The University of Padua (founded 1222 — the second oldest university in Italy and among the oldest in the world) is one of history's most extraordinary academic institutions. Galileo Galilei taught here from 1592–1610; Nicolaus Copernicus studied here; William Harvey (the physician the Pavia Harvey Course is named after) developed his circulatory system theory here; Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia became the world's first female university graduate here in 1678. The university built the world's first permanent anatomical theatre (1594) and the world's first botanical garden (1545, UNESCO World Heritage). Today it is ranked by ANVUR as Italy's #1 research university by quality output, with academic articles in the top 10% cited in Europe. The English medicine programme is IMAT-entry;
Programmes
Recognition
Score breakdown
Strengths
- Italy's lowest-maximum-tuition public medicine school (max €2,623/year — less than all other Italian publics in this survey)
- ANVUR #1 Italy research university
- top 10% European citations
- extraordinary 800-year history (Galileo, Copernicus, Harvey, world's first anatomical theatre, world's first female graduate)
- 54 EU seats at an exceptionally accessible IMAT cut-off (~37.9 EU)
Is this university right for you?
Best suited for
EU students seeking the most academically prestigious Italian public medicine at the lowest tuition and most accessible IMAT cut-off; students committed to academic/research medicine careers; students who want Venice, the Veneto, and the Dolomites on their doorstep; students from low-income EU households (lowest-maximum tuition + excellent DSU scholarships)
Not recommended if
Non-EU student (9 seats is near-impossible to plan around); need guaranteed affordable accommodation (no equivalent to Pavia's 20-college system); small city atmosphere not appealing (Padua is larger than Pavia but still a university city vs Rome/Milan)
Overall assessment
(For EU students: one of the finest offerings in this entire survey — Italy's oldest research university (#1 ANVUR), most accessible IMAT cut-off, lowest tuition maximum, extraordinary historical pedigree, and Venice 30 minutes away. The caveat is unambiguous: non-EU students should look to Pavia, Messina, or IMS Milan instead, given only 9 non-EU seats.)
Considerations
Quick facts
Scores calculated using the route.doctor methodology. All recognition data verified from official sources. Tuition fees approximate — verify directly with the university before making financial plans.