Sapienza, Bologna lead Italy’s 2026 university attractiveness ranking

Sapienza University of Rome and the University of Bologna have jointly secured the top position among Italy’s large universities in the University Report 2026, which introduces a new index to assess the attractiveness of higher education institutions across the country.

Both universities scored 83 on the Qualitative Attractiveness Index (IQA), followed by the University of Padua with 81. The report was presented on Oct 14 during the inauguration of the Young International Forum in Rome by Stefano Ubertini, president of the Scientific Committee of Fondazione Italia Education.

According to the report, the index draws on official data from Italy’s Ministry of University and Research and covers 81 public and non-state universities. It assesses institutions across several dimensions, including their ability to attract students, internationalisation, links with local communities, gender balance, student contributions, disciplinary specialisation and outcomes.

Pavia and Eastern Piedmont lead their categories

Among medium-sized universities, the University of Pavia ranked first with an IQA score of 76, followed by the University of L’Aquila with 75. Messina and the Marche Polytechnic University scored 72 each, while the University of Trento recorded 71 and the University of Perugia scored 70.

The University of Eastern Piedmont led the small-university category with 73 points, ahead of the University of Siena with 72 and the University of Tuscia with 71.

The report also assessed other institutional categories separately. Politecnico di Milano topped the polytechnic category with 73 points, while Bocconi University led among private and non-state institutions with the same score.

New index looks beyond a single university ranking

The IQA aims to provide a broader picture of Italy’s higher education system by examining universities according to their size, institutional category, academic disciplines and geographical context.

The report distinguishes overall attractiveness from other measures, including internationalisation and relationships with local communities. These factors can produce different results even for universities that achieve similar overall scores.

For example, the University of Bologna stands out for internationalisation among large universities, while Sapienza leads in attractiveness within a competitive environment. The report also identifies the University of Pisa for its links with the surrounding territory.

The findings were presented at the Young International Forum, an education and career guidance event organised by Fondazione Italia Education in collaboration with Corriere Università.

Speaking about the challenges facing young people and the labour market, Young International Forum director Mariano Berriola highlighted the combination of employers’ difficulties in finding suitable workers and Italy’s declining demographic trend.

He argued that universities must play a central role in providing young people with education and opportunities for professional development.