The Alma Mater is the most international university in Europe
According to a report by the Erasmus+ INDIRE Agency, the Alma Mater is the most international university in Europe. European mobility is growing, and Italy is one of the top four EU countries in terms of the number of young people choosing to study abroad. Meanwhile, the University of Bologna has confirmed its appeal in and out of the country.
Unibo leads the pack in the European ranking of the top 10 universities for incoming and outgoing Erasmus+ students. The primacy of the Alma Mater was announced by INDIRE (the National Institute of Documentation, Innovation and Educational Research and the Italian Agency for the Erasmus+ programme) during a meeting on university-related updates for 2019.
According to 2017/18 data, the University of Bologna has confirmed its leadership with 2,787 students leaving for a period of study abroad thanks to the Erasmus+ program, and also has conquered the European podium for incoming students with 1,970 pupils.
This important record confirms the draw of the Alma Mater during a time of growth for European mobility. In 2017/2018, according to the INDIRE report, 37,601 Erasmus students attended Italian universities, a growing number that puts Italy among the top four EU countries for outgoing youths, after Spain, Germany and France. According to INDIRE, the number of inbound students has also grown, with over 26,000 students arriving from other European nations, joined by 1,263 students from regions outside the EU.
A few other Italian universities joined the Alma mater in the top ten European universities for outgoing Erasmus+ students: the University of Padua in fourth place (1,866 students), La Sapienza University of Rome in fifth place (1,782) and the University of Turin (1,412) in sixth place. Regarding the number of incoming students, Unibo is followed by the universities of Valencia, Lisbon, Granada and Madrid.
"I am very satisfied with the European ranking of our university, both for incoming and outgoing students”, said Unibo Rector Francesco Ubertini. “Increasing mobility was one of the objectives of the strategic plan when I become rector, and I am therefore very happy with the outcome as it confirms the attractiveness of the University of Bologna to students.”