A brief historical background
The Studium dates back to 1308, when Clement V’s Papal Bull “Super Specula” officially awarded it the status of Studium Generale, although various local Schools and Universitates Scholarium already existed before the formal papal recognition and were held in especially high regard for the excellence of their Medical Sciences and Law seminars.
In 1355 Emperor Charles IV raised the Studium to the rank of Imperial University and in 1362 the Sapienza Vecchia (formerly known as Collegium Gregorianum) was founded.
Between 1799 and 1814 the Università degli Studi di Perugia underwent many changes, and in 1824 Pope Leo XII awarded it the status of Free University.
After Italy’s reunification in 1861, which brought along with it a major cultural and social revolution, the university was put directly under the jurisdiction of the Rector Magnificus (the Chancellor) and the City Council.
During its seven centuries of history many world-famous scholars have taught and given lectures within the University’s majestic walls: Cino da Pistoia, Bartolus de Saxoferrato, Luca Pacioli, Baldus de Ubaldis, Albericus Gentilis, Gentile da Foligno just to name a few, and many others, among whom a good number of Popes and famous public figures, have been educated here.
The University of Perugia remains to this day one of the top academic institutions in Italy, always striving to maintain its reputation for excellence and to keep up with the ever-changing reality of the modern world.
For a complete history of the University of Perugia, please click here.
Organizational Structure
- The Rector
- The Vice-Rector
- The General Director
- Deputy Rectors
- Academic Senate
- Board of Governors
- Student Council
Departments and courses
For more information on the Italian University System, please click here (in italian)
Study and Research Areas of Particular Excellence
The University of Perugia aims at fostering excellence in numerous educational fields and has received many an official recognition for the quality and dynamicity of its academic structures, among which:
- Center of Excellence for Innovative Nanostructured Materials for Biomedical, Chemical and Physics Applications
- Center of Excellence for Innovative Scientific Technologies for Archaeological, Historical and Artistic Research
- Center of Excellence for Beer Research
Networks and Awards
The University of Perugia has been awarded both the prestigious 2013-2016 ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) Label by the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency – EACEA
and the Certificate for International Student Satisfaction by the www.stexx.eu portal after having conducted a poll on students’ overall satisfaction during their stay at our University.
The University of Perugia, for the 8th year in a row, came up first in the 2021/22 Censis ranking (Centro Studi Investimenti Sociali – Center for Studies on Social Investments - one of the major Italian Research Foundations), among all the other large Italian Universities (between 20 and 40 thousand enrolled students). For further information, please click here.