Milan Polytechnic, Sciuto: ‘Long-term decisions to improve our position in the international rankings’
The Milanese university has climbed 11 places and is now ranked first among Italian universities. One of its key distinguishing features is its international appeal: one in four students comes from abroad
The Politecnico di Milano has climbed a further 11 places in the QS World University Rankings 2027, rising to 87th place from 98th last year. Having entered the top 100 in 2025, it is now in the world’s top 90 – the highest position of any Italian university. This result confirms steady and now structural growth, so much so that in five years it has gained 52 places, from 139th in 2023 to 87th in 2027, and over the course of ten years it has climbed a total of 100 places, from 187th in 2016. This result is all the more significant given that ‘the pool of universities assessed by QS is constantly expanding: until a few years ago, it assessed fewer than 5,000; today there are over 8,800, with many universities, particularly in Asia, making significant progress’, explains Donatella Sciuto, Vice-Chancellor of the Politecnico di Milano.
Having lived and studied abroad for many years and taught for a long time in the United States, Sciuto is very familiar with American universities and beyond, and it is precisely this that leads her to say that ‘the Italian academic system, at least as far as engineering, architecture and design programmes are concerned, would be far better in terms of performance if it could count on the same resources as American universities. The reality is that we have far fewer resources, but we are creative and good at getting things done all the same. However, we need to improve our international perception and reputation, and to do this we need to enter and climb the international rankings. The presence of many Italian universities is a sign that the Italian academic system is strong’.
For PoliMi, the indicators showing improvement include reputation amongst employers, sustainability, international students and scientific citations. In this regard, during the period covered by QS, PoliMi recorded 29,332 scientific publications and 289,758 citations (excluding self-citations), confirming the international significance of its research. Its reputation within the international academic community also remains stable at very high levels.
Among these, one of the key distinguishing factors is its international appeal. Of the total of 36,352 students, 9,117 come from other countries, representing a ratio of 25.1 international students per 100, compared with a global median of 8.8. “Internationalisation is the result of ‘the decision taken in 2013 to offer master’s degrees in English’,” explains Sciuto. “This year we will also be offering three three-year engineering degree programmes in English to start attracting students straight from secondary school. For us, this process is fundamental because we believe that international exposure is a valuable asset for Italian students as they engage with different cultures. It is an additional skill that everyone must develop, as in the world of work they will have to interact with people of different nationalities.” Last but not least, this strong international focus is also a way of supporting the country in addressing the demographic challenge ‘in a serious manner and by striving to produce workers who are prepared to face the future,’ continues Sciuto. ‘We began working on the issue of internationalisation a long time ago, adopting a long-term approach that concerns not only students but also teachers – a more challenging aspect.’ But above all because there is the issue of salaries.
Rector Sciuto emphasises that ‘rankings are not an end in themselves but a tool to make us more attractive and to bring the best students to the Politecnico di Milano and to Italia, so that they can then put their degree from an internationally recognised academic institution to good use in the labour market. It is a way of making it clear that Italia is on a par with other countries and has universities of excellence, both in terms of teaching and reputation, where it is possible to pursue a high-level course of study’. The Politecnico’s approach, on the other hand, is unique. ‘We operate on the basis of a strategic plan approved by the academic bodies, the Senate and the Board of Directors: everyone’s efforts have led to this year’s results.’
