The University of Padua (Italian: Università degli Studi di Padova, UNIPD) is an Italian public research university in Padua, Italy. It was founded in 1222 by a group of students and teachers from the University of Bologna, who previously settled in Vicenza; thus, it is the second-oldest university in Italy, as well as the world's fifth-oldest surviving university.
The University of Padua was one of the most prominent universities in early modern Europe, known particularly for the rigor of its Aristotelian logic and science. Together with the University of Bologna, Padua had played a central role in the Italian Renaissance, housing and educating a number of Italian Renaissance mathematicians, amongst them Nicolaus Copernicus. It is also known for its long-standing tradition in medicine and anatomy, linked to great figures such as Andreas Vesalius, the "father of modern anatomy," and Galileo Galilei, who once taught there. The university also proudly houses the world's oldest anatomical theatre (1594), a symbol of Padua's pioneering role in the development of modern medicine.
As of 2021, it is made up of 32 departments and eight schools. Padua is part of a network of historical research universities known as the Coimbra Group. In 2021, the university had approximately 72,000 students including undergraduates, postgraduates, and doctoral students.
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History
The university is conventionally said to have been founded in 1222 when a large group of students and professors left the University of Bologna in search of more academic freedom ('Libertas scholastica'), although it is certain that schools of law and medicine with students from various nations existed near Padua for a few years before 1222, more precisely in Vicenza. In reality, the first place where this group of students and professors from Bologna settled was at the University of Vicenza, where they were welcomed. Due to various vicissitudes, the headquarters was permanently moved to Padua. The first subjects to be taught were law and theology. The curriculum expanded rapidly, and by 1399 the institution had divided in two: a Universitas Iuristarum for civil law and Canon law, and a Universitas Artistarum which taught astronomy, dialectic, philosophy, grammar, medicine, and rhetoric. There was also a Universitas Theologorum, established in 1373 by Urban V.
The student body was divided into groups known as "nations" which reflected their places of origin. The nations themselves fell into two groups:
the cismontanes for the Italian students
the ultramontanes for those who came from beyond the Alps
From the fifteenth to the eighteenth century, the university was renowned for its research, particularly in the areas of medicine, astronomy, philosophy and law. At the time it was the most renowned school of medicine internationally. During this time, the university adopted the Latin motto: Universa universis patavina libertas (Paduan Freedom is Universal for Everyone). Nevertheless, the university had a turbulent history, and there was no teaching in 1237–1261, 1509–1517, 1848–1850.
The Botanical Garden of Padova, established by the university in 1545, is one of the oldest gardens of its kind in the world. Its alleged title of oldest academic garden is in controversy because the Medici created one in Pisa in 1544. In addition to the garden, best visited in the spring and summer, the university also manages nine museums, including a History of physics museum.
The university began teaching medicine around 1250. It played a leading role in the identification and treatment of diseases and ailments, specializing in autopsies and the inner workings of the body.
Organization and administration
Finances
The university foresaw a budget of €831 million for the 2023 fiscal year. Of this, €545 million were contributions paid by the Ministry of Education, University and Research of Italy, the European Union, local administrations like regions and provinces, and other entities. The remaining €232 million were classified as own revenues, of which €106 million came from tuition fees and €125 million from research-related income.
The amount of tuition students pay depends on their major, the financial situation of their household and if they take more time to graduate compared to the established length of their program. Tuition is also significantly lowered for non-EU citizens of certain developing countries. There are also scholarships and fee-waivers based on merit on other factors. Generally, most students who are graduating in time and are not from low income households will pay around €2,700/year for the 2023/24 academic year.
Rankings
The university is constantly ranked among the best Italian universities.
For 2023, in U.S. News & World Report's World Best Global Universities Rankings, the University of Padua is ranked as the 1st place institution in Italy, taking 43rd place in Europe and the world's 115th. ARWU ranks the university in the Italian top 4, tied for 2nd place with the University of Milan and the University of Pisa under the Sapienza University of Rome. ARWU ranks the university in the 151st – 200th range globally for 2023.
The 2024 Times Higher Education World University Rankings lists the university at 4th place in Italy and in the 201st – 250th range worldwide. QS World University Rankings ranks the university 4th in Italy in 2024 and the best in Italy to study geology and geophysics, earth and sea sciences, biological sciences, psychology, anatomy and physiology. It also places the University of Padua at 219th in the world for 2024. Also, according to QS World University Rankings, the University of Padua is ranked 125th in the field of Medicine.
The NTU ranking, which focuses on productivity and quality of scientific production, places the University of Padua as 82nd worldwide for 2022.
The CWTS Leiden Ranking, based exclusively on bibliometric indicators, places the University of Padua as 2nd place in Italy and 104th worldwide.
Notable people
Alumni
Notable people who have attended the University of Padua include:
In natural sciences
Angelo Azzi biochemist, author and academic
Nicolaus Copernicus (1473–1543) Polish mathematician and astronomer, placed Sun at center of Solar System
John Caius (1510–1573) English physician
Vesalius (1514–1564) known as founder of modern human anatomy; offered professorship at Padua, but died
Gabriele Falloppio (1523–1562) anatomist; anatomy of head and internal ear; reproductive organs
William Harvey (1578–1657) anatomist; described function of heart and circulatory system
George Ent (1604–1689) English anatomist, supporter of Harvey
Thomas Browne (1605–1682) English writer and physician
Sir Edward Greaves (1608–1680) English physician.
Nathaniel Eaton (1610–1674), Ph.D. and M.D., first Head Master of Harvard College
Tommaso Perelli (1704–1783), Italian astronomer
Federico Faggin (1941–) designer of the first commercial microprocessor
Mario Rizzetto (1945–) Italian virologist; worked with Hepatitis D virus
Petros Kestoras (1957–) Cypriot diplomat
Notable faculty
Sixtus IV (1414-1484), intermittent lecturer of Logic and Philosophy between 1444 and 1449
Ermolao Barbaro (1454–1493), appointed professor of philosophy in 1477
Leonik Tomeu (1456–1531), first to teach Aristotle in original Greek
Jacopo Zabarella (1533–1589) held chairs of logic, and philosophy, from 1564 to 1589
Galileo Galilei (1564–1642) held chair of mathematics between 1592 and 1610
Elena Cornaro Piscopia (1646–1684), mathematics lecturer, and the first woman to receive a PhD degree
Antonio Vallisneri (1661–1730) held chairs of practical medicine, and theoretical medicine, between 1700 and 1730
Giovanni Battista Morgagni (1681–1771) held chairs of theoretical medicine, and anatomy, between 1711 and 1771
Tullio Levi-Civita (1873–1941) held the chair of Rational Mechanics, famous for his work on the absolute differential calculus (tensor calculus) and many other important contributions in the area of Pure and Applied Mathematics
Concetto Marchesi (1878–1957) rector from 1943 to 1953
Sergio Bettini (1905–1986) professor of History of Medieval Art and History of Art Criticism
Gianfranco Folena (1920–1992) Professor of the History of the Italian Language
Gian Piero Brunetta (1942–) Professor of cinema history and criticism
Departments
The University of Padua offers a wide range of degrees, organized by Departments:
Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and the Environment
Department of Biology
Department of Animal Medicine, Production and Health
Department of Biomedical Sciences
Department of Cardiac, Thoracic and Vascular Sciences
Department of Chemical Sciences
Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering
Department of Communication Sciences
Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science
Department of Cultural Heritage: Archaeology and History of Art, Cinema and Music
Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialisation
Department of Economics and Management
Department of General Psychology
Department of Geosciences
Department of Historical and Geographic Sciences and the Ancient World
Department of Industrial Engineering
Department of Information Engineering
Schools
Departments have been united in a limited number of Schools:
Agricultural science and Veterinary medicine
Economics and Political sciences
Engineering
Human and social sciences and cultural heritage
Law
Medicine and surgery
Psychology
Sciences