Record growth in enrolments and teaching staff, expansion of online universities, persistent territorial disparities, two-speed internationalisation and structural challenges for teaching staff and funding, slow recovery in dropout rates

Rome, 26 march 2026. ANVUR presented this morning the 2026 Report on the higher education and research system. Now in its 5th edition, the Report provides an updated and detailed overview of universities, AFAM institutions and public research bodies, outlining the national framework, international positioning, and the evolution of the system from the pre-pandemic period to today.

Highlights:

• 2,050,112 students enrolled, reached in 2024/25 by the Italian university system.
• +16.9% enrolment in universities.
• Growth in university teaching staff +20.9%.
• 5.4% international students.
• 97.7% of eligible students receiving scholarships.
• 31.6% graduates aged 25–34.

University system at its historical peak. The Italian university system reaches 2.050,112 enrolled students in 2024/25, the highest level ever recorded, with 100 universities, 413.943 graduates, 65.617 teaching staff and total revenues of €19.5 billion.

Overall growth compared to 2018/19 amounts to +296.000 enrolments (+16.9%), but the most distinctive feature of this period is its composition: 63.7% of this increase concerns online universities, which in six years have grown from 6.8% to 15% of the total student population.

Non-uniform growth in enrolments: North and Centre generally growing, South struggling. The increase in enrolments is unevenly distributed across the national territory. In the North, 80% of universities report an increase in enrolments; in the Centre, 2 out of 3 universities; while in the South, almost 1 out of 2 universities (48%) shows a decline, with a sharp reduction in the economic-legal area. In this context, the growth of online universities (+158.6% in six years) is characterised by the fact that nearly 4 out of 5 online students would have an in-person alternative within 60 minutes, indicating that the choice of online provision responds more to personal needs related to cost, work and accessibility than to an actual lack of local provision.

From a geographical perspective, data on remaining within the area of residence are also revealing in the South, almost 1 master’s degree student out of 2 studies away from home, compared to retention rates above 70% in the Centre-North. The system therefore acts as a significant driver of territorial mobility, with stronger outward flows from southern regions.

Universities in Italy are present in as many as 274 municipalities, 50% of which (127 sites) have fewer than 500 enrolled students. Many small sites host programmes in the health professions; however, it should be noted that 50% of university sites account for only 1% of students (around 17.000).

The evolution of internationalisation: dynamics and territorial distribution. The Report highlights a significant increase in the presence of students holding a foreign upper secondary qualification, which has doubled in six years from 52.493 to 111.566, accounting for 5.4% of total enrolments. The share is higher in private universities (8.5%) than in public universities (6.0%), while it is marginal in online universities (1.1%). The main countries of origin are Iran (12.7%), Turkey (7.7%) and China (6.4%), followed by India, Tunisia, and Pakistan.

However, marked differences in territorial distribution persist: 36.3% of students with foreign qualifications are concentrated in the North-West, 28.3% in the Centre, 22.5% in the North-East, while the South - including Southern regions and Islands - accounts for only 9.9%.

Dropout rates and progression within universities. The system is growing but retains fewer students than it appears. In the 2018/19 cohort, six years after enrolment, 62.7% of students enrolled in bachelor’s degree programmes have graduated, while 26.4% have discontinued their studies. This level of attrition is not fully captured by aggregate enrolment figures.

Trends by type of institution move in opposite directions. In public universities, the dropout rate between the first and second year in bachelor’s degree programmes stands at 13.3%, while in private universities it falls to 6.4%. In online universities, by contrast, it rises to 18.8% (it was 13.7% in 2018/19) - the highest value in the system and steadily increasing - indicating that a significant share of those who enrol do not progress to the second year. Student loss is concentrated in the early stages of the academic path, suggesting the need to strengthen guidance activities and the ability to identify early-stage vulnerabilities. 

The issue of recruitment in online universities. The Report examines in depth the ratio between graduates and teaching staff: in online universities, there are 69.2 graduates per teacher, compared to 5.1 in public universities. Online universities themselves are highly heterogeneous (the figure ranges from a minimum of 10.2 to a maximum of 121.8). Regarding teaching requirements, the Report notes that 6 out of 11 online universities do not meet minimum requirements, compared to 100% compliance among public universities. This structural difference relates to the issue of “scalability”: the same qualification is obtained under very different conditions.

Teaching staff increasing, but still the oldest in Europe. University teaching staff increased by +20.9% between 2018 and 2025, rising from 54.261 to 65.617, with a structural rebalancing that sees the relative weight of full and associate professors increase by 9.1 percentage points. Despite this increase, the Italian academic system remains the oldest in Europe: 55.4% of teaching staff are aged 50 or over, while only 1% are under 30, compared to 22.6% in Germany. The average age of appointment to full professor in 2025 is 51.7 years.

On the gender front, contrasting dynamics emerge. Women represent the majority among new entrants (55.7%), enrolled students (56.8%) and graduates (57.7%), but remain underrepresented in top positions, accounting for 29% of full professors and 24.5% of rectors. The gap tends to widen along career progression, although compared to 2018 there are encouraging signs of improvement at higher levels.

Funding: exceeding the € 9 billion threshold. The Ordinary Financing Fund (FFO) has structurally exceeded the € 9 billion threshold, reaching €9.368 billion in 2025 (+27.6% since 2018). However, inflation over the past seven years reduces real growth to +7.3%.

The geographical distribution of the FFO shows a divergent effect: the standard cost and the performance-based share are more favourable to universities in the North (+33.4% North-West, +32.2% North-East), while the Islands record more limited growth (+15.9%). Regarding the right to education, scholarship coverage for eligible students has reached 97.7%, also thanks to PNRR resources, which brought the fund to nearly €882 million in 2024.

AFAM: 94,000 students and the first doctoral programmes. Institutions of Higher Education in the Arts, Music, and Dance (AFAM) record 93.539 enrolled students in 2024/25 (+17.5% in four years). The international component is significant, with almost one in six students being foreign nationals, 50% of whom come from China. The first cycle of AFAM doctoral programmes has started with 476 enrolled students and 62 programmes, but the sector still awaits a comprehensive regulatory reform, starting with the national artistic qualification.

Public research bodies: post-PNRR scenario. The 14 public research bodies (EPRs) include approximately 10.500 researchers, heavily concentrated in the CNR (62.6%). Between 2023 and 2024, fixed-term staff doubled, indicating post-PNRR pressure on the system that could be alleviated through stabilisation pathways.

57.5% of permanent researchers are aged 50 or over, and only 8.4% are under 40, highlighting the need to strengthen generational turnover through the recruitment of young researchers. State funding is also increasing, with the FOE reaching € 1.486 billion in 2025, marking a +17.6% increase compared to 2018.

International positioning: growth for Italy, but from a low starting point. In international comparison, Italy records the second highest growth in Europe in tertiary education enrolment between 2019 and 2023 (+14.4%), but the share of graduates aged 25–34 stands at 31.6%, still significantly below the OECD average (48.4%). The distribution of graduates by qualification level shows that the gap is mainly in bachelor’s degree programmes (13.5% vs 26.1% OECD), while in master’s degrees (17.4%) Italy exceeds the OECD level (16.1%).

Regarding NEETs (aged 18–24), there is a reduction of 9.6 percentage points between 2021 and 2024, the best result in Europe. The figure for female STEM graduates is also positive, at 40.3%, about 5 percentage points above the EU average. In research, Italy improves its share of Horizon Europe funding (from 9.2% to 9.4%), but at a slower pace than Germany and France, which grow more significantly, from 16.4% to 17.3% and from 11.9% to 12.4%, respectively. The Italian system therefore participates more, but risks losing ground in international competition for excellence research funding.