Is Venice a good place to study for international students?
Yes, Venice is a rewarding place to study if you want a historic city unlike any other and can plan your budget carefully. The comune has about 249,000 residents (2025), but only around 50,000 live in the historic centre, with most on the mainland around Mestre. It has two public universities, Ca' Foscari and Iuav. It suits students of economics, languages, the humanities, architecture and design who accept high rents and tourist crowds.
Which universities are in Venice, and which are public?
Venice has two public universities, and both set tuition by family income (ISEE). Ca' Foscari University of Venice, founded in 1868 as Italy's first business school, is the larger generalist university, with sites in the historic centre, Mestre and Treviso. Iuav University of Venice, founded in 1926, specialises in architecture, planning, design and the arts. Both follow the same Veneto scholarship rules and use ESU Venezia housing and canteens.
What can you study in English in Venice?
In Venice you can study economics, management, languages, the humanities, computer science and design fields in English. Ca' Foscari teaches bachelor's degrees such as Economics and Management, Digital Management and PISE in English, plus master's in Economics and Finance, Computer Science and Environmental Humanities. For 2026/27 Iuav lists six master's taught fully or partly in English, including Architecture. Compare them in our English-taught programmes.
How much does it cost to live in Venice as a student?
Venice is one of Italy's pricier student cities, mainly because of rent in the historic centre. Ca' Foscari suggests planning about €900 a month, with a single room around €550 in the historic centre or €400 on the mainland, excluding bills. Across the whole city, single rooms averaged €456 in August 2026 (Immobiliare.it Insights). Food runs €50 to €80 a week, and a student transport pass costs €25 a month. Living in Mestre saves the most.
- Single room: about €550 a month in the historic centre, €400 on the mainland (Ca' Foscari)
- Shared room: about €400 in the historic centre, €300 on the mainland, excluding bills (Ca' Foscari)
- City average: €456 a month for a single room (Immobiliare.it Insights, Aug 2026)
- Food: €50 to €80 a week (Ca' Foscari)
- Transport: €25 a month or €230 a year, student urban pass (ACTV, Venezia Unica)
- Monthly total: about €900 (Ca' Foscari estimate)
How do you find student housing in Venice?
In Venice, start your housing search early, because beds are scarce and the historic centre is expensive. ESU Venezia's 2026/27 call offered 1,028 beds for students of the city's universities, in residences such as Santa Marta, San Giobbe and Crociferi in Venice and Campus Mestre and Campus X on the mainland, with a €300 deposit. Many students rent in Mestre, which is cheaper and linked by bus, tram and train. Never pay before seeing a written contract.
Which scholarship covers students in Venice, and how much is it worth?
In Venice, the regional scholarship is awarded by Ca' Foscari and Iuav on behalf of the Veneto Region, while ESU Venezia runs housing and canteens. For 2026/27 Ca' Foscari pays off-site students €8,246 with an ISEE up to €13,153.11, including €760 for meals, falling to €3,585.50 near the ISEE limit of €26,306.25 (ISPE €43,125.94). The deadline was 30 September 2026. Tuition is set by family income, and a winner also gets a tuition waiver.
How do you get to Venice and get around once you are there?
Venice Marco Polo airport sits on the mainland, and the ATVO bus reaches Piazzale Roma in about 20 minutes; Treviso airport also serves low-cost flights. Trains stop at Venezia Santa Lucia in the historic centre or at Mestre. In the city you walk or take the vaporetto: with a Venezia Unica card, students aged 6 to 25 pay €25 a month or €230 a year for boats, buses, trams and the People Mover. Cycling is not allowed in the historic centre.
What is student life like in Venice?
Student life in Venice happens on foot, in campi, bacari and libraries, with cicchetti and a spritz as the local student routine. The Biennale, the Venice Film Festival on the Lido and Carnival bring international culture to the city every year. The historic centre is quiet at night compared with other student cities, and many students socialise on the mainland in Mestre. Autumn and winter bring fog and acqua alta, the seasonal high water, so waterproof boots help.
What should you sort out in your first weeks in Venice?
Your first weeks in Venice are about documents, housing and a transport card. Non-EU students must request a permesso di soggiorno within 8 days of arrival, using the post office kit. Get your codice fiscale and health cover, and sort out your ESU Venezia room or private rental contract, since a registered contract matters for the permit and for off-site scholarship status. Then get a Venezia Unica card and a student pass before paying full fares on the vaporetto.
- Request your permesso di soggiorno at a post office within 8 days of arrival (non-EU students).
- Get your codice fiscale, needed for your rental contract and enrolment.
- Arrange health cover: private insurance or voluntary registration with the SSN.
- Confirm your ESU Venezia room or register your private rental contract.
- Get a Venezia Unica card and a student pass: €25 a month or €230 a year.
Can you work part-time while studying in Venice?
Yes, you can work part-time while studying in Venice: a non-EU study permit allows up to 20 hours a week and 1,040 hours a year. Ca' Foscari and Iuav offer paid part-time student jobs, the collaborazioni often called 150-hour jobs, in libraries and offices. Venice's economy runs on tourism, hospitality and culture, so seasonal work exists, but most jobs expect Italian as well as English. Treat earnings as a supplement, not a way to cover Venice rent.
How does Venice compare with other Italian student cities?
Venice is cheaper than Milan on average rent but can feel costlier day to day: single rooms averaged €456 in August 2026, against €704 in Milan, €585 in Bologna and €479 in Turin (Immobiliare.it Insights). It is small, car-free and crowded with visitors, with a slower pace than any big city. Students pick Venice for Ca' Foscari's economics and languages or Iuav's design school, and many live on the mainland to cut costs.
How can ApplyAZ help you study in Venice?
ApplyAZ helps you study in Venice by building Ca' Foscari and Iuav into a shortlist of 20 to 30 English-taught programmes at Italian public universities, if they fit you. We take no commissions. We write your CV and SOPs, submit every application and Universitaly pre-enrolment, file your Veneto scholarship and prepare your visa file, with a named person on each stage. Organised students can use our roadmap alone. Next step: see how ApplyAZ works or check your eligibility.
