Introduction to the University
This is the motto that has always characterised the University of Padua and that expresses the spirit of freedom of culture and expression which prompted a group of students and lecturers to leave the University of Bologna for Padua, and which still remains our guiding principle today.
In the spirit of Galileo
It was a group of students who founded, more than eight centuries ago, one of the first universities in Europe: in 1222 the University of Padua was established and, over the course of its history, it would see Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia become the first woman in the world to graduate, while lecturers such as Galileo Galilei and Andrea Vesalio, and students such as Francesco Guicciardini and Carlo Goldoni, would follow one another in its lecture halls.
Today, Padua is among Italy’s largest universities in terms of size and the quality of its degree courses. In research, its excellence has also been recognised by the latest official ANVUR assessment, which placed the University first in the national ranking.
In addition to its 210 degree courses and broad post lauream degree courses, there is also the Scuola galileiana di studi superiori, which guarantees an outstanding educational path for those who pass a rigorous selection process.
The latest QS ranking places us among the top 10% of universities in Europe, and in particular we have recorded excellent results in the indicators of international reputation and the quality of our research network, both within the European top 50
