The University of Bologna, founded in 1088, is considered the oldest university in Western Europe. Nowadays, it remains one of the most important higher education institution across Europe with around 85.000 enrolled students, 11 Schools and 32 research departments, 6000 employees.
11.000 research output per year (annual average 2012-2016), 47 Doctoral Programmes and a wide comprehensive academic offer of around 200 Bachelor and MA programmes. 49 degrees are joint or double degrees’ programmes and 55 are taught in English.
The University of Bologna is today the most internationalized of all Italian universities and it is one of the few Italian universities having a place in the international rankings within the top 200 universities in the world (QS, Times Higher Education, etc.). The number of foreign students regularly enrolled is around 6000, while another 2000 arrives every year on international mobility programmes such as Erasmus+, Erasmus+ International Credit Mobility and the Overseas programme. The number of outgoing students on study grants is more than 2,000 per year.
As part of its internationalization strategy under the Strategic Plan 2016-2018, Africa has an increasing important place in the international relations of UNIBO. The university has strengthen its relations with South Africa starting from different mobility initiatives such as 5 editions of the EMA2 EUROSA project that enabled UNIBO to exchange staff and students with South African institutions since 2010. UNIBO capitalized over this experience and it is currently continuing these active exchanges thanks to the Erasmus+ international credit mobility programme and through own resources and bilateral agreements.