Milan universities, 7.4% of students are foreigners

he face of the city is not only defined by its residents but also by all the people who spend part of their lives in it. These include international students, who come from all over the world and choose the quality of Milan's tertiary education system to complete their education. This human capital is made up of young people who come to Milan from other European and, increasingly, non-European countries, who enter Milan's universities bringing their international mindset and who live in the city throughout their stay in Italy. In a panorama that is now characterised by a real demographic winter, with a falling birth rate not only in Milan but also throughout the country, the arrival of these young talents represents a real asset and an opportunity for the entire community, not just the university.

In the academic year 2022-23, there are 17,166 international students enrolled in the undergraduate and postgraduate courses of the eight universities in the metropolitan city of Milan, growing steadily over the last seven years and with an increase of +9.6% in the last period alone: a different dynamic from that observed for national enrolments (down by -1.1%), which fell from 217,000 to 215,000.

Students from abroad thus account for 7.4% of Milan's total students, a percentage that continues to expand, even if the progression is too slow compared to European benchmarks: Milan's share is higher than that of Barcelona (6.9%), but much lower than many other urban centres, for example in Munich and Berlin it exceeds 20%, in London it is close to 40%.

Tracing the profile of these more than 17,000 young people from abroad, a prevalence of women emerges, accounting for 52.9% of the total. In addition, by type of course undertaken, 89% are enrolled in a Bachelor's, Master's or single-cycle degree course, while the remaining 11% are participating in doctorates, masters or specialisation schools.

It is also interesting to investigate the geographies of origin. The international students who choose the courses offered by Milanese universities do not only come from neighbouring EU countries, but also from more distant countries. In fact, the most represented continent is the Asian one, with the Chinese, Iranian and Indian nationalities among the most numerous among enrolled students: Chinese students account for 14.9% of the total, Iranian students for 10.1% and Indian students for 9.3% of international students. It is worth noting that China, Iran and India represent three countries with a large pool of young people, with respectively 27%, 36% and 43% of under 25s as a percentage of the total population (in Italy the share is 22%). They are followed in the top ten by Turkey, Russia, France, the USA, Germany, Albania and Egypt. Overall, the top 10 nationalities weigh almost 60% of all international students. Finally, looking at the subject fields towards which international students are directed, the manufacturing specialisations that qualify Milan in the world emerge. STEM subjects, in fact, attract 47.4% of those enrolled in degree courses, with a higher incidence than that recorded among Italian students, which is close to 30%. In addition, the presence of numerous hospital institutes and IRCCSs with a high rate of research and innovation contribute to making courses in the health area offered by Milan's universities particularly attractive: 8.5% of international students choose, in fact, a course in the health field. Another renowned feature of Milan is its specialisation in design, thanks to the presence in the city of a fertile and lively economic and cultural fabric as well as educational centres of excellence. This ecosystem reinforces the attractiveness of the metropolis and the international young people who choose training courses in the Art field are 5.4%, almost double the number of Italian students.