About
The University of Bologna has been ranked consistently as the top university in Italy, and is widely considered the oldest university in the Western world. Started spontaneously by a group of students in the 11th century, the university has an illustrious history of world-changing alumni and a present commitment to wide-reaching, interrogative research.
Today, the university has a student population of almost 100,000, approximately 7,000 of whom are international students.
Consult the University of Bologna on QS world rankings to learn more about their current world ranking and academic reputation in different subject areas.
Location
The city of Bologna is located in Northern Italy, roughly equidistant between Florence and Venice. It is fairly large with approximately a million residents within the metropolitan area. Having long been an important economic and artistic centre, the city is populated with important medieval, renaissance and baroque art and architecture, and offers high-end shopping alongside open-air food markets.
The University of Bologna is split across five campuses in five different cities around Bologna. You will be informed of what campus you have been assigned when you get your offer letter. The distances between campuses are fairly substantial - about an hour and a half’s journey on public transport – and students are assigned to one campus only, so they are unlikely to be commuting between campuses as a matter of course.
For more campus information please see this page.
Level of competitiveness
This exchange is only open to students studying under the School of Law.
School of Law - Competitive **
The level of competitiveness (Less competitive * / Competitive ** / Very competitive ***) refers to one's chances of being allocated an exchange space at this partner. This is an approximation determined by the number of applications received for this destination during the last academic year versus the total number of exchange spaces available to Queen Mary students.
Language of Instruction
Courses on this exchange are taught in English.
Although most areas and attractions catering to visitors allow for a level of English, students are strongly advised to learn at least basic Italian. The University of Bologna offers free courses for learning Italian up to a C1 level. Before enrolment students must sit an online test to assess their language level. Learn more about language learning opportunities here.
Academic Calendar
While students’ exact academic calendar will depend on their course, a general list of deadlines and key dates can be found here.
Courses
All courses end with an exam, which will either be in written or oral form, and must be sat on Bologna premises. Students must sit their exams within their exchange period.
Please see a full list of courses here.
Credits
Students typically take 60 ECTS a year, which is equivalent to a full academic year at Queen Mary. Each Bologna course is worth 6-8 ECTS credits.
Bologna uses a numerical grading system out of 30, in which grades are given on a scale of 30ths (30/30) with 18/30 being the minimum passing grade. In order to pass a course, students must obtain at least 18/30 on the final exam. If a full grade is obtained (30/30) the examination board may decide to award honours.
Queen Mary student feedback
Blog posts on Queen Mary Global Bloggers
Accommodation
Due to the large student population in Bologna, finding accommodation can be difficult. The university advises looking for accommodation well in advance and booking accommodation before arrival.
There are many helpful accommodation services available for students renting in Bologna, although many require members to register weeks or months ahead of arrival. here.
In the outlying campus areas, such as Cesena or Ravenna, the housing market is significantly less competitive. However, accommodation services still require time to search and secure housing, and so students should still begin their search well in advance. here.
Cost of living
Bologna University provides information on the cost of living as a student here. You can find more general, up-to-date information about the cost of living in Bologna here.
Please consult the estimated minimum and maximum cost of living figures for this destination country available in our “Estimated Costs of Living” document available on our Finance page.
Support services
A free Psychological Support Service (SAP) is available for all students.
Student orientation events are generally organised by individual departments. Students should expect to receive communication regarding orientation events before their arrival.
As a current Queen Mary student you will be able to find a summary sheet for this partner university on our QMplus page, with an overview of the local student support services available on the following topics: specific learning differences, physical impairments, sensory impairments, long term medical conditions, autism spectrum conditions, mental health and wellbeing difficulties, special accommodation provision, non-emergency health care, emergency services, harassment and trauma and suicide prevention.
Student life
The University of Bologna has a particularly wide range of events and organisations working with global society outside of the university. These include cultural events, events in the sustainability and healthcare fields, and business collaborations. this webpage.
There are a number of sports and exercise opportunities across multiple campuses, run by the CUSB (University of Bologna Sports Union). here.
The university has compiled a list of useful societies, webpages and resources for incoming students, here.
