Politecnico di Milano
Piazza Leonardo Da Vinci, 32, Milan, IT 20133School Details
Established in 1863, Politecnico di Milano is one of Europe’s leading technical universities and a global reference point for education and research in Engineering, Architecture and Design. With more than 48,000 students, it is the largest technical university in Italy and a key player in the international academic landscape. The university operates across seven campuses located in Milan and in nearby Italian cities, including Lecco, Cremona, Mantova and Piacenza. Its academic structure comprises 12 Departments, responsible for research, and four Schools dedicated to education, ensuring strong integration between teaching and cutting-edge research. Research is at the core of Politecnico di Milano’s mission and underpins the quality of its educational offer. The university benefits from close collaboration with industry, significant participation in European-funded projects and a wide network of state-of-the-art laboratories. Sustainability is a cross-cutting priority, embedded in education, research activities, societal impact and campus life. Politecnico di Milano offers a comprehensive range of innovative programmes at all academic levels. Almost the entire postgraduate portfolio is taught in English, attracting a vibrant international community of students from over 140 countries and fostering a truly global learning environment. The university’s notable alumni include world-renowned professionals such as Renzo Piano and Aldo Rossi, both Pritzker Prize winners, and Giulio Natta, Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry—testimony to Politecnico di Milano’s long-standing tradition of excellence and impact. Politecnico di Milano is an active member of prestigious international alliances and networks, including ENHANCE, IDEA League and Alliance4Tech, strengthening its role within the European Higher Education and Research Area and promoting strategic collaboration with leading universities worldwide.
Cost of Living
Every year, Politecnico di Milano welcomes hundreds of students coming from all over the world. In the website section dedicated to orientation and welcome activities, you may find also important aspects to plan your budget. Take a look at useful information before arrival on the website or at "Start your journey at Polimi" brochure for international prospective students.
In general, rents are lower if you choose to study in Cremona, Lecco, Mantova or Piacenza or to live not too close to the city center in Milan. The campuses are well connected and in Milan public means of transport are efficient, safe and really affordable. Students can profit from special rates to enjoy the Italian vibrant cultural life, to carry out sporting activities on the campus premises or to travel. The monthly subscriptions for internet and voice are not expensive in Italy.
Tuition Fee
Employability
Politecnico di Milano’s Career Service supports students throughout their studies and after graduation, offering career guidance and strong connections with the world of work. Each year, more than 200 companies take part in on-campus Job Fairs, while weekly on-campus and online events allow students to interact directly with employers. As a result, Politecnico di Milano graduates enjoy excellent employability and the university is highly regarded by employers at both national and international level.
Students and graduates interested in entrepreneurship and technology-driven innovation can rely on TEF – Tech European Foundation, a joint initiative of Politecnico di Milano and Bocconi University. As a leading startup accelerator, TEF supports the creation and growth of high-tech ventures by combining advanced technological expertise with strong business and management skills.
The Politecnico di Milano Career Service assists students by creating meaningful connections through innovative career guidance experiences. More than 6000 students per year are doing an internship experience in Italy or abroad. More info are available in the Internship hub.
Ranking & Ratings
Employers know that the graduates of Politecnico di Milano are well prepared and search to cover vacant positions through the Career Service of the university where they post calls for jobs and internships and this is a good opportunity also for international students. According to the QS World University Ranking, Politecnico di Milano is ranked 72 worldwide in the Employer reputation indicator.
After graduation, about 50% of Polimi international students remain in Italy and find an occupation here. More than 95% of the MSc graduates are employed one year after graduation.. Others continue their studies at PhD level, find a job in another country or go back to their home countries. The study permit allows to remain in Italy up to one year after graduation to search for a position, but most students, especially of Engineering, do have many job interviews already before discussing their graduation thesis. Visit the website of the Career Service to read the employment statistics for each programme.
Politecnico di Milano welcomes talented international students and offers merit-based scholarships of different value, according to merit. These scholarships include a complete tuition-fee waiver and might include also funds to cover the accommodation or living expenses. A Committee will work out a ranking of all the admitted international applicants who have filled out a scholarship application. To have good opportunities, first of all it is mandatory to have a background in the same field the candidates wants to apply to and to have high marks throughout all the Bachelor studies (with a Bachelor of Honours, if applicable).
Other scholarship opportunities are offered by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, for instance with the Invest Your Talent in Italy programme (for specific countries) and US citizens may avail a Fulbright award.
International students should start to look for their programme already 12 or 18 months before starting their studies, to collect enough information. The application is entirely online, the academic year starts in September. The first call for the 1st semester intake for international students is from October till the end of November. Students from the European Economic Area can apply also later, in Spring. Please check the university website for details on the application calls of Engineering or Architecture and Design.
Students of Engineering can start their studies also in the second semester. The call for the February intake is in June-July. If you have an Italian Degree, you have different application procedures and deadlines.
You cannot apply to a Master’s Degree programme at Politecnico di Milano by applying on the universitaly portal. The procedure on the universitaly portal will have to be started only after being admitted, to fill out a visa request.
If you wish to study Design or Architecture and you want to apply to a postgraduate programme, together with the application documents you need to upload a portfolio of your best works that should be well targeted to the programme you apply to. It is important to have already a background in the specific field. The selection is quite competitive so a good portfolio will be a fundamental element of evaluation, in addition to your academic achievements. You are free to organise the portfolio as you prefer, but select only your b e st works and maybe show some process work. Consider that the pdf file should not exceed 20 MB. Take your time and be accurate in preparing the portfolio which is really the way you present yourself to the Committee of evaluators. Therefore, avoid last minute applications and show all your passion.
The standard study-plan is full-time, however it is possible to work part-time for not more than 20 hours a week. This might be demanding with the intensity of lessons and the Politecnico di Milano offers students the opportunity to work 200 hours a year for the university (200-hours positions). This is an excellent opportunity because it allows for enough flexibility so that the work activity does not impair following the lessons and standing for exams. Many international students profit from this opportunity
- Aerospace Engineering
- Automation Engineering
- Biomedical Engineering
- Building Engineering/Architecture
- Building and Construction Engineering
- Chemical Engineering
- Civil Engineering
- Communication Design
- Electrical Engineering
- Electronic Engineering
- Energy Engineering
- Engineering Science
- Engineering of Computing Systems
- Environmental and Land Planning Engineering
- Industrial Engineering
- Industrial Production Engineering
- Interaction Design
- MEDTEC - Medicine and Biomedical Engineering
- Management and Production Engineering
- Materials and Nanotechnology Engineering
- Mathematical Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Physics Engineering
- Process Engineering
No scholarships added yet.