Who we are

150+ years of history / 23,000+ students / 27,000+ alumni

We are a public university, founded on 6 August 1868 as Scuola Superiore di Commercio. We have reached a high national and international standing with the quality of our research and teaching, which reaches across countries and disciplines. Our university community includes over 23.000 students and 1.400 faculty and staff from all over the world. The main campus is in a large Gothic palace in the heart of Venice, overlooking the Grand Canal, and other venues are spread across the historic centre of Venice, plus Mestre and Treviso. We are part of EUTOPIA, an alliance of ten European universities, and our Alumni community counts 80.000 contacts worldwide.

Excellence in research and education is key to address global challenges and make an impact across disciplines. We promote a comprehensive study experience: teaching is geared to research and aware of the needs of stakeholders, student life is engaging and rewarding. We attract and support a diverse and international community of people who study, teach and do research in the heart of a unique city. As an institution we are transparent and accountable, and promote an open and inclusive learning and working environment.

We contribute to scientific progress through excellent research that addresses global challenges and has an impact across disciplines. We promote frontier research with the active application of the hard sciences and digital sciences to the centuries-old tradition rooted in the social sciences, humanities and economics. We are among the top institutions in Europe for number of Marie Curie fellowships funded by the EU, and first in Italy for European Research Council (ERC) funding. For the quality of their scientific projects, four departments have been acknowledged by MIUR (Italian Ministry of Education, Universities and Research) as "Departments of Excellence".

We put our best human and technological resources into innovative and interdisciplinary study programmes in various fields, and we make sure they are always open to the world. The university curriculum is enriched by innovative teaching courses, activities and workshops, so as to offer an education in line with the highest European standards. We support our community in all aspects and stages of their university career. We offer welcome, orientation and career services to promote inclusion and wellbeing, and support our graduates entering the world of work. An extensive international network facilitates our participation in international education and research programmes, and we encourage foreign exchanges of all members of our community: students, faculty, and staff.

Ca’ Foscari organises many Public engagement activities. The aim is to enhance and promote academic research by investing in open and accessible education and in technology and knowledge transfer, and to open up to society at large, sharing activities and resources. We have established ourselves over the years as a scientific point of reference, an agent for innovation and social progress in the Venice area and in the Veneto region. We promote knowledge transfer by networking with companies and organisations, by setting up training and professional opportunities, and by organising public events.