Internationalisation strategy
As part of its 2024-2030 Strategic Plan, the University of Milan has defined an ambitious and cross-cutting internationalisation strategy, consistent with its identity as a public, multidisciplinary and polycentric university.
In a global context marked by complex geopolitical dynamics, digital and environmental transitions, and emerging educational challenges, the University recognises internationalisation as a strategic driver for strengthening the quality of education and research, promoting inclusion and cooperation, and asserting an active role in the European and global higher education landscape.
Since October 2024, Paola Catenaccio, professor at the Department of Languages, Literatures, Cultures and Mediations, fills the role of Deputy Rector for internationalization.
Deputy Rector for Internationalization
The University intends to broaden its range of courses taught in English, promote double and joint degrees, and develop new teaching methods (blended, online and modular). In particular, it will promote Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), microcredentials and Blended Intensive Programmes (BIPs), with the aim of reaching non-traditional learners and meeting the growing need for continuous and flexible education.
The University will strengthen Erasmus+ and extra-EU mobility agreements, encouraging incoming and outgoing mobility for students, doctoral candidates, teaching staff, technical and administrative staff, and librarians. Within this framework, the strategic partnership with the 4EU+ Alliance — a European platform for academic collaboration that enables stable, structured relations with some of the most prestigious universities in Europe — will be further developed. This will support the co-design of educational pathways, integrated mobility programmes, interdisciplinary research projects and pedagogical innovation. The Alliance serves as a laboratory for European university integration and a key instrument for building a shared scientific and academic community.
The University aims to consolidate and systematise its actions for welcoming, advising and supporting international students through tools such as the virtual International Student Hub, cultural and linguistic packages, peer tutoring programmes and streamlined administrative procedures (visas, residence permits, enrolment). Particular attention will be devoted to inclusion and to fostering a sense of belonging within the university community, also in collaboration with international student networks.
The University will encourage agile forms of international teaching (Cooperative Online International Learning, BIPs, co-taught modules, microcredentials), integrating internationalisation into ordinary curricula and reaching a wider and more diverse audience. These tools will also support the development of digital, intercultural and collaborative skills.
At the European level, membership in the 4EU+ Alliance and participation in strategic networks including LERU (League of European Research Universities), EUA (European University Association) and EUF (European University Foundation) ensure a strong strategic position. Beyond Europe, the University already benefits from a consolidated network of international agreements across all continents. The 2024–2030 strategy aims to strengthen and expand this network in priority regions for geopolitical, cultural and scientific reasons. Particular attention will be paid to the Mediterranean region and Africa, while continuing to invest in well-established collaborations (including Asia, North America and Latin America) and in emerging countries in Eastern Europe. In these contexts, the University intends to engage in broad multilateral initiatives that extend beyond bilateral cooperation — such as capacity-building programmes, shared campuses, scientific co-diplomacy and solidarity mobility.
International cooperation is not only an operational tool but also a value-driven and political choice. The University intends to leverage its expertise and resources to co-develop sustainable educational projects through strategic partnerships, promoting knowledge circulation and fostering global scientific communities based on reciprocity, shared responsibility and epistemic justice.
The University also aims to play an active role in international academic networks, participating in projects funded under Horizon Europe, Erasmus Mundus, Jean Monnet and other European and international cooperation programmes. Through mobility opportunities in fragile contexts, support for visiting scholars at risk and the promotion of university diplomacy, the University of Milan positions itself as an agent of academic solidarity and cultural mediation.
The strategy will be implemented according to principles of gradualism, scalability and co-design, through the systemic involvement of all components of the University: governance, faculty, administrative staff, librarians, the student community and alumni. Actions will be coordinated across departments and disciplines, fostering synergies with the University’s core missions of education, research and public engagement.
The internationalisation strategy of the University of Milan is a transformative project designed to position the University as a leader within the European and global higher education system. Internationalisation — understood not as an end in itself but as a means to enhance the excellence, equity and impact of the University’s educational and scientific activities — is an integral part of its public mission. Through strong investment in networks, relationships, people and ideas, the University intends to contribute actively to building an inclusive, cooperative global academic community oriented towards the common good.
Training for high-level research is essential to increase the international attraction of a university, as outlined in many documents of the Conference of Italian University Rectors.
For good reasons, the information on the sites of various universities aimed at international students refers to the international ranking of the home institution. It is therefore important to maintain dialogue with the 23 universities belonging to the League of European Research Universities (LERU), a prestigious network of which our university is a founding member and the only Italian university.
To do so, it is necessary to increase the growth of networks with other large European universities with the long-term aim of overcoming obstacles and designing a new integrated model of university education: in January 2019, the University of Milan joined the 4EU+ European University Alliance, which includes Charles University of Prague, Heidelberg University, Paris-Panthéon-Assas University, Sorbonne University of Paris, University of Copenhagen, University of Geneva, and University of Warsaw. In this network, new innovative methods of mobility and teaching are tested under a new model of advanced cooperation.
The League of European Research Universities (LERU) is a prestigious network of which our University is a founding member and the only Italian institution.
The University of Milan is a member of the 4EU+ Alliance, which aims at developing advanced cooperation in training, research and third-mission activities.