The Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna, the oldest university in the Western world, paves the way for innovation through an increasingly rich programme catalogue, cutting-edge research, a constant and increasingly broad international perspective, and a strong third mission.
Since it was founded in 1088, the Alma Mater Studiorum has been student-centred, hosting prominent figures from the science and arts communities. With five campuses (Bologna, Cesena, Forlì, Ravenna, Rimini) and a branch in Buenos Aires, it offers a diversified course catalogue that is tailored to the needs of present-day society: over 200-degree programmes among its 32 departments and 5 schools. Its community of more than 90,000 students makes the University of Bologna one of Italy’s largest universities, ranking first in Italy in terms of number of its students in exchange programmes abroad and within the top 5 universities in Europe in terms of number of exchange students. Moreover, the University of Bologna is among the top 5 Italian universities in major international rankings (Shanghai, Times Higher Education, GreenMetric).
The University of Bologna is deeply committed to sustainable development and actively contributes to the achievement of the 17 sustainable development goals of the UN’s 2030 Agenda. As a comprehensive research university, the University of Bologna invests in multidisciplinary cross-cultural approach to research and teaching. In the European landscape of research and academic cooperation, the University of Bologna is surely among the most active institutions. Indeed, it has shaped and maintains alliances with industries as well as public/private organizations, and also represents a crucial hub for international networks with its lively relations with America, Africa, Asia and Australia, that add up to its great networks in Europe. In fact, it is one of the founders of the prestigious Una Europa alliance, which is striving to build the integrated university of the future.