Engineering Universities in Italy 2026/27

Engineering universities in Italy that teach in English include 40 of the country's 61 public (state) universities, which list 238 English-taught engineering programmes on ApplyAZ. Politecnico di Milano and Politecnico di Torino lead on rankings and range, but 38 other public universities teach engineering in English too.

This guide lists all 40, each with its programmes by level, its QS by Subject 2026 rank for engineering, its QS 2027 rank, its entry tests and its fee range. It then shows the best universities for each engineering branch, how TOLC-I and CEnT-S work, and what a family from India pays.

In short

• Where to study: 40 of Italy's 61 public universities list English-taught engineering programmes on ApplyAZ: 238 in all, 27 bachelor's and 211 master's. Politecnico di Milano has 32, Politecnico di Torino 26, Padua 18 and Sapienza 17.
• Best ranked: in QS by Subject 2026 for Engineering and Technology, Politecnico di Milano is joint 20th in the world, Politecnico di Torino joint 53rd and Sapienza joint 99th; Bologna, Padua and Naples Federico II are also in the top 200.
• Entry tests: English-taught bachelor's use CISIA's CEnT-S or TOLC-I, the SAT or the university's own test, such as Polimi's TOL and Polito's TIL-I. Of the 211 master's in our listings, 158 set no entry test.
• Fees: each university sets its own rule for families abroad. A first-year student from India pays €167 (₹18,000) at Naples Federico II and €922 (₹1.0 lakh) at Politecnico di Torino, whatever the income, and study can be tuition-free for eligible students through a regional DSU scholarship at many universities.
• ApplyAZ: ApplyAZ, with offices in Milan and India, works only with Italian public universities and takes care of the whole process for eligible students from countries like India: university checks, applications, Universitaly pre-enrolment, the DSU scholarship and the visa file.

Which universities in Italy teach engineering in English?

Of Italy's 61 public universities, 40 list English-taught engineering programmes on ApplyAZ for the next intake: 238 in all, 27 bachelor's and 211 master's. Politecnico di Milano has the most, with 32, followed by Politecnico di Torino with 26, Padua with 18 and Sapienza with 17. The table below links every university.

Sources: our own programme listings, counted on 29 September 2026; QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026, Engineering and Technology; QS World University Rankings 2027; each university's fee rules, linked in the fee column. "=" marks a joint rank.

For 32 of the 40 universities, the page linked in the first column lists all its English-taught programmes, engineering among them. The other eight pages do not list them yet, so their engineering programmes are linked here:

• Sapienza: Sustainable Building Engineering (bachelor's), Artificial Intelligence, Chemical Engineering †, Control Engineering, Electrical Engineering †, Electronics Engineering †, Energy and Nuclear Engineering †, Engineering in Computer Science, Environmental Engineering †, Environmental and Sustainable Building Engineering, Management Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Nanotechnology Engineering †, Safety and Civil Protection Engineering, Space and Astronautical Engineering, Telecommunication Engineering, Transport Systems Engineering.
• Modena and Reggio Emilia: Advanced Automotive Engineering, Artificial Intelligence Engineering, Digital Automation Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Sustainable Industrial Engineering.
• Salento: Aerospace Engineering, Communication Engineering and Electronic Technologies, Engineering for Safety of Critical Industrial and Civil Infrastructures, Management Engineering, Materials Engineering and Nanotechnology.
• Cassino: Computer Engineering (bachelor's), Civil and Environmental Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Telecommunications Engineering.
• Trieste: Industrial Engineering (bachelor's), Computer Engineering, Engineering for the Energy Transition.
• Calabria: Civil Engineering for Infrastructural Regeneration, Mechanical Engineering, Telecommunication Engineering: Smart Sensing, Computing and Networking.
• Verona: Computer Engineering for Intelligent Systems.
• Parthenope: Management Engineering †.

How we count engineering: a programme is in the table when its degree class is an engineering class, or when its name contains "Engineering". The classes are L-7, L-8 and L-9 for bachelor's and LM-20 to LM-35, LM-44 and LM-53 for master's, including the reformed classes marked -R. The one exception is Design & Engineering at Politecnico di Milano, a design degree in class LM-12.

Fees are yearly totals from the no-tax area to the top band, with the regional tax and stamp duty. Many universities set a separate fee for families abroad, so the India table further down gives the first-year total for a student from India at each university, or says where we have not verified it yet.

Which is the best engineering university in Italy?

Politecnico di Milano is Italy's best-ranked engineering university: joint 20th in the world for Engineering and Technology in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026. Politecnico di Torino is joint 53rd and Sapienza joint 99th, and Bologna, Padua and Naples Federico II complete the six public universities in the top 200.

Source: QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026, published 25 March 2026, read for every Italian university on 28 September 2026. The table lists every public university with English-taught engineering programmes that is in the top 200 for at least one of these subjects.

Two narrower subjects add to the picture. In petroleum engineering, Politecnico di Torino is 19th and Bologna 24th, and Perugia is in the 151 to 175 band; in mineral and mining engineering, Politecnico di Milano is 50th. The University of Milan is in the 101 to 200 band for data science, but has no English-taught engineering programme in our listings.

Our best universities in Italy page sets out the QS 2027 and THE ranks for every Italian university.

In the table below, Politecnico di Milano ranks highest in every branch, and Politecnico di Torino is second in civil, mechanical, electrical and chemical engineering. In the branch lists below, a dagger (†) marks a programme taught in more than one language. Our listings show where each branch is taught in English:

We assign a programme to a branch by its degree class: LM-23, LM-24, L-7 and L-23 for civil, LM-33 for mechanical, LM-32 for computer, LM-20 for aerospace, LM-28 and LM-29 for electrical and electronic, and LM-22 for chemical. Where a programme has two classes, the first counts. A branch word in the title also counts, so a programme can sit in two branches.

Which is the best university in Italy for civil engineering?

Politecnico di Milano ranks highest: 14th in the world for civil and structural engineering in QS by Subject 2026, ahead of Politecnico di Torino (38th) and Sapienza and Naples Federico II (51 to 100). We list 32 English-taught civil and building engineering programmes at 16 universities, 8 of them bachelor's.

• Civil Engineering † (bachelor's) at Politecnico di Milano (QS 14)
• Civil Engineering † at Politecnico di Milano (QS 14)
• Civil and Environmental Engineering (bachelor's) at Politecnico di Torino (QS 38)
• Civil Engineering † at Politecnico di Torino (QS 38)
• Sustainable Building Engineering (bachelor's) at Sapienza (QS 51 to 100)
• Structural and Geotechnical Engineering † at Naples Federico II (QS 51 to 100)

Also taught in English at Bologna, Genoa, Pavia, L'Aquila, Messina, Iuav, Mediterranea (Reggio Calabria), Roma Tre, Brescia, Calabria, Cassino and Salento. Civil engineering has the widest choice of English-taught bachelor's among the branches, including building engineering at Sapienza, Bologna and Messina.

Which is the best university in Italy for mechanical engineering?

Politecnico di Milano ranks highest: 14th in the world for mechanical engineering in QS by Subject 2026, ahead of Politecnico di Torino (joint 30th), Sapienza (72nd), Bologna (123rd) and Padua (149th). We list 25 English-taught mechanical, automotive and mechatronics programmes at 19 universities; 2 are bachelor's, both at Polito.

• Mechanical Engineering at Politecnico di Milano (QS 14)
• Mechanical Engineering (bachelor's) at Politecnico di Torino (QS =30)
• Automotive Engineering (bachelor's) at Politecnico di Torino (QS =30)
• Mechanical Engineering † at Politecnico di Torino (QS =30)
• Mechanical Engineering at Sapienza (QS 72)
• Mechanical Engineering for Sustainability at Bologna (QS 123)

Also taught in English at Padua, Naples Federico II, Modena and Reggio Emilia, the Polytechnic University of Bari, Bergamo, Brescia, Calabria, Cassino, Florence, L'Aquila, Pisa, Tor Vergata, Salerno, Trento and Tuscia. Mechanical engineering in English is almost all at master's level; Politecnico di Torino is the only university in our listings with English-taught mechanical and automotive bachelor's.

Which is the best university in Italy for computer engineering?

Politecnico di Milano ranks highest: joint 58th for computer science and information systems in QS by Subject 2026, and 32nd for data science and artificial intelligence. Among universities teaching it in English, Sapienza (72nd), Politecnico di Torino (joint 124th) and Pisa (joint 144th) follow. We list 29 English-taught computer engineering programmes at 19 universities, 5 of them bachelor's.

• Computer Science and Engineering at Politecnico di Milano (QS =58)
• High Performance Computing Engineering at Politecnico di Milano (QS =58)
• Engineering in Computer Science at Sapienza (QS 72)
• Computer Engineering (bachelor's) at Politecnico di Torino (QS =124)
• Computer Engineering † at Politecnico di Torino (QS =124)
• Computer Engineering at Pisa (QS =144)

Also taught in English at Genoa, Trento, the Polytechnic University of Bari, Cagliari, Cassino, L'Aquila, Messina, Modena and Reggio Emilia, Padua, Pavia, Salerno, Sassari, Siena, Trieste and Verona. Computer engineering in English ranges from artificial intelligence and robotics to cybersecurity and high-performance computing, and five universities teach it at bachelor's level. Bologna, joint 95th for computer science, has no English-taught computer engineering programme in our listings.

Which is the best university in Italy for aerospace engineering?

Politecnico di Milano ranks highest among the universities that teach aerospace engineering in English. Our QS by Subject 2026 data has no aerospace table, so we use mechanical engineering, where Polimi is 14th in the world. We list 7 English-taught aerospace programmes at 6 universities, all of them master's.

• Aeronautical Engineering at Politecnico di Milano (QS 14)
• Space Engineering at Politecnico di Milano (QS 14)
• Space and Astronautical Engineering at Sapienza (QS 72)
• Aerospace Engineering at Bologna (QS 123)
• Aerospace Engineering at Padua (QS 149)

Also taught in English at Pisa and Salento. Politecnico di Torino, joint 30th for mechanical engineering, has no English-taught aerospace programme in our listings. Polimi's Space Engineering and Sapienza's Space and Astronautical Engineering are the two English-taught programmes focused on space.

Which is the best university in Italy for electrical and electronic engineering?

Politecnico di Milano ranks highest: 24th in the world for electrical and electronic engineering in QS by Subject 2026, ahead of Politecnico di Torino (46th), Sapienza (joint 101st), Bologna (joint 106th) and Padua (joint 127th). We list 29 English-taught electrical and electronic programmes at 20 universities, 3 of them bachelor's.

• Electrical Engineering at Politecnico di Milano (QS 24)
• Electronics Engineering at Politecnico di Milano (QS 24)
• Electronic and Communications Engineering (bachelor's) at Politecnico di Torino (QS 46)
• Electrical Engineering † at Politecnico di Torino (QS 46)
• Electronics Engineering † at Sapienza (QS =101)
• Electric Vehicle Engineering at Bologna (QS =106)

Also taught in English at Padua, Catania, Genoa, Pavia, the Polytechnic University of Bari, Messina, Modena and Reggio Emilia, Naples Federico II, Palermo, Parma, Tor Vergata, Salento, Salerno, Sannio, Siena and Trento. Electrical and electronic engineering in English is taught mostly at master's level, often with a focus on energy, vehicles or automation.

Which is the best university in Italy for chemical engineering?

Politecnico di Milano ranks highest: 32nd in the world for chemical engineering in QS by Subject 2026, ahead of Politecnico di Torino (joint 65th), with Sapienza and Padua in the 101 to 150 band. We list 11 English-taught chemical and process engineering programmes at 9 universities, 1 of them bachelor's.

• Chemical Engineering at Politecnico di Milano (QS 32)
• Process Engineering (bachelor's) at Politecnico di Milano (QS 32)
• Chemical and Sustainable Processes Engineering † at Politecnico di Torino (QS =65)
• Chemical Engineering † at Sapienza (QS 101 to 150)
• Chemical and Process Engineering at Padua (QS 101 to 150)

Also taught in English at Catania, Genoa, Palermo, Tor Vergata and Salerno. Chemical engineering in English has only one bachelor's, Process Engineering at Politecnico di Milano, which awaits Ministry approval; the rest are master's, two of them in food engineering. Bologna and Naples Federico II are also in the 101 to 150 band but have no English-taught chemical engineering programme in our listings.

Which entry tests do engineering universities in Italy use?

English-taught engineering bachelor's in Italy use CISIA's CEnT-S or TOLC-I, the SAT or the university's own test, such as Politecnico di Milano's TOL and Politecnico di Torino's TIL-I. Master's degrees rarely set one: of the 211 in our listings, 158 select on the degree, grades and CV, sometimes with an interview.

Sources: each university's 2026/27 call or programme page; for Sapienza, Cassino, Palermo and Sassari, our programme listings. OFA are extra first-year learning requirements that a low score adds without blocking enrolment.

No entrance exam is a programme matter, not a university one. Among the bachelor's, 7 at 6 universities use a check that does not select, or no test: Mediterranea, Messina, Genoa, Cassino, Palermo and Sassari. Of the master's, 10 set a test only below a grade threshold and 11 set their own test or selection, such as Bionics Engineering at Pisa.

For master's degrees, the university checks the bachelor's itself. At Politecnico di Torino this is a CV and grades evaluation, with the GRE for some programmes and sometimes an online interview (Polito master's admissions); at Politecnico di Milano it is a check against a country-specific minimum GPA. Where our listings do not state the route, as on 32 master's, we read the call for each student we shortlist.

What is the difference between TOLC-I and CEnT-S?

Both are online tests run by CISIA and used by Italian universities. TOLC-I is the TOLC that universities use for engineering, taken in Italian or in English, while CEnT-S, the CISIA English Test for Sciences, now stands in for the English TOLC on several courses. Each university sets its own pass mark and decides how the score counts.

The University of Milan now uses CEnT-S in place of the English TOLC for two English-taught bachelor's (Cisia TOLC Test page), and Sapienza no longer accepts the English TOLC for Bioinformatics (academic requirements 2026/27). Cassino offers CEnT-S online or in person (entrance test page).

Pass marks differ widely: Padua ranks Information Engineering applicants from a CEnT-S score of 38, while Siena asks for 8 and then an interview. The Polytechnic University of Bari runs the TOLC-I at home as TOLC@CASA, and Bologna lets non-EU applicants abroad sit the CEnT-S online from home. For eligible students, we match each programme to its test and handle the registration.

Is a politecnico better than a general university for engineering?

Not automatically. Politecnico di Milano and Politecnico di Torino rank highest for engineering and teach the most engineering in English, but Sapienza, Bologna, Padua and Naples Federico II also rank in the QS top 200. The Polytechnic University of Bari and Marche Polytechnic University are politecnici too, with smaller English-taught offers.

Sources: our programme listings; QS by Subject 2026; founding years from each politecnico's own history page; monthly budgets from our city guides, updated September 2026.

A politecnico is a state university that specialises. Politecnico di Milano and Politecnico di Torino teach engineering, architecture and design, with their own bachelor's tests, and Marche Polytechnic also teaches Medicine in English. A general university teaches engineering alongside medicine, law and economics, which matters for interdisciplinary master's and campus life.

What does a student from India pay for engineering in Italy?

It depends on each university's rule for income abroad. In 2026/27 a first-year student from India pays €167 (₹18,000) at Naples Federico II and €922 (₹1.0 lakh) at Politecnico di Torino, whatever the family income, and €880.04 (₹97,000) for a bachelor's at Politecnico di Milano with an ISEEU parificato. The table covers all 40 universities.

Families abroad rarely have an Italian ISEE, so the rule for income abroad decides the fee: an ISEE parificato built from translated and legalised family documents, a flat fee by country, or the top band without documents. Top bands reach €3,943.04 (₹4.3 lakh) at Politecnico di Milano, and the no-tax area costs about €136 (₹15,000) to €208 (₹23,000). Study can be tuition-free for eligible students through a regional DSU scholarship, with a national minimum grant of €7,171.11 (₹7.9 lakh) a year for a student living away from home (MUR Decree 175/2026).

Sources: each university's fee rules, linked in the master table, and Sapienza's fee page (2025/26 rules; its 2026/27 rules are due after 30 September). "Derived" marks our own arithmetic; the ISEE parificato examples assume a family indicator of €15,000 (₹16.5 lakh). Where a DSU body takes the application only from the student, we prepare it with the student, who submits it.

Our scholarships guide for Indian students and MAECI scholarship guide cover funding beyond the DSU scholarship.

Related lists: public universities in Italy, best universities in Italy, the A to Z directory of universities and medical universities in Italy. For medicine, see MBBS in Italy and the IMAT exam. Visa applicants also pre-enrol on Universitaly, which we file for eligible students.

Frequently asked questions

Which is the best engineering university in Italy?

Politecnico di Milano ranks highest: joint 20th in the world for Engineering and Technology in QS by Subject 2026, and joint 87th overall in QS 2027. Politecnico di Torino (joint 53rd) and Sapienza (joint 99th) follow, with Bologna, Padua and Naples Federico II also in the engineering top 200.

Can I study engineering in Italy in English?

Yes. Of Italy's 61 public universities, 40 list English-taught engineering programmes on ApplyAZ, 238 in all. Most are two-year master's degrees (211), and 27 are three-year bachelor's at 18 universities, with Politecnico di Torino and Politecnico di Milano offering the most bachelor's.

Can engineering in Italy be tuition-free for international students?

It can be tuition-free for eligible students through a regional DSU scholarship, decided on family income and, after the first year, credits. Not every body covers everyone: Trento's excludes non-EU citizens not resident in Italy when admitted, and at Politecnico di Torino a scholarship does not replace the €922 (₹1.0 lakh) fee for India.

Which entrance exam do I need for engineering in Italy?

For an English-taught bachelor's, usually CISIA's CEnT-S or TOLC-I, the SAT, or the university's own test, such as TOL at Politecnico di Milano or TIL-I at Politecnico di Torino. Most master's set no test: 158 of 211 in our listings select on the degree, grades and CV.

Is TOLC-I required for international students?

Not always. Many English-taught engineering bachelor's accept CEnT-S or the SAT instead, and Trento asks non-EU applicants for CEnT-S while EU applicants take TOLC-I. Politecnico di Milano and Naples Federico II accept TOLC-I among other tests, and Mediterranea and Cassino use it only as a starting-level check.

What SAT score do I need for Politecnico di Milano or Politecnico di Torino?

For the 2026/27 engineering bachelor's, Politecnico di Milano asks for at least 620 in each SAT section, and Politecnico di Torino at least 650 in each section. Polito ranks visa applicants for 447 reserved places, so the minimum is where the ranking starts, not an admission promise.

Is Politecnico di Milano better than Politecnico di Torino?

Politecnico di Milano ranks higher, joint 20th against joint 53rd for Engineering and Technology in QS by Subject 2026, and lists more English-taught engineering programmes, 32 against 26. A student from India pays €922 (₹1.0 lakh) in the first year at Polito, or €880.04 (₹97,000) for a bachelor's at Polimi with an ISEEU parificato.

How much does engineering in Italy cost for Indian students?

It depends on the university's rule for income abroad. In 2026/27 a first-year student from India pays €167 (₹18,000) at Naples Federico II, €306 (₹34,000) at Catania and €922 (₹1.0 lakh) at Politecnico di Torino, whatever the income. With an ISEE parificato, Bologna costs €157.04 (₹17,000) and Pisa €156 (₹17,000) for a bachelor's.

Do I need Italian to study engineering in Italy?

Not for an English-taught degree, which usually asks for English at B2: Politecnico di Torino asks for B2 on every programme, and Polimi's master's accept IELTS 6 or TOEFL iBT 78. Italian-taught degrees ask for B2 Italian, and Italian helps with daily life and internships.

Which Italian universities teach aerospace engineering in English?

Our listings have 7 English-taught aerospace programmes, all master's, at 6 public universities: Aeronautical Engineering and Space Engineering at Politecnico di Milano, Aerospace Engineering at Padua, Pisa, Bologna and Salento, and Space and Astronautical Engineering at Sapienza. Politecnico di Torino has none in English in our listings.

Can I do a master's in engineering in Italy without the GRE?

Yes, at most public universities. Of the 211 English-taught engineering master's in our listings, 158 set no entry test and select on the degree, grades and CV. Politecnico di Torino asks for the GRE on some programmes, and our listings show it as optional on three.

When do engineering applications open in Italy for 2027/28?

It differs by university. Padua's English-taught degrees with unlimited places take applications from 15 September to 15 November 2026, and its limited-places degrees open to non-EU applicants on 7 January 2027. Politecnico di Torino has not yet published its 2027/28 calls, nor Politecnico di Milano its 2027/28 master's calls.

Sources

• MUR, Università statali, the list of state universities
• QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026 (Engineering and Technology), published 25 March 2026, and QS World University Rankings 2027, published 18 June 2026
• Each university's 2026/27 admission calls and fee rules (2025/26 where marked), linked in the tables above
• University of Milan, Cisia TOLC Test, Sapienza academic requirements 2026/27 and University of Cassino, entrance test, on CEnT-S
• MUR Directorial Decree 175 of 10 February 2026, DSU scholarship minimum grant
• Universitaly, international students and the FBIL reference rate of 21 September 2026
• Our own programme listings and city guides, 29 September 2026
• Written by İrem Yılmaz, Student Experience Lead at ApplyAZ. Published and last updated on 29 September 2026; facts verified on 28 and 29 September 2026.

Hear from students who took this route

Hear directly from ApplyAZ students about the support they valued on their route to English-taught study in Italy.

• Shourjya Chakraborty: Master’s in Management Engineering at Politecnico di Milano. Clear guidance through documents and choices.
• Thilakraj Sapalya: Master’s in Aerospace Engineering at University of Padua. Celebrating an Aerospace Engineering destination.
• Mantra: Bachelor’s in Industrial Engineering Technology at University of Cassino. A process explained in manageable steps.

Explore all student stories and videos.

Further reading

• Public universities in Italy: full list, fees and rankings
• Best universities in Italy: QS 2027, THE and CENSIS
• Universities in Italy: A to Z directory
• Scholarships in Italy for Indian students
• MAECI scholarship