Is Ferrara a good place to study for international students?
Ferrara is a good place to study if you want a calm, walkable heritage city with a public university founded in 1391. The Emilia-Romagna city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, ringed by nine kilometres of historic walls, and sits 44 km from Bologna. The University of Ferrara has about 28,000 students, more than 1,000 of them international. It suits students who want a quieter base, a bike instead of a commute, and rents well below Bologna's.
Which universities are in Ferrara, and which are public?
Ferrara's university, the University of Ferrara (Unife), is public, and it is the one ApplyAZ works with. Founded in 1391, it counts Copernicus and Paracelsus among its past students and offers 70 degree programmes for 2026/27 across 13 departments. Unife says about 80% of its students come from other Italian regions. Tuition is set by family income (ISEE): for 2026/27 there is no university contribution up to an ISEE of €27,000, only the regional tax and stamp duty.
What can you study in English in Ferrara?
In Ferrara, English-taught study is a small, focused offer: the University of Ferrara lists six degree courses taught entirely in English, mostly at master's level, within a much larger Italian-taught catalogue. Options include Green Economy and Sustainable Transitions, Small Business Management in International Markets, Physics, and Food Safety and Food Risk Management, plus shared vehicle engineering master's. English-taught master's applications opened on 12 January 2026. See English-taught programmes.
How much does it cost to live in Ferrara as a student?
Ferrara is a mid-priced student city: plan on about €700 to €900 a month. Immobiliare.it Insights put the average single room at €376 in summer 2026, down 5.8% in a year, while single-room listings rose by 72.7%, so choice has improved. Bologna, 44 km away, averaged €585 in August 2026. ER.GO residence places cost less for scholarship winners, and the rent is deducted from the grant. Most trips are short enough to cycle, so transport costs stay low.
- Single room in a shared flat: €376 a month on average (Immobiliare.it Insights, summer 2026)
- Food: about €250 to €300 a month (HousingAnywhere's 2026 grocery estimate for Rome is €297)
- Transport: close to €0 if you cycle or walk in the compact centre
- Phone: about €10 a month for a SIM plan (HousingAnywhere, 2026)
- Monthly total: about €700 to €900, our estimate from the lines above
How do you find student housing in Ferrara?
In Ferrara, students either win an ER.GO residence place or rent a room in a shared flat. Residence places are part of the same ER.GO call as the scholarship: for 2026/27 applications ran from 23 June to 24 August 2026, and the rent is deducted from the first grant instalment. Private rooms inside the walls are popular, since everything is a short ride away. Single-room listings rose 72.7% in a year, so choice is better than before. Deposits are capped by law at three months' rent.
Which scholarship covers students in Ferrara, and how much is it worth?
In Ferrara, the regional DSU scholarship is run by ER.GO, Emilia-Romagna's right-to-study agency. For 2026/27, the family ISEE could be at most €25,000 and the ISPE at most €50,000. Off-site students received €7,171.11 in the lowest income band, up to an ISEE of €16,666.67, falling to €3,585.56 in the top band, and part can be taken as meal credit. Applications ran to 24 August 2026. Tuition is set by family income (ISEE), and a DSU scholarship winner also gets a tuition waiver.
How do you get to Ferrara and get around once you are there?
Ferrara is reached through Bologna: Bologna Guglielmo Marconi airport is about 50 km south, and Bologna, 44 km away, is the main rail hub for trains from Milan, Florence and Rome. Regional trains link the two cities through the day. Inside Ferrara, the bicycle is the normal way to move: the centre is flat and compact, and the nine-kilometre walls form an urban park popular with cyclists and runners. City buses cover the outer districts.
What is student life like in Ferrara?
Student life in Ferrara is relaxed, cultural and lived on two wheels. The Castello Estense, the Renaissance streets and the walls park are part of the daily route to lectures. The Palio, run on the last Sunday of May since 1279, the Ferrara Buskers Festival of street musicians and the Ferrara Balloons Festival fill the calendar. Winters are mild and damp, with heavy rain in spring and autumn, and summers are hot. Bologna's bigger nightlife is a short train ride away.
What should you sort out in your first weeks in Ferrara?
Your first weeks in Ferrara are straightforward if you handle the paperwork in order. Non-EU students must request the permesso di soggiorno within 8 working days of arrival, using the post office kit. Then get your codice fiscale, sort out health cover, confirm your enrolment and your ER.GO residence or private lease, and buy a bike and a solid lock. Keep copies of every document and receipt, and use Unife's online support service when a step is unclear.
- Request your permesso di soggiorno with the post office kit within 8 working days (non-EU students)
- Get your codice fiscale from the Agenzia delle Entrate if you do not have one yet
- Register with the SSN or keep private health insurance valid in Italy
- Confirm your enrolment, your ISEE filing and your ER.GO residence or lease
- Get a bike and a strong lock: it is the main way students move around Ferrara
Can you work part-time while studying in Ferrara?
Yes, you can work part-time while studying in Ferrara: a non-EU study permit allows up to 20 hours a week and 1,040 hours a year. The university offers part-time student jobs, often called 150-hour collaborations (collaborazioni 150 ore), in libraries and offices. Ferrara's job market is small, with most openings in cafés, shops and events, and nearly all need Italian. Bologna offers more, but commuting eats into study time, so plan your budget without relying on work.
How does Ferrara compare with other Italian student cities?
Ferrara is cheaper and quieter than Bologna, its big neighbour. Single rooms averaged €376 in Ferrara in summer 2026, against €585 in Bologna, €615 in Rome and €704 in Milan in August 2026 (Immobiliare.it Insights). You trade a big student scene for a walkable UNESCO city, short bike rides and more choice of rooms. ER.GO covers all of Emilia-Romagna's public universities, so the scholarship works the same way. Ferrara suits focused students who like a smaller city.
How can ApplyAZ help you study in Ferrara?
ApplyAZ helps you study in Ferrara by building the University of Ferrara into a shortlist of 20 to 30 English-taught programmes at Italian public universities, if it fits you. We take no commissions from any university. We write your CV and tailored SOPs, submit applications and Universitaly, file your ER.GO scholarship and prepare your visa file, and a named person owns each stage. Unife still decides admission, and organised students can use our roadmap alone: see how ApplyAZ works or check your eligibility.
