Università degli Studi di Scienze Gastronomiche
University in Bra - Fraz. Pollenzo, Italy
The Università degli Studi di Scienze Gastronomiche (UNISG, University of Gastronomic Sciences) is a legally recognised non-state (private) university in Pollenzo, near Bra in Piedmont, Italy. It was founded in 2004 by the Slow Food association together with the regions of Piedmont and Emilia-Romagna and is dedicated entirely to gastronomic sciences. The campus is in the Agenzia di Pollenzo, part of the UNESCO-listed Savoy residences, with a sensory analysis laboratory, the Pollenzo Food Lab, a library, a wine bank, a restaurant and teaching gardens. More than 4,000 students have attended the university, and the undergraduate community comes from 87 countries.
- Undergraduate degrees in Food Sciences and Cultures and in Food Tech for Ecological Transition
- Foundation Year of Gastronomic Sciences
- MSc in Food Industry Management and MSc in Food & Planetary Health
- Master's programmes such as New Food Thinking, World Food Studies and Food Communication & Marketing
- Executive master's programmes and a PhD
Teaching combines classes with study trips in Italy and abroad (included in tuition), field studies and company visits. The Food Sciences and Cultures degree is taught in English in the first year and in Italian in the second and third years. The university awarded 77 scholarships to students from 22 countries in 2025/26 and provides guidance for international students on study visas and residence permits.
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Programmes
- Undergraduate Degree in Food Sciences and Cultures: three years, 180 ECTS credits, up to 110 students; English in the first year and Italian in the second and third; interdisciplinary study of food from molecules to global food systems, with 17 compulsory and 6 elective courses plus study trips and field studies; next start 22 September 2026
- Undergraduate Degree in Food Tech for Ecological Transition
- Foundation Year of Gastronomic Sciences
Attendance is compulsory, except for part-time students.
Graduate programmes
- MSc in Food Industry Management
- MSc in Food & Planetary Health
- Master in New Food Thinking
- Master in World Food Studies
- Master in Food Communication & Marketing
- Executive Master in Food Medicine and Executive Master in Cultura e Management del Vino (in Italian)
- PhD
Admission
Admission to the undergraduate degrees is by competition; requirements, language requirements, tests and criteria are set out in the document Admission Requirements and Procedures. Applications are submitted through the university's ESSE3 portal. For the Food Sciences and Cultures degree starting in September 2026, applications opened on 1 December 2025 with deadlines on 20 March, 26 May and 21 July 2026; late applications may be considered by the Registrar's Office ([email protected]). Students from outside the EU apply for a study visa and have their qualifications legalised; the university publishes guidance on visas and residence permits.
Fees
Undergraduate Degree in Food Sciences and Cultures, 2026-27 academic year: €15,500 a year. The fee covers all academic activities (including conferences, tastings and seminars), the programmed field studies and study trips, and Career Center services. UNISG graduates get a €4,000 first-year reduction and former Summer School students a €500 reduction. Fees for other programmes are given on their own pages.
Scholarships and financial aid
UNISG offers fee exemptions (full or partial tuition waivers) to first-year students of all nationalities, renewable if academic requirements are met; there are specific procedures for candidates from particularly poor countries. In 2025/26 it awarded 77 scholarships to students from 22 countries (29 full and 48 partial waivers). For 2026/27 it has set aside €103,000 for fee waivers for recipients of regional EDISU grants, and US citizens can use Federal Direct Loans.