Study in Milan, Italy

About Milan

Milan (Milano) is the capital of Lombardy and Italy's main centre for business, finance, fashion and design. For students, it is the Italian city with the widest choice of private universities and design schools, and many programmes are taught in English.

Students come to Milan for degrees in economics, engineering, architecture, medicine, communication and design, and for fashion and design courses that work closely with the city's industries. It is a large, busy city with a dense public transport network, and generally a more expensive place to live than smaller Italian university towns.

Studying in Milan

Our directory lists 13 active schools in Milan: universities and higher-education institutions, fashion and design schools, and Italian language schools.

Universities include the Politecnico di Milano and Bocconi University, as well as:

• Libera Università di Lingue e Comunicazione IULM, founded in 1968 as a University Institute of Modern Languages and today focused on languages and communication
• Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele (UniSR), established in 1996, which started with Psychology, added Medicine in 1998 and Philosophy in 2002, and offers English-taught courses such as its International MD Program

Milan is also a centre for art, fashion and design education. NABA (Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti) is a private academy founded in Milan in 1980 and accredited by the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR) in 1981. Accademia del Lusso, with sites in Milan and Rome, runs three-year courses and master's programmes in fashion and design, several of them MUR-recognised. Domus Academy offers Bachelor of Arts and Master's programmes, semester courses, workshops and short courses in design, fashion and business, and Istituto Marangoni teaches fashion, design and art in Milan and in other cities such as Florence, London, Paris and Dubai.

Italian language schools in our directory include Il Centro, Ellci - Ente Lombardo Lingua et Cultura Italiana and Accademia d'Italiano.

Check what each programme awards: Italian state degrees and MUR-recognised diplomas are not the same as a school's own certificate. Non-EU students who need a study visa for a degree course submit their pre-enrolment request through the Universitaly portal of the Italian Ministry of University and Research.

Cost of living for students

We found no official figure for typical student rents in Milan; rents are generally higher than in most Italian cities, so look for housing early and compare university residences, school housing services and private listings. Tuition varies widely between public universities, private universities and design schools, and each publishes its own fees.

Public transport is run by ATM. Paying by contactless card on trams, buses and trolleybuses in Milan and zone Mi3, several journeys within 90 minutes in zones Mi1-Mi3 cost €2.20 in total, and the daily cap for those zones is €7.60 (ATM, 2026).

Getting around and daily life

Milan has metro, tram, bus and suburban rail lines, and most universities are reachable by public transport. Linate airport, close to the city, is reached by metro; Malpensa, the main intercontinental airport, lies outside Milan in the province of Varese. Milan's main railway stations link the city with the rest of Italy and with neighbouring countries.

Frequently asked questions

Can I study in English in Milan?

Yes. Many universities and design schools in Milan teach in English, for example UniSR's International MD Program and the programmes of the city's international design and fashion schools.

Which universities are in Milan?

Our directory includes the Politecnico di Milano, Bocconi University, IULM, Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele and NABA, among others; the template lists them all.

Is Milan a good place to study fashion and design?

Milan has many fashion and design schools, including NABA, Domus Academy, Istituto Marangoni and Accademia del Lusso; some award MUR-recognised diplomas and others their own certificates.

How much does public transport cost in Milan?

With a contactless card, journeys within 90 minutes in zones Mi1-Mi3 cost €2.20, with a daily cap of €7.60.