University of Cagliari: Sardinia's main university — medicine, engineering and marine sciences
With 26,000 students and 80 programmes, the University of Cagliari is Sardinia's leading state university. CENSIS 81.5/100, 72% employment rate, a university hospital and excellent research in marine and environmental sciences. Campus in one of the Mediterranean's most beautiful capitals.
UniCa: medicine, environmental engineering and marine sciences in the capital of Sardinia
The University of Cagliari is Sardinia's leading state university, with approximately 26,000 enrolled students and 80 degree programmes covering all major disciplines: medicine and surgery, pharmacy, civil and environmental engineering, architecture, biological and natural sciences, law, economics, political science and humanities. With over four centuries of history, it is one of Italy's oldest universities.
Key areas of excellence include marine and environmental sciences — developed in close connection with Sardinia's natural heritage and the need to protect the Mediterranean — the Faculty of Medicine with its university hospital, and pharmacy and marine biology. Environmental and transport engineering is another fast-growing sector, linked to the region's infrastructure needs.
4% of students are international, with active Erasmus+ agreements and growing openness to African Mediterranean countries. The employment rate is 72%. Cagliari is an extraordinary city: the capital of Sardinia, overlooking its eponymous gulf, with a charming historic centre, beautiful beaches minutes away and one of the lowest living costs among Italian regional capitals.
Academic Areas
University of Cagliari by the numbers
From 1607 to marine research: four centuries of knowledge on the Mediterranean island
The University of Cagliari was founded in 1607 by King Philip III of Spain — then sovereign of Sardinia — with the aim of providing Sardinia with a centre of higher education that would reduce dependence on the University of Sassari, founded a few years earlier. It is one of Italy's and the entire Mediterranean basin's oldest universities.
Over the centuries, the Cagliari university grew into a complete academic hub, with faculties reflecting Sardinia's economic and social needs: from medicine — essential for a region with dispersed settlements — to civil and mining engineering, to marine biology consistent with the island's maritime vocation.
Today the University of Cagliari is a European-recognised research centre for marine and environmental sciences, with state-of-the-art laboratories and collaborations with ISPRA, CNR and international scientific institutions. Its position at the heart of the Mediterranean makes it a privileged reference point for research on marine and coastal ecosystems.
FAQ — Università degli Studi di Cagliari
Study in Sardinia: useful resources for your journey
The University of Cagliari is the privileged gateway to Sardinia among Italian universities, with four centuries of Mediterranean academic excellence. Discover everything about living and studying in Italy.
