The University of Insubria is a medium-sized state university, founded on 14 July 1998 with campuses in Varese, Como and Busto Arsizio. The educational offering ranges across the fields of law and economics, health, sports, humanities and social sciences, science and technology, and is divided into eight departments, to which individual professors belong based on their line of research. 

There are 24 three-year degree courses, three single-cycle master's degree courses, one of which offers a double degree, and 16 master's degrees, seven of which offer a double degree. In addition, there are eight PhD programmes, 20 specialisation schools in the medical and dental fields, and around ten master's degrees per year.

Since its inception, 37,147 doctors have been awarded degrees, with steady growth: in 2023, there were 2,265 graduates, the highest number in 23 years. 832 people work for the university: 121 full professors, 206 associate professors, 127 researchers, 378 technical and administrative staff, and 4 managers. 

The student population numbers 11,508 enrolled students, whose origins are distributed as follows: 45.6% are from Varese, 22.4% from Como, and the remaining 31.9% come from Lombardy, the rest of Italy and abroad. 

Over the years, Insubria has become increasingly attractive: there are almost 500 students with foreign citizenship, of whom 82 are EU citizens and 365 are non-EU citizens, the latter mainly from Albania, Egypt, Morocco, Peru, Switzerland and Ukraine; and there are 1,541 students residing in the province of Milan.

As regards the Erasmus programme: Insubria encourages mobility with financial aid that is among the highest in Italy. Last academic year, it received over 200 applications from students from abroad, while 500 students from the university applied for the 2025 calls for Erasmus+ Study, Traineeship and Double Degree programmes. This year, the Erasmus+ programme offers approximately 1,100 places at more than 250 universities in 28 countries across Europe.

The University of Insubria was officially founded on 14 July 1998 with campuses in Varese and Como, but its history began a few years earlier. On 15 January 1973, accredited courses for the second three-year period of Medicine and Surgery, affiliated with the University of Pavia, began in Varese, hosted in a basement room of the Circolo hospital.

In 1987, a feasibility study was conducted on the proposal for a university centre in northern Lombardy, promoted by the chambers of commerce of Como, Sondrio, and Varese, while on 29 February 1988, the rectors of Lombardy's universities expressed their support for new university campuses in Varese and Como, to be established as branches of the universities of Milan and Pavia.

Between 1986 and 1994, the following were officially established: in Varese, the Faculties of Medicine and Economics and Commerce, both offshoots of Pavia, and Biological Sciences, an offshoot of Milan; in Como, Physics, Chemistry and then Law were launched, all spun off from Milan, and the first course in Management Information Systems was launched with the Milan Polytechnic.

In February 1997, the observatory for the evaluation of the university system considered the possibility of creating a “bipolar university” by granting autonomy to the degree courses and faculties of Como and Varese. Meanwhile, in the 1990s, the Province of Varese made the former Sant'Ambrogio college in the city centre available to become the seat of the rectorate, while the citadel of studies, now enriched by a campus, took shape between the Circolo Hospital and Bizzozero.

On 14 February 1998, the Ministry of University and Scientific and Technological Research issued the decree establishing the University of Insubria (published in the Official Gazette on 30 July 1998), with campuses in Como and Varese, with a programme agreement signed by Minister Luigi Berlinguer with the University of Milan and Pavia, the Lombardy Region, the Provinces, Municipalities and Chambers of Commerce of Varese and Como.

On 23 November 1998, at Villa Ponti, Varese, the first academic year of the new university was inaugurated, in the presence of the rectors of Milan and Pavia and Undersecretary Guerzoni. The new university started with 8,000 students, 45 full professors, 71 associate professors, 65 researchers, 14 degree courses and diplomas, and 24 specialisation schools. 

Among the most illustrious guests welcomed by Insubria in its history are two presidents of the Republic: Sergio Mattarella on 15 November 2022 for the inauguration of the 25th academic year, and Giorgio Napolitano on 21 March 2011 for the celebrations of the 150th anniversary of the Unification of Italy. And there is a Nobel Prize winner: Dario Fo, who on 17 June 2015 was moved when he recalled that Franca Rame, his life and work partner, had attended the Collegio Sant'Ambrogio as a young woman, which became the seat of the rectorate that hosted his lectio magistralis. 

On 19 May 2022, Insubria will celebrate its 25th anniversary at the Teatro di Varese by offering the academic community and citizens the show “Pierino, Elio e il lupo”, with the imaginative protagonist of Elio e le Storie Tese. 

Created by Paul Scharff, the university seal is a stylised representation of two converging waterways, which give rise to the central river that cuts through and connects the two lake areas and fertilises the surrounding land; the green colour on a white background recalls the rich vegetation of the Insubrian territory. 

The idea derives from two archaeological finds with a meander-spiral motif: a pintadera, a sort of stamp used for ritual purposes, from Isolino Virginia, on Lake Varese, and a socket with a human face found in Montano Lucino, in the province of Como.

Maria Pierro, 60, is a lawyer. Since 2018, she has been director of the Department of Economics, which has been awarded the ministerial title of Department of Excellence for the five-year period 2023/2027. She has been a member of the Academic Senate and the Rector's delegate for activities relating to trade union relations and supplementary collective bargaining for technical and administrative staff. She graduated with honours in Law from Pavia University and holds a PhD in Tax Law. She has been a tenured lecturer at Insubria University since 2002 and a full professor since 2017. A barrister since 1995, she has been registered in the special section of the Como Bar Association since 2005, and since 2020 she has also been a tax judge at the Court of First Instance for Tax Matters in Turin. She has written two monographs and many scientific publications, is co-editor of two scientific journals and editor of Giuffré's series of monographs on contemporary tax law. 

Renzo Dionigi, Vice-Chancellor from 1998 to 2012: surgeon and historian, professor emeritus of general surgery since 2013; his research has focused on surgical immunobiology.

Alberto Coen Porisini, Vice-Chancellor from 2012 to 2018: electronic information and systems engineer. 

Angelo Tagliabue, rector from 2018 to 2024: surgeon specialising in odontostomatological diseases. 

(In the photograph, details of the three portraits of the rectors created by artist Luca Del Baldo and installed in the rector's gallery in Varese on 22 November 2023)

The inauguration of the academic year is one of the main opportunities for discussion between teachers, students, technical and administrative staff and the local community, during which honorary degrees and the Rosa Commacina award are conferred, the university's highest honour inspired by a marble frieze in Como Cathedral.

14 February 2025 The Aula Magna was packed for the inauguration of the 27th academic year of the University of Insubria  held in Varese, the first of the six-year term of the Magnificent Vice-Chancellor Maria Pierro, in office with the Vice-Chancellor Umberto Piarulli. Paying tribute to her were 13 rectors, vice-rectors and pro-rectors from other Italian universities, who took part in the procession in academic dress, confirming Insubria's position in the national context. And in the front row were the authorities, politicians and institutions of the territory, which is central to the Rector's vision.

On 15 November 2022, the ceremony for the university's 25th academic year in Varese was honoured by the presence of the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella; among the local authorities and institutions were the Minister of University and Research Annamaria Bernini and the Governor of the Lombardy Region Attilio Fontana.

Among the ministers of university and education who participated in the inaugurations of the academic year were Senator Ortensio Zecchino in 2001 and Letizia Moratti in 2002 and 2004. 

The inauguration on 24 March 2003 was held at the Teatro Sociale in Como with a concert by the Rai National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Gianandrea Noseda. 

• Uto Ughi, 12 March 2002, Varese 
  Honorary Degree in Communication Sciences
• Mario Monti, 29 March 2004, Varese 
  Honorary Degree in Law
• Walter Bonatti, 21 March 2005, Como 
  Honorary Degree in Environmental Sciences
• Joaquín Navarro-Valls, 27 March 2006, Varese 
  Honorary Degree in Communication Sciences
• Robert C. Gallo, 20 May 2006, Varese 
  Honorary Degree in Medicine and Surgery
• Michele Parrinello, 26 March 2007, Como 
  Honorary Degree in Industrial Chemistry
• Niles Eldredge, 25 October 2007, Varese 
  Honorary Degree in Biological Sciences
• Alfredo Ambrosetti, 14 July 2008, Varese 
  Honorary Degree in Economics and Commerce
• Cornelio Sommaruga, 15 July 2008, Como 
  Honorary Degree in Law (on the occasion of the ceremony for the tenth anniversary of the University of Insubria)
• Evandro Agazzi, 21 September 2012, Varese 
  Honorary Degree in Communication Sciences and Techniques
• Gerardino (known as Gerardo) Severino, 15 November 2019, Varese 
  Honorary Degree in Communication Sciences and Techniques

• Giulio Lanzavecchia, university lecturer 
  Varese, 18 January 2000
• Monsignor Alessandro Maggiolini, Bishop of Como 
  Como, 30 January 2001
• Letizia Moratti, Minister of Education, Universities and Research 
  Varese, 12 March 2002
• Antonio Spallino, President of the Alessandro Volta Centre for Scientific Culture 
  Como, 24 March 2003 
• Alfredo Ambrosetti, economist and founder of The European House – Ambrosetti S.p.A. 
  Varese, 29 March 2004
• Carla Porta Musa, writer 
  Como, 21 March 2005
• Giovanni Sala, president of the association ‘Amici dell'Università’ (Friends of the University) 
  Varese, 27 March 2006
• Jean Marc Droulers, managing director of Villa d'Este 
  Como, 26 March 2007
• Giovanni Valcavi, founder of the Giovanni Valcavi Foundation 
  Varese, 29 April 2008
• Giovanni Clerici, tennis player, journalist and writer 
  Como, 30 March 2009
• Ferruccio Zuccaro, member of the ‘Friends of the University’ association 
  Varese, 22 March 2010
• Francesco Profumo, Minister of Education, Universities and Research 
  Varese, 18 October 2012 (inauguration of the Carlo Cattaneo university college)
• Giacomo Castiglioni, entrepreneur and president of Univercomo 
  Como, 25 November 2013
• Nunzia Ronchi, President of the Friends of the University Association 
  Varese, 24 November 2014
• Graziano Brenna, entrepreneur and member of the University-Territory Council 
  Como, 20 February 2017
• Marco Reggiori, external member of the Board of Directors - Varese office 
  Varese, 19 February 2018
• Angelomaria Palma, external member of the Board of Directors - Como office 
  Varese, 19 February 2018
• Marco Ascoli, Chairman of the Giacomo Ascoli Foundation 
  Varese, 15 November 2019
• Sonia Bianchi, Chairwoman of the Como Solidarity Bank 
  Como, 15 December 2023
• Enrico Fossati, President of Piccola Casa Federico Ozanam 
  Como, 15 December 2023

The University of Insubria is rooted in a territory that encompasses two provinces: administrative, teaching and research activities are carried out at the Varese (which is also the university's registered office), Como and Busto Arsizio campuses.

The Varese campus is divided between the rector's office in Via Ravasi 2, overlooking the central Piazza Repubblica, and the Bizzozero campus, located in the neighbourhood of the same name on the eastern outskirts of the city. 

The campus consists of several teaching buildings (Seppilli, Antonini, Bassani, Crt, Morselli); the Carlo Cattaneo university college; the PalaInsubria, which houses the Cus, the university sports centre; the premises in Via Dunant and Monte Generoso; a catering facility, a university bookshop and several research laboratories. Also in Varese, some teaching and research centres are located at Villa Toeplitz, on the slopes of Sacro Monte.

The Como campus consists of the science and technology campus (Castelnuovo, Cubo and Torre Valleggio buildings) and the humanities campus, which includes the Chiostro di Sant'Abbondio and the Oriani building.

In Busto Arsizio , Insubria has classrooms and scientific laboratories in the Molini Marzoli and Villa Manara teaching centre.

The main university hospital is the Ospedale di Circolo e Fondazione Macchi di Varese, while the Sant'Anna hospital is affiliated with the Como campus.

The university has four libraries, two halls of residence and two sports facilities. 

The beds managed directly by the university are: in Varese, 65 beds at the City Hotel and 96 at the Collegio Cattaneo, pending the Campus Diffuso di Biumo, where a student residence with 70 beds will be built; in Como, the 34 beds at Santa Teresa expand the offer of Presentazione, where 32 beds are available for Insubria. 

• Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences   – DBSV (Director Flavia Marinelli):  
  Established in 2011 with the aim of combining biological sciences, biotechnology and medicine in a single research environment. 
   
• Department of Law, Economics and Cultures – Didec (director Francesca Ruggieri):  
  Established in 2011, it now encompasses expertise in legal and economic sciences, with a focus on historical, linguistic and sociological sciences. 
        
• Department of Economics – Dieco (director Andrea Uselli): 
  offers degree courses in economics and management and, for the past ten years, has been undergoing a significant process of internationalisation. From 2023 to 2027, it will be one of 180 departments of excellence selected by the Ministry of University and Research and funded with a total of £271 million per year. 
   
• Department of Medicine and Surgery – DMC (Director Luigina Guasti): 
  This is the university's reference department for the field of Medical Sciences. The educational offering covers the fields of medicine, healthcare and sports, and research activities focus on safeguarding individual health. 
   
• Department of Medicine and Technological Innovation – Dimit (director Giulio Carcano): 
  was established in 2023 with the aim of combining the scientific potential of individual research groups in the biomedical and clinical fields and interacting with other scientific and disciplinary sectors of the university. 
   
• Department of Science and High Technology – Disat (director Michela Prest): 
  was established in 2011 through the merger of three departments (Physics and Mathematics, Chemical and Environmental Sciences, and Environment, Health and Safety) with the aim of combining basic research with applied research. 
   
• Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences – Dista (director Alberto Coen Porisini):  
  was established with the aim of overcoming the traditional and obsolete rigid division between scientific and humanistic knowledge by promoting interaction between the various environmental, IT and humanistic areas. 
   
• Department of Humanities and Innovation for the Territory – Disuit (director Paola Biavaschi):  
  was established in 2019 with the aim of promoting interdisciplinary dialogue between the humanities and social sciences in order to enhance and study the territory in all its historical, linguistic, cultural and environmental complexity. 
   
• The School of Medicine (President Francesca Rovera):  
  is an interdepartmental body responsible for coordinating the management of teaching for all courses in the medical field. 

One of the strengths of the University of Insubria is the employability of its graduates, as evidenced in the XXV Almalaurea Report presented in June 2023: one year after graduation, 86% of three-year degree holders not enrolled in a second-level course have a job, significantly above the national average of 75.4% and the Lombardy average of 81.4%, with a monthly salary of €1,416, higher than the Italian average of €1,332. The employment rate for master's degree graduates is also very high: one year after graduation, it is 84.3%, well above the national average of 77.1%, with a salary of €1,473; five years after graduation, it is 92.3%. 

In the new World University Rankings 2024 by the prestigious British magazine Times Higher Education, published in September 2023, Insubria ranks in the 601-800 group, establishing itself among more than 1,904 universities from 108 different countries. Of particular importance is Insubria's continuous improvement in Research Quality, where the university ranks 313th in the world, with a score significantly above the global average (85.6 vs. 52.4) in the scientific citation impact indicator.

In the World University Rankings published by Cwur in May 2023, the only academic ranking of world universities that is not based on surveys and university data, the University of Varese and Como ranks 45th among the 66 Italian universities mentioned and is 844th in the Global 2000 list, which includes the best of the 20,531 institutions surveyed; Insubria is in the top 4.4 per cent, with a total score of 71.1.

In December 2023, Insubria made its debut in the second edition of the QS World University Rankings Sustainability, which assesses the social and environmental impact of universities: good results for health and well-being indicators (455th place), equality (519th place) and environmental research (536th place). Overall, the university ranked in the 751-760 range out of 1,403 institutions in 95 countries. At European level, it ranked 303rd, while nationally it ranked 31st out of 48 Italian universities classified.

In the Censis ranking published in July 2023, the University of Insubria maintained its high performance: with 83.2 points, it ranked 11th in Italy in the group of medium-sized universities, first in Lombardy for internationalisation, second for communication and digital systems, and third for employability. Still looking at regional data, Law is at the top of the ranking for single-cycle master's degrees, while among three-year degrees, Computer Science is second and Communication Sciences is third.

Insubria University pays particular attention to the well-being of its students, who are at the heart of university life. The Orientation Office, Integrated Student Services and Student Administration Offices are available for informative meetings to welcome, listen to, advise and help future freshers.

Programmes are available for students with disabilities and SLDs, as well as a psychological counselling service and, in particular, information tutors to help future freshers take their first steps at the university. In September, the Welcome Lab project is offered, a workshop dedicated to the integration of future students into the university environment, self-awareness, the promotion of educational success, and the management of anxiety and emotions.

The university also offers many opportunities in terms of financial support: the call for applications for the Right to University Education provides for the awarding of scholarships with regional funds, catering services and the possibility of applying for accommodation at reduced rates; Insubria supplements these with its own funds to ensure that all eligible students receive a scholarship. 

The University of Insubria also encourages athletes engaged in high-level technical and competitive training to participate in university courses and supports university students' participation in competitive sports. The active university sports colleges, established on the basis of agreements signed with the federations, are: Athletics (middle distance), Rowing, Archery, Nordic events (ski mountaineering), Triathlon.

Three-year degree programmes based in Varese: 

• Economics and Management of Innovation and Sustainability 
• Economics and Management of Innovation and Sustainability ‘Integrated Digital’ (delivered in a blended format, one third in person and two thirds remotely for those with attendance issues)
• Biotechnology
• Biological sciences
• Environmental and natural sciences
• Computer science
• Engineering for occupational and environmental safety
• Sports science
• Communication sciences
• History and stories of the contemporary world

Three-year degree programmes based in Como: 

• Chemistry and industrial chemistry
• Physics
• Mathematics
• Interlinguistic and intercultural mediation sciences
• Tourism sciences

Three-year degrees in healthcare professions:

• Nursing at the three campuses in Varese, Como and Busto Arsizio
• Prevention techniques in the environment and workplace in Como
• In Varese: Midwifery, Professional Education, Physiotherapy, Dental Hygiene, Cardiocirculatory Physiopathology and Cardiovascular Perfusion Techniques, Biomedical Laboratory Techniques, Medical Radiology, Imaging and Radiotherapy Techniques

Three single-cycle master's degree courses:

• Medicine and surgery (six years, in Varese)
• Dentistry and dental prosthetics (six years, in Varese)
• Law (five years, in Como and Varese)

Sixteen master's degree courses: 

•  Economics, law and business finance 
•  Global entrepreneurship economics and management 
•  Hospitality for sustainable tourism development 
•  Languages and skills for training
•  Modern languages for communication and international cooperation
•  Communication sciences and techniques
•  Preventive and adapted physical activity sciences
•  Biology and sustainability
•  Biomedical Sciences
•  Biotechnology for the Bio-based and Health Industry
•  Chemistry
•  Computer Science
•  Environmental Engineering and Sustainability in the Workplace
•  Mathematics
•  Physics
•  Environmental Sciences

In 2023, the University of Insubria was mentioned in newspapers 9,533 times, including 602 times in the foreign press. A total of 1,988 articles were published in local newspapers (e.g. La Prealpina, La Provincia di Como, Il Giorno) and national newspapers (Il Corriere della Sera, La Repubblica, Il Sole 24 Ore). The university appeared on the web 7,414 times in one year, constantly followed by local channels (Varese News, Malpensa 24, Como Zero, Como City) but also by national ones (Ansa, Adnkronos, Agi, Corriere.it, Fanpage). 131 reports were organised and produced on local radio and television stations (Espansione TV, Rete 55) and national channels: Rai gave space to the university on Tg3 regionale but also on Tg1, and Nove hosted an Insubria researcher live on the programme “Che tempo che fa”.

The University of Insubria is present on the main social media channels with constantly improving performance. As of January 2024, the university has: 16,549 followers on Facebook (with a reach of 360,570 in 2023 and 34,652 profile visits), 16,730 on Instagram (an increase of 3,500 in one year), 29,354 on LinkedIn (an increase of 3,200), and 2,088 on Twitter-X.

On Instagram, there was a reach of 180,611, with 269,550 profile visits, and the milestone of 88,000 views for the “Believe” video integrated into the Open Day campaign was reached. 25,000 views for the reel of the speech by the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella during the inauguration of the academic year, and over 1,000 likes for posts dedicated to students.

Author: Laura Balduzzi, press officer at the University of Insubria 
Data updated on 13 November 2024