Prada, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Milan Cathedral, and the National Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci may first come to mind when thinking of Milan. The city is internationally known for fashion and design. However, this metropolis in Italy’s Lombardy region is also home to several universities offering a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs.
Studying in Milan can be costly for international students, but tuition at its public universities is often calculated according to income, residency, enrollment status, or student category. Some private universities also offer scholarships and reduced rates to eligible students. Let’s take a look at the cheapest universities in Milan for international students.
Affordable Universities in Milan for International Students
1. Catholic University of the Sacred Heart
- Tuition Fees and Scholarships
- Three-Year Bachelor’s Tuition Fees: €3,800–€11,500 per year when family income is produced in Italy; €6,580 when family income is produced in an EU or listed associated state, provided the family’s income is below €150,000 and the required tax documentation is submitted; and €8,800 when family income is produced outside those countries
The Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, or Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, is a private, non-state university whose main campus is in Milan. It also has campuses in Rome, Piacenza, Brescia, and Cremona. It is the largest non-state university in Europe and the largest Catholic university in Europe. Founded in 1921, the university was officially inaugurated in Milan on December 7 of that year in the presence of Cardinal Achille Ratti, the archbishop of Milan who later became Pope Pius XI.
Across its campuses, the university offers undergraduate and graduate programs in business and management, banking and finance, data science, psychology, medicine and surgery, agricultural and food sciences, marketing and communication, humanities, political and social sciences, mathematics and physics, languages, and education.
2. Polytechnic University of Milan
- Admissions | Tuition Fees | Scholarships
- Tuition Fees: €157.04–€3,943.04 per academic year for a standard 46–74 ECTS study plan, depending on ISEE. International students in the reserved non-EU category who enter a master’s program with a first-level qualification earned abroad and do not hold a qualifying scholarship are charged the maximum amount
The Polytechnic University of Milan, officially known as Politecnico di Milano, is a public technical university founded by Francesco Brioschi in 1863. It was the first polytechnic in Italian history. The university has two campuses in Milan, Leonardo and Bovisa, and four other Italian campuses in Cremona, Lecco, Mantua, and Piacenza. Its Joint School of Design and Innovation Centre in Xi’an was created in collaboration with Xi’an Jiaotong University.
The university is among the best engineering universities in Italy. In the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026, it ranked 6th for Architecture and Built Environment, 7th for Art and Design, 14th for Civil and Structural Engineering, and 20th for Engineering and Technology. It also ranked 87th globally and first in Italy in the QS World University Rankings 2027. Giulio Natta, a chemical engineer and professor at the university, shared the 1963 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
3. University of Milan
The University of Milan, also known as UniMi or La Statale, is a major public research university in Italy. Officially founded on December 8, 1924, it brought together earlier higher-education institutions, including the Accademia Scientifico-Letteraria, or Academy of Letters and Sciences, and the Istituti Clinici di Perfezionamento, or Clinical Specialization Institutes.
The University of Milan is one of the larger universities in Europe. It is a founding member and the only Italian member of the League of European Research Universities. Notable alumni include Riccardo Giacconi, who received the 2002 Nobel Prize in Physics, and Enrico Bombieri, a 1974 Fields Medal recipient who earned his doctorate at the university.
The university offers bachelor’s, single-cycle, and master’s programs across agricultural and food sciences, humanities, law, medicine, pharmacy, political, economic and social sciences, science and technology, veterinary medicine, and exercise and sports sciences.
While studying in Milan can be costly for international students, choosing a university with income-based tuition and applying for fee exemptions or scholarships can help reduce overall expenses.
We hope this article on affordable universities in Milan was helpful. If you are interested, check out the Study in Italy guide and Available Programs in Europe for International Students!
