The historic nation of Italy is perhaps culturally the most significant country in the ancient Western history. Every street, every nook here speaks of a glorious past, a greatness that heralded a new era of culture and learning and brought forth a renaissance in the world. A popular seat of learning for centuries, Italy is still a highly sought after educational destination that welcomes thousands of international students from all across the globe every year with its world class education, marvels of art, architecture and fashion, sublime landscapes, inimitable history and diverse culture.
Italy has an incredibly rich history and tradition of education. It is home to the oldest operational university of the world, the University of Bologna, which boasts of more than nine hundred years of imparting education, along with a large number of educational institutions that are a few centuries old. What is fascinating here is the perfect blend of the old and the new as these universities have the latest infrastructure, technology and tools of learning to impart education. Not only do these universities employ the most eminent educators, they also offer excellent placement and open up brilliant career opportunities.
Education in Italy is surprisingly affordable as it is heavily subsidised. On an average a student is expected to shell out something between 500 to 5000 EUR per year at a public university. Private universities can be a little on the steep side, charging 3000 to 35,000 for tuition EUR yearly. Other factors that determine the costs is the choice of subject, course, duration, as well as the institution in question.
International students planning on studying in Italy can apply for a number of scholarships, which will offer them a chance to study in the country absolutely free of cost or at extremely low fees, depending on the amount of funding the particular case receives. Scholarships are offered by the government, educational institutions as well as other private organisations and charitable donors. There are several niche scholarships offered by individual universities, in certain programmes or for students of particular nations as well.
Students can choose from a wide range of accommodations such as university hostels, rented properties, shared or private accommodations or even live with a local family at affordable costs. The cost of living in Italy varies upon the city one chooses to study in. Living in some of the more expensive cities like Milan or Rome would cost one between 850 to 1,450 EUR per month, while other cities are considerably cheaper.
Italy has a lovely, multicultural environment, but a working knowledge of Italian will be useful, even necessary, if you choose to travel beyond the big cities. People here are fun loving, spontaneous and accepting of foreigners, often even going out of the way to help. If you like good food, affordable travel and a relaxed environment, this is the right country for you.
Choose Italy as the destination for your higher education and live la dolce vita!