Boom in economics and in the STEM and record areas for motor sciences. Collapse for jurisprudenge. The Censis 2025 ranking Premia Padova, Bologna and Pisa
Italian University are growing. The 25th edition of the university ranking released by Censis records a + 5.3% in the academic year 2024-2025, compared to last year. To tow the recovery are the universities of Central Italy, with a double -digit increase, followed by the universities of the South, while the North remains more static, with a low increase and, in some areas, even a slight drop. Boom in economics and stem areas. Record motor sciences with +224.9%. The summit in the standings is confirmed for the University of Padua, followed by Bologna and then, in third place the University of Pisa, which drops the Sapienza of Rome in fourth position.
2025 university registrations: the most chosen and those in crisis faculties
The increase in registrations are the regions of central Italy (+14%), followed by the South (+6.1%), while in the north growth is more contained:+2% in the north-east and a drop of 0.9% in the north-west. A photograph that confirms the resumption of the university fabric in often penalized areas, but with a north that slows down.
As for the choices of the students there is a Boom for economicswhich is the most popular (chosen by 43.1% of those who register for the faculties of the legal, economic and social area). Follows the area STEM (Sciences, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) with 28.6% of enrollments, driven by industrial engineering and information (42.6% of the total STEM). The Censis study also highlights a change of course compared to the last 25 years: Between 2000-2001 and 2024-2025, enrollments increased by 21.3%, with significant growth in health and agro-veterinary areas (+63.2%) and in the STEM disciplines (+42.8%).
The trend of the health area is also very positive, with a constant growth of registrations both for medicine and for pharmaceutical and nursing courses. But the real surprise is represented by motor sciences (+224.9%)with an increase of 309.5% among male students. Next to the growing sectors, however, there is no shortage of signs of crisis. Jurisprudence records a collapse in the inscriptions of over 25% and even foreign languages undergo a drop of over 11%. Also in suffering architecture and civil engineering (-20.1%), exceeded in preferences by the STEM addresses linked to information technology and ICT technologies (+48.5%) and industrial and information engineering (+55.1%). While the psychological group grows by 22.8% and the artistic area remains more or less stable.
As for the gender differenceswomen dominate in industrial engineering and information ( +173.6% against +35% of men) and in the scientific group ( +83.8% women against +60.5% men), while computer science still remains male ( +54.8% against +21.2%).
Italian universities: who goes up and who descends into the Censis 2025 ranking
Censis has also released the new ranking of Italian universities, which measures not only the quality of the structures and services offered, but also the level of internationalization, communication and employability of graduates.
Among the mega attractions (over 40 thousand subscribers), Padua is confirmed at the topfollowed by Bologna, while Pisa performs a leap forward conquering the third position and overcoming the wisdom of Rome, which slips in fourth position together with the State University of Milan. Florence and Turin also remain in the upper part of the ranking, confirming the solidity of the training offer of the great universities of the Center-North, while Palermo maintains a significant position for the South. Among the great state universities (20,000-40,000 members), in the lead the University of Calabria (94.3), followed by Pavia and Perugia. In Top 10 also Parma, Cagliari, Salerno, Milan Bicocca, Genoa, Rome Tor Vergata and Verona. Among the medium -sized universities (up to 20 thousand members), Trento is confirmed as leader, followed by Udine and the Polytechnic of the Marche, with good performances also for Siena and Trieste. As for the small universities (up to 10 thousand subscribers), Camerino confirms himself in the lead, followed by Cassino and Tuscia, with Macerata and the University of Sannio who maintain solid positions in the high end. Among the polytechnicsthe primacy remains firmly in the hands of the Polytechnic of Milan, followed by Turin and the Iuav of Venice, while among the non -state universities Luiss’s leadership continues, in front of Bocconi and the Catholic University.
