Psychology: a mixed picture – a surge in enrolments, few job opportunities

A degree course that is attracting more and more students across Italia, but which may harbour the risk of being a ‘false hope’. In less than ten years, the Faculty of Psychology has become one of the top choices for young Italians: there were 34,384 first-year students in 2025, 90 per cent more than in 2016, compared with a 39 per cent increase recorded across the entire university system. As a result, Italia is now the country that trains the most psychologists in Europe. The real challenge, however, comes after graduation. And this is where the Talents Venture Observatory – which published an analysis of data from the Ministry of Universities ahead of World Mental Health Day (held yesterday) – asks what can be done ‘to avoid giving students false hopes’.

The initial figures justify the question. According to the AlmaLaurea 2026 Report, one year after completing their master’s degree, 62.2 per cent of graduates in the psychology group are in work, compared with an average of 80.8 per cent: the lowest figure of all subject groups. Those in employment earn an average of €1,138 net per month – again at the bottom of the rankings – compared with the overall average of €1,495. The length of the course is a significant factor: to practise as a psychotherapist, a four-year specialisation programme is required, which is largely private and paid for by the student; five years after graduation, 50.5 per cent of graduates have completed such a programme.

It is time, however, that puts things into perspective. AlmaLaurea tracked the 2020 master’s graduates: five years after graduation, their employment rate had risen to 93.5 per cent, a jump of 44.2 percentage points – the largest increase of any group – whilst their earnings had grown by 56.6 per cent to €1,657. The initial delay – the report explains – is due to participation in internships, PhD programmes and specialisation courses, which are often unpaid and prolong the time taken to enter the labour market. The gap with the average (94.4 per cent in employment and €1,903) remains, but narrows significantly: after five years, the employment gap falls below one percentage point.

As mentioned, however, the growth in enrolments has not slowed down – quite the contrary. A major driving force comes from online universities, which now account for 36 per cent of first-year students, compared with 13 per cent ten years ago, and alone account for almost two-thirds of the increase: 10,000 new students out of a total of around 16,000. The top three Italian universities by number of psychology students are online, with Mercatorum leading the way at 3,932, more than Padua and Sapienza combined. Part of the explanation lies in the admission rules: of the 43 three-year degree programmes offered by state universities, 42 require an entrance exam, whilst none of the 14 online courses do.

Italy’s European leadership is reflected in the figures: in 2024, Italia awarded degrees in psychology to 25,732 people, accounting for 22 per cent of the EU total, whilst representing 13 per cent of all graduates across all disciplines.