University for Foreigners of Perugia: the world's leading university for Italian language and culture
Founded in 1925, the University for Foreigners of Perugia is the world's oldest and most important institution for teaching Italian to foreigners. With 92% foreign students from 100 countries, it is the only Italian university where the majority are international. Language, culture, mediation and international cooperation.
Unistrapg: the gateway to Italian language and culture for students from 100 nations
The University for Foreigners of Perugia — Unistrapg — is the world's oldest and most important institution for teaching Italian as a foreign language. Founded in 1925, it is the only Italian university where the vast majority of students — 92% — are foreigners from over 100 countries. With approximately 6,000 enrolled students and 15 degree programmes in Italian as L2, linguistic and cultural mediation, international communication, development cooperation and intercultural psychology, Unistrapg is a unique institution in the world university landscape.
Unistrapg's offering works on two levels: Italian language and culture courses — attended each year by thousands of foreign students who come to Perugia to learn Italian — and bachelor's and master's degree programmes in linguistic mediation, international communication and development cooperation, recognised at European level. The university's home — the Palazzo Gallenga, a splendid seventeenth-century palace overlooking Perugia's Etruscan walls — is one of Italy's most beautiful university settings.
92% international students makes Unistrapg the most international institution in the entire Italian university system. Italian is taught at all levels, from absolute beginner to advanced, with preparation for CELI certifications (Italian Language Knowledge Certificate), recognised across Europe. The employment rate is 74%.
Academic Areas
University for Foreigners of Perugia by the numbers
From 1925 to the world: a hundred years of Italian for foreigners in the Palazzo Gallenga of Perugia
The University for Foreigners of Perugia was founded in 1925, initially aiming to spread Italian language and culture globally. Despite its political origins, the institution rapidly emancipated itself from propaganda to become a genuine centre of excellence in teaching Italian as a foreign language, a role it has maintained intact to this day.
In the post-war years, Unistrapg became a preferred destination for intellectuals, artists and students from across the world drawn to Italian culture. The CELI language certification system — developed by the university in the 1990s — has become one of the most internationally recognised tools for assessing Italian as a foreign language.
Today Unistrapg is celebrated worldwide as the pre-eminent gateway to the Italian language and culture. The Palazzo Gallenga — the university's historic home — with its panoramic view over medieval Perugia is one of Italy's most iconic university settings.
FAQ — Università per Stranieri di Perugia
Study Italian in Perugia: useful resources
The University for Foreigners of Perugia is the essential choice among Italian universities for those wishing to learn Italian or study cultural mediation and international communication at the world's most important institution for Italian as L2. Discover everything about living and studying in Italy.
