Università della Calabria
University of Calabria, one of Italy's public universities.
The University of Calabria (Unical) is a public university near Cosenza, in Calabria, known for building Italy's first residential campus. It was established by law in 1968 and began teaching in 1972/73 on a 200-hectare hillside campus at Arcavacata di Rende, laid out along Vittorio Gregotti's long bridge axis. It had 24,052 enrolled students in 2024/25 (ANVUR) across 14 departments, with residences, canteens and libraries on site, so most of student life happens on campus.
Yes, at master's level: the University of Calabria offers 11 international master's degrees taught entirely in English, while its bachelor's degrees are taught in Italian. The English-taught master's cover artificial intelligence and computer science, robotics and automation, telecommunication engineering, civil and environmental engineering, mathematics, physics, chemistry, health biotechnology, nutritional sciences, and finance and insurance. Italian-taught degrees also keep places for international students.
The University of Calabria admits non-EU students living abroad to its English-taught master's through the UnicalAdmission call, which needs a foreign university degree valid for master's entry in Italy. You upload your passport, CV, degree certificate, transcript, course syllabi and any language certificates, and your language level is checked in an online interview. You may apply to one degree course only. Places are limited, for example 15 in Artificial Intelligence and Computer Science, and Unical publishes no acceptance rate.
Applying to the University of Calabria for a master's means one online application through the UnicalAdmission call, then the visa steps. For 2026/27 the call closed at 11:59 pm Italian time on 30 March 2026, so expect the next call at a similar time of year and check the official page. A €10 application fee is paid through PagoPA. Admitted students then complete Universitaly pre-enrolment and apply for a type D study visa at the Italian consulate in their country.
The University of Calabria charges international students admitted through UnicalAdmission a flat €1,000 a year, covering the regional tax and the annual contribution, while scholarship winners in that call pay €18.75. Other students pay by family income (ISEE): in 2026/27 the annual contribution is zero up to an ISEE of €22,000 for students on track with their credits, and reaches €2,250 at most, plus a regional tax of €130 to €160 and €16 stamp duty.
Yes, the University of Calabria can cost very little, but only under clear conditions. Tuition is set by family income (ISEE); students from lower-income families can pay little or nothing beyond the regional tax, and a DSU scholarship winner also gets a tuition waiver. For non-EU master's applicants, UnicalAdmission scholarship places cover the enrolment fee, free accommodation, campus canteen meals and about €3,600 in pocket money, but they depend on income limits and a competitive selection.
The University of Calabria runs its own right-to-study (DSU) scholarships, with housing managed by its Centro Residenziale. For 2026/27 an off-site student receives €8,246.78 at the lowest incomes (ISEE up to €13,250) and €7,171.11 at the full rate, within an ISEE limit of €26,500. Housing (€2,391 a year) and meals are deducted from the grant when you take them. First-year applications closed on 6 August 2026, and non-EU students file an ISEE parificato by 30 November 2026.
The University of Calabria is the top large public university in Italy in the Censis 2026/27 ranking, with 91.7 points, its third first place in a row. In global tables it sits in the 851 to 900 band in QS 2027, the 601 to 800 band in THE 2026 and the 701 to 800 band in ARWU 2026. Global rankings mostly measure research across a whole university, while Censis weighs services, scholarships and facilities. Use them as one signal, then judge your programme.
Student life at the University of Calabria is campus life: about 2,500 residence places sit in 10 residential quarters on campus and in Rende, close to the lecture halls. The canteen service runs all year and serves around one million meals, and in 2026/27 a meal costs €1.80 to €4.60 depending on family income. The campus covers 200 hectares near Cosenza, Castiglione Cosentino station is about 3 km away, and Lamezia Terme, the nearest airport, is linked by shuttle bus.
The University of Calabria is the largest of Calabria's three public universities and the only one built as a residential campus. Magna Graecia University in Catanzaro focuses on medicine, health sciences, pharmacy, law and economics, while Mediterranea University in Reggio Calabria is smaller, with 5,079 students in 2024/25, and grew from architecture, engineering and agriculture. In Censis 2026/27 all three came first in their size groups for scholarships. Unical has the most English-taught degrees.
The University of Calabria is a good choice if you want an English-taught master's in science, engineering, computing or finance, low fees and a real campus where housing, meals and classes are within walking distance. It suits you less if you want a bachelor's in English, since its English offer is at master's level, or daily big-city life, since the campus sits outside Cosenza. The UnicalAdmission deadline falls in March, so students who plan late can miss the whole intake.
ApplyAZ can build the University of Calabria into a shortlist of 20 to 30 English-taught programmes at public universities, if it fits your profile. We are independent and take no commissions. We write your CV and tailored SOPs, submit each application and Universitaly pre-enrolment, file your DSU scholarship and prepare your visa file, and a named person owns each stage. Strong, organised students can use our roadmap to apply alone. see how ApplyAZ works or check your eligibility.
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