The academic year 2024-25 in figures

The student population continues to grow: In the academic year 2024-25, there are a total of 4,536 students across Bachelor's, Master's, PhD, and continuing education programs, marking a significant increase of 227 enrolled students compared to the previous academic year. USI's commitment to competitive research is also confirmed, with around CHF 32,5 million in funding obtained by researchers working on the Lugano, Mendrisio and Bellinzona campuses.

4,536 students

The total number of students enrolled at USI is 4,536: 1,940 in Bachelor's programmes and 1,934 in Master's programmes, while there are 591 doctoral students and 71 in continuing education (for at least 60 ECTS).

The largest faculty by student enrollment is Economics, with 1,121 students. It is followed by Communication, Culture, and Society with 1,064 students, the Academy of Architecture with 823, Informatics with 654, Biomedical Sciences with 441, and Theology with 433 students. In terms of student origins, 21% are from the Canton of Ticino, 10% from other parts of Switzerland, 49% from Italy, and 20% from other countries.

Focus: strong growth in basic training (Bachelor's and Master's degrees)

There were 630 new enrolments in Bachelor's programmes and 600 new enrolments in Master's programmes, both of which saw an increase compared to the previous academic year. This represents a growth of approximately 32% over the past five years, which amounts to roughly one-third.

Competitive research funds

USI's reputation as a research-intensive university was reaffirmed this year. It is important to note that competitive research refers to projects funded through competitive grants from organizations such as the European Union, the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), which also financed European replacement schemes this year, the Swiss Agency for the Promotion of Innovation - Innosuisse, swissuniversities and private foundations.

In 2024, USI received a total of approximately CHF 32.5 million. This amount includes around 23 million from the SNSF (Swiss National Science Foundation), 4 milion from European funds, 2 milion from Competitive foundations, CHF 39,000 from the SERI (State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation) for participation in European collaborative projects—this figure is subject to change, as 50% of the submitted projects are still under assessment—CHF 250,000 from swissuniversities, CHF 500'000 million from Innosuisse, and 3 milion from other entities.