University of Pavia

Institution Info

Our institution is one of the oldest universities in Europe and the oldest one in Lombardy. Since its foundation in 1361 it has been a good place to study for both Italian and foreign students.
Each year, thousands of students can appreciate the multidisciplinary vocation of our University and the hospitality of its campus, really unique in Italy for the possibility it offers of living and studying in a lively, intellectually challenging environment.
Our aim is to encourage our students’ creativity, enhancing their capacity to engage with the great challenges of our society.
We set out to obtain this goal by offering a wide academic curriculum, by increasing our international policy and through the outstanding quality of our research.

The Rector
Prof. Angiolino StellaInternational Activities

International Activities

The University of Pavia (UNIPV) was one of the first Italian universities to enact procedures for the internationalization of its academic system. The University of Pavia, together with the Universities of Bologna and Siena, was the first to implement the ERASMUS Programme for foreign students (1988). Similarly, Pavia has been collaborating since the late 1980s, within the framework of the Coimbra Group (a group of the oldest and most prestigious European universities), on a number of projects for the “Europeanization” of the university system (i.e. implementation of the ECTS credit transfer system). These projects were subsequently approved by the European Union.

Based on its experience at the forefront, UNIPV believes in the need to create opportunities for its students to pursue international careers (offering international scholarships for outstanding incoming and outgoing students) as well as to encourage research activities (financing projects for researchers at UNIPV and attracting scholars from around the world). Using its numerous academic contacts that have been established over the years, UNIPV has been able to create a network of international collaboration that today is represented by over 500 partner universities and research institutions throughout the world. This has led to prestigious recognition within international academia.

The University of Pavia has dedicated a portion of its international funds and human resources to developing countries through the establishment of the Centre for International Cooperation and Development (CICOPS). The International Relations Division is responsible for coordination and implementation of internationalization activities. The Division follows the directives of the university governance and works in collaboration with the Pro-rector for International Relations.