Università degli Studi del Molise
University of Molise. Photo: Webunimol, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
The University of Molise is the public university of the Molise region, founded in 1982 and headquartered in Campobasso. It began with a Faculty of Agriculture and a first degree in food science, then added economics in 1984, law in 1992, science in 1993, and medicine and engineering in 2006. Today it teaches across sites in Campobasso, Isernia, Pesche and Termoli, and Censis 2026/27 counts it among Italy's public universities with fewer than 10,000 students.
The University of Molise teaches mainly in Italian, and we could not confirm a fully English-taught degree in its official 2026/27 catalogue. That makes it a realistic option mainly for students who already speak Italian well, or who plan to reach the level Italian-taught degrees require. If you need to study in English, treat Molise as a secondary option and compare it with nearby public universities in Abruzzo and Campania that publish English-taught programmes.
Admission to the University of Molise for non-EU students living abroad follows Italy's national route: Universitaly pre-enrolment, a check of your foreign qualification by the university, then a type D study visa. For Italian-taught degrees you also need to show enough Italian to follow lectures. The University of Molise does not publish an acceptance rate. Because its English-language pages are limited, contact the university early to confirm places, deadlines and document rules for your programme.
Applying to the University of Molise means running admission, the ESU scholarship and your type D study visa in parallel. Start with the programme page and the university's international contacts, since non-EU places and dates are confirmed each year. Prepare your ISEE parificato early too: without it, Molise treats you as having a family ISEE of €46,000 for fees. Once you arrive, you enrol and pay the first instalment through the university's pagoPA system.
The University of Molise sets tuition by family income, and for 2026/27 students with a family ISEE up to €24,000 pay no annual contribution, above Italy's €22,000 minimum. Everyone pays a first instalment made up of the regional right-to-study tax and stamp duty. Non-EU students can present an ISEE parificato; without one, Molise treats you as having an ISEE of €46,000, with no reductions. Students from particularly poor countries can pay only the first instalment with a consular certificate.
You can study at the University of Molise with little or no tuition only if your family income qualifies and your documents are on time. 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. At Molise, an ISEE up to €24,000 means you pay only the first instalment. In your control: your ISEE parificato and deadlines. Not in your control: your family's income.
The main needs-based support for University of Molise students is the ESU right-to-study scholarship, listed among the university's own right-to-study services. It is awarded on family income and academic merit, and winners also get a tuition waiver. The 2026/27 amounts and deadline are set in the current ESU call, so read it before you plan your budget. Non-EU students with family abroad will need an ISEE parificato to apply, so start that paperwork before you travel.
The University of Molise is in the 1201 to 1400 band of the QS World University Rankings 2027 and 9th among Italy's small public universities in the Censis 2026/27 classification, with a score of 75.8. It is not listed in the THE World University Rankings 2026 or ShanghaiRanking's ARWU 2026. Global tables reward research volume, which favours large universities, so for Molise the programme, the teaching language and the fees tell you more than any ranking.
Student life at the University of Molise centres on Campobasso, the regional capital, with further teaching in Isernia, Pesche and Termoli on the Adriatic coast. It is a small-city experience: quiet, close to your lectures and far from the pace of Rome or Naples. Rents and budgets vary by site, so ask the university and current students before you commit to housing. Fees are easy to plan: many students with a qualifying ISEE pay only the first instalment in 2026/27.
The University of Molise is the public university of its region, so the realistic comparisons are neighbouring public universities in Abruzzo and Campania. The University of Sannio in Benevento, also small, is 5th among small public universities in Censis 2026/27, against Molise's 9th, and d'Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara offers six fully English-taught degrees. Molise stands out because an ISEE up to €24,000 falls in the no-tax area, and for subjects ranging from agriculture to medicine.
The University of Molise is a good choice if you speak Italian, want a small public university with low fees and are drawn to its founding strengths in agriculture and food science, or to economics, law, biosciences or health sciences. It suits you less if you need an English-taught degree, since we could not confirm one for 2026/27, or if you want the services and nightlife of a big city. Students from particularly poor countries can pay only the first instalment.
ApplyAZ builds shortlists of 20 to 30 English-taught programmes at Italian public universities, so the University of Molise fits only if a programme matches your goals. We write your CV and a tailored SOP for each, submit every application and your Universitaly pre-enrolment, file your DSU scholarship and prepare your visa file, with a named person owning each stage. We take no university commissions, and organised students can use our roadmap to apply alone. Next step: see how ApplyAZ works or check your eligibility.
Open a programme for its entry requirements, entrance tests, fees and intake dates.
