University of Pavia

The University of Pavia in Italy, founded in 1361, is one of the oldest higher education institutions in the world,

Located 35 kilometres from Milan, it was the only university to exist in Milan – and the greater region of Lombardy – until as recently as the 20th century.

Today, it caters for up to 24,000 students who flock to it from across Italy, as well as many different countries around the world.

Students have the choice of over 80 undergraduate programmes, over 42 master’s programmes and around 20 doctoral programmes. These are offered across 18 departments, which are complimented by the university’s 30 libraries.

Of its student body, around 1,500 are international and their courses are taught in English. Pavia prides itself on the strength of its global outlook and has more than 400 partnerships in place with universities and institutes worldwide, as well as over 700 ERASMUS exchange agreements.

Since 1987, through what is called CICOPS, Pavia has continued to promote cooperation with universities in developing countries seeking to encourage joint research initiatives and innovation. It also takes part in the Marco Polo programme, which only a handful of Italian universities are engaged with, which seeks to increase the amount of Chinese students studying in Italy, offering help with language classes.

Pavia is a member of the Coimbra Group and European University Association. Two main points of interest at the university include its botanical garden and its history museum. 

The town of Pavia is known for its art and culture, possessing historic buildings and ancient churches alongside museums, libraries, cinemas and theatres that line its narrow streets.