Italy internationalizes its education

Italy internationalizes its education

Asian Students may be the flavour of the day, but Italian universities are leaving nothing to chance in attracting international students of all ilk.

Luiss University, for example, has a study programme for foreign students to learn Italian, but has also identified key areas for internationalization and orients its course suit global markets: Master’s programmes in General Management and Legal Advanced World Studies are specifically meant to attract international students. “We are also trying to identify areas of partnerships with Indian universities,” says Massimo Egidi, the university’s representative.

At the University of Trento, the prestigious Information and Communication Technology programme is taught in English, even for Italian students. The School of Design at Politechnico Milano, one of the oldest design schools in Europe, has just started teaching in English too. Special scholarships are on offer for Indian students, apart from support for accommodation and tuition fees. Students are also allowed to work part-time in the university.

The Politechnico Torino is considering offering dual degrees: students can spend the first year of study in India and the second year in Italy and will be eligible for degrees from both institutions. The institution is also offering the services of an exclusive cultural mediator for Indian students who will help them acclimatize to life in Italy.

The University of Genova host’s 28 Indian students, 12 of who have come on a research grant. Some, like Sreekumar, have come all the way from a mechanical engineering course in IIT-Madras, to pursue research in robotics. This is one of the most affordable of Italian universities since, being a public university; the feels have been kept low. Despite its selectivity, the Sant’ Anna University in Pisa, is not willing to overlook the potential of Asian students. The institution, which counts among its alumni several Italian Prime Ministers and ministers, has put in place an intensive internationalization drive from 2002.

Apart from study grants for young Indian students, the institution has an ongoing collaborative venture with IIT-Kharagpur. The university’s Scuolo Superiore Sant’ An European Union the flexibility of not having to come to the university to take an examination, if need be. Being a fully government-supported institution, it does not charge any tuition fee. Apart from educational institutions, chambers of commerce are aggressively getting into the act of internationalizing Italian higher education, as more and more Italian companies are looking for transnational employee bases.

The Milan Chamber of commerce for example, has entered into partnerships with the University of Bocconi, the Universsita Cattolica and Politechnico Milano to offer scholarships to outstanding foreign students pursuing study programmes in areas that are of special interest to the drivers of the city’s economy. The chamber is also facilitating students’ access to local cultural activities, apart from a student placement programme. Getting admitted into an Italian educational institution has been made easier too. Some of them, like Sant’ Anna University, have online admission procedures, while others such as Politechnico Milano require foreign students to take the TOEFL, Most institutions have an international student office that handles everything from issuing applications to acclimatizing students to the Italian way of life.

Italy internationalizes its education

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Italy internationalizes education |  Asian Students |  Luiss University |  Information Communication Technology programme |