Università degli Studi di Napoli "L'Orientale"
University of Naples L'Orientale. Photo: Giuseppe Guida, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
The University of Naples L'Orientale is a public university in Naples, Campania, and describes itself as the oldest school of Sinology and Oriental Studies in continental Europe. Its roots go back to 1732, when the missionary Matteo Ripa founded a college for Chinese students. Today it has about 10,000 students, 16 degree programmes and 22 research centres, and it is known for languages and cultures of Asia, Africa and the Mediterranean, translation, archaeology and international relations.
Mostly no: the University of Naples L'Orientale teaches its degrees mainly in Italian, alongside the many languages its students learn. Its 6 bachelor's and 10 master's programmes include Oriental and African Languages and Cultures, Linguistic and Cultural Mediation, Specialised Translation, International Relations and Archaeology. Any course taught in English needs only English, but for Italian-taught degrees you need Italian at B2 level. Plan to study in Italian if you choose L'Orientale.
The University of Naples L'Orientale asks every applicant with a non-Italian school diploma, EU or non-EU, to pass an Italian L2 test. For 2026/27 the online test dates are 22 April, 25 June and 25 September 2026, it costs €19.52, and you pass with 49 overall or 15 in both listening and reading. Bachelor's applicants also take the TOLC SU knowledge check. You need a declaration of value or a CIMEA or ENIC-NARIC statement. The university publishes no acceptance rate.
You apply to the University of Naples L'Orientale through Universitaly if you need a study visa, and the university then validates your application. The visa deadline is 30 November 2026 for 2026/27 and 31 October 2027 for 2027/28, but consular appointments are not certain, so start early. Pass the Italian L2 test and, for a bachelor's, the TOLC SU. Apply to ADISURC for the regional scholarship in its summer window, alongside your admission.
The University of Naples L'Orientale sets tuition by family income, using an ISEE for university benefits. Its official 2026/27 fee simulator shows no annual contribution for a family ISEE below €24,000 for students who meet the credit rules, and a contribution capped at about €1,300 a year for those students. On top come the Campania regional tax, set by ISEE band, and €16 stamp duty. Submit your ISEE by 31 December 2026. The simulator is indicative only.
Yes, you can study at the University of Naples L'Orientale with little or no tuition if your family income qualifies. 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. L'Orientale's 2026/27 simulator shows zero contribution below an ISEE of €24,000 for students on track. You control your paperwork and exams; you do not control your family income or the ranking.
The ADISURC right-to-study grant from the Campania Region covers students at the University of Naples L'Orientale. For 2026/27 it pays €7,171.11 a year to off-site students, €4,190.71 to commuters and €2,890.16 to students living at home, in full up to an ISEE of €17,000 and reduced up to the €25,500 limit, with an ISPE cap of €54,000. Housing and meals you use are deducted. Students whose family lives abroad file an equivalent university ISEE by 31 March 2027.
The University of Naples L'Orientale does not appear with a place in QS World University Rankings 2027 or ARWU 2026, and we could not confirm a THE 2026 result. That is common for small, specialised universities, since global tables reward size and science research. Censis 2026/27 ranks it 10th of 10 among Italy's small public universities. For languages and Oriental studies, its history, language range and teaching matter more than any table.
Student life at the University of Naples L'Orientale happens in central Naples, with its seat at Palazzo Du Mesnil on Via Chiatamone near the seafront. Naples is a large, lively and noisy southern city, known for its food, its bay and nearby sites such as Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast. ADISURC awards residence places and meal services through its scholarship call. Look for housing early, check the district and commute, and never pay a deposit for a room you have not seen.
The University of Naples L'Orientale is Naples' specialist university for languages, cultures and international studies, while Federico II is the city's large comprehensive university, ranked in the 201 to 300 band of ARWU 2026. The University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli offers English-taught medicine and science. L'Orientale is small, with about 10,000 students, and teaches mostly in Italian. Private universities in Italy charge fixed fees that do not follow family income.
The University of Naples L'Orientale suits you if you want to study Asian, African or European languages, translation, archaeology or international relations at a historic public university, and you can study in Italian. It suits you less if you need a degree taught in English, since its programmes are mainly Italian-taught, or if global rankings matter to your plans. Build your Italian to B2 before you apply, because the L2 test is required.
ApplyAZ focuses on English-taught programmes, so we will tell you honestly if the University of Naples L'Orientale fits your plans, given that it teaches mainly in Italian. If your Italian is strong, we can include it among public universities in your shortlist, write your CV and tailored SOPs, handle Universitaly pre-enrolment, file your ADISURC scholarship and prepare your visa file, with a named person owning each stage. We take no commissions. Next step: see how ApplyAZ works or check your eligibility.
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