded?
In 1303, by Pope Boniface VIII.
How large is it?
About 120,000 students and 8,000 staff, which makes it one of the largest universities in Europe.
What does Sapienza mean?
Wisdom.
Who designed the main campus?
Marcello Piacentini, and it opened in 1935.
Who were the Via Panisperna boys?
A group of young physicists led by Enrico Fermi who studied slow neutrons in the 1930s.
Where have Sapienza archaeologists worked?
At Ebla in Syria, among other sites.
What does it cost to study there?
Fees depend on family income, and special rules apply to students from outside the EU. Check the current tariff.
In which language are courses taught?
Mostly Italian at bachelor level, with several master's programmes in English.
Is Rome expensive for students?
Rents are high, particularly near the centre, so many students live farther out and use public transport.
Aerospace, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Physics, Robotics, Space
*: 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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