Erasmus in Italy: national overview

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HomeMade

The Country That Tests You First
Why studying in Italy remains one of Europe's most rewarding Erasmus destinations — and why it makes you work for it
Italy receives approximately 20,000 incoming Erasmus students each year. It is, consistently, among the most popular destinations in the programme. The reasons are easy to enumerate: cultural richness, food, architectural beauty, geographic variety, a network of ancient universities with genuine academic prestige. What is less often acknowledged in advance — and almost universally acknowledged in retrospect — is that Italy charges an admission price paid not in euros but in bureaucratic patience.
"Paperwork takes months, officials are unapproachable, and speaking English? Forget it," reads one aggregated summary of student feedback from Bologna and Rome. That characterisation is harsher than the median experience, but it captures something real. Italy's administrative apparatus was not designed with mobility in mind, and the Erasmus programme — though now in its fourth decade — has not yet prompted the systemic reform that would make arrival genuinely smooth.
The bureaucratic initiation
Every student arriving in Italy encounters, immediately, a sequence of administrative requirements. For EU citizens, the essential first task is the codice fiscale: a sixteen-character tax identification code issued free of charge at any Agenzia delle Entrate office. Without it, a student cannot sign a lease, open a bank account, register for a SIM card, or access public health services. The process is straightforward, requires a valid identity document and Erasmus acceptance documentation, and is typically completed on the same day. It is also — inexplicably — not issued automatically or remotely, requiring a physical visit to the office.
For non-EU students staying longer than ninety days, the permesso di soggiorno adds a further layer. The application is submitted at any Poste Italiane branch offering the "Sportello Amico" service, requires a marca da bollo (a €16 duty stamp purchased at a tobacconist), a processing fee of €70.46, and a registered letter fee of approximately €30. The Questura then contacts the student — by phone, requiring an Italian SIM card — to schedule a biometric appointment that may be weeks away. In Rome and Milan, delays of two to three months between submission and appointment are not uncommon.
The result is a period at the start of every Erasmus stay — typically the first four to eight weeks — in which students are simultaneously managing orientation, accommodation, language, and administrative requirements, with little systemic support. Universities with strong International Desks (notably Padova and Bologna) provide guided pathways. In larger institutions, students are often left to navigate alone.
The housing landscape, city by city
The cost of accommodation varies significantly across Italy's university cities. Padova offers the best balance of quality and affordability among the four major destinations, with shared rooms available from €280–€380 per month. Bologna sits at €500–€650 for a shared room in the centre. Milan is the most expensive, with the private market beginning at €450 for a shared room and rising steeply; all-inclusive contracts are rare below €600. Rome's central neighbourhoods are comparable to Milan, with the additional complication of a more active scam environment in online rental channels.
Across all cities, the fundamental problem is structural: Italian landlords prefer long-term tenants, and most Erasmus stays run for four to six months. This mismatch creates either a premium (for short-term contracts) or exclusion from the standard market. University residences — where they exist — offer the best value, but capacity is limited at every institution. The practical resolution, repeated across student forums, is to prioritise early action (searches beginning in April or May for September arrivals), verified booking platforms for remote arrival, and established ESN or university networks for peer referrals.
What Italy's universities offer
Italy's Erasmus intake spans institutions of genuine international standing. The University of Bologna and the University of Padova are among Europe's oldest and most respected universities. Politecnico di Milano and Bocconi are internationally ranked in their fields. La Sapienza in Rome is among Europe's largest research universities. The teaching — particularly in humanities, law, architecture, engineering, and natural sciences — is, by student account, substantive and often demanding.
The practical experience of the classroom, however, is mediated by several Italian-specific factors. English-language provision varies: Politecnico and Bocconi offer substantial English-medium programmes; La Sapienza and, to a lesser extent, UNIBO remain more Italian-centric. Administrative offices at most institutions operate on reduced hours, with limited English-language capacity, and with processes that prioritise domestic students. Course scheduling, exam dates, and credit transfer documentation — the three areas that directly affect home university requirements — are consistently cited as sources of friction.
The social dividend
Against these difficulties, Italy offers a social and cultural environment that student reviews describe, overwhelmingly, as genuinely enriching. The ESN Italia network — 53 sections in 46 cities, over 2,500 active volunteers — is among the most active in Europe. Events are frequent, well-attended, and structured around the realities of student budgets. The ESN card (approximately €10) provides access to discounts across participating bars, restaurants, transport providers, and cultural venues.
Italian students, by the accounts of many Erasmus visitors, can be initially reserved with incoming students — surface friendliness that does not always develop quickly into deeper connection. "The open and friendly mentality of the Italians is just a facade," wrote one frustrated student. "Everything is about superficial acquaintances and constant parties." A more representative reading of the evidence suggests that Italian social networks take time, that language remains a meaningful barrier, and that students who invest in Italian — even at a basic level — report substantially better social integration than those who do not.
The bottom line
Italy's Erasmus experience is not easy. It is, by the consistent testimony of those who complete it, worth it. The bureaucratic initiation is real and must be planned for. The housing market in major cities demands early action, verified channels, and realistic budgeting. The academic environment is stimulating but administratively imperfect. And the life — the food, the cities, the travel, the culture absorbed simply by being present — is, by the evidence of thousands of student accounts, something that does not fully reveal itself until you are no longer there.
"Whenever I think of Rome, I can't help but smile." The same, with appropriate adjustments for architecture and latitude, tends to be true of Bologna, Padova, and Milan.

Sources: Erasmusu.com, iAgora.com, EduOpinions, ESN Italia, Erasmusplay.com, OnCampus Abroad, official university guidance (UNIBO, UNIPD, Statale Milano, La Sapienza, Bocconi), student testimonials 2016–2025.