Università degli Studi di Ferrara

What Università degli Studi di Ferrara does

Università degli Studi di Ferrara is a public Italian state university founded in 1391 and governed by the Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR), headquartered in Ferrara, Italy with a workforce of 10,000+. It delivers higher education across scientific, medical, technological, economic, legal, and humanistic disciplines through nearly 70 degree programs, 37 active healthcare specialization schools, doctoral programs, and the Unife Master School postgraduate division, enrolling prospective students from Italy and internationally via Erasmus+ and double-degree pathways.

Its technology base combines a Moodle-based distance-learning platform (sea-el.unife.it) with an operational stack of Google Workspace, Microsoft Office 365 Education, Microsoft Azure Dev Tools, MATLAB Campus, Autodesk, and Graphisoft Archicad licensed for students, and authentication layered on SPID and CIE with payments via PagoPA. Bespoke student-facing systems include the SOS online support portal, ufirst appointment booking, GETUPDATE class-schedule apps, and the studiare.unife.it self-service platform. Strategic integrations include membership in the COLOURS European university alliance and an inter-university network with Parma, Modena-Reggio Emilia, and Bologna.

Revenue is generated primarily through ISEE-based tuition fees with progressive rates (full exemption at ISEE ≤ €27,000; up to €2,092 maximum contribution), part-time and 90-credit enrollment variants, single-course fees from €300 to €1,100 by CFU band, and administrative service charges (€10-€80). Customer acquisition spans Open Days, the Unife Orienta event, PNRR-funded secondary-school outreach, the Unife in Tour recruitment circuit, and the WeMaMy telephone help desk, with tuition publicly disclosed. The operating model is non-commercial and publicly subsidized, oriented to degree-granting, research, and community impact rather than profit.

Name

Università degli Studi di Ferrara

Legal name

Università degli Studi di Ferrara

Website

https://unife.it

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Università degli Studi di Ferrara is a public Italian state university founded in 1391, delivering nearly 70 undergraduate and graduate programs, 37 healthcare specialization schools, and international exchange pathways to students across Italy and abroad.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Engineering & Technology Institutes (Comprehensive) (EDAHAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Dual/Joint Degree Programs (International) (EDAIABAD), University/College Continuing Education (Extension) Programs (EDAAAEAA), Faculty-Led Study Tours & Embedded Short Programs (Home Institution-Led) (EDAIAIAJ)

Keywords

• Higher education services
• University degree programs
• Postgraduate education
• Academic research services
• Student enrollment services

Headquarters

HQ city

Ferrara

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition Fees: Annual tuition fees calculated based on ISEE (Indicatore della Situazione Economica Equivalente) with progressive rates ranging from full exemption (ISEE ≤ 27,000) to maximum contribution (€2,092+ for standard enrollment, €3,137 for 90-credit option). Additional fees for part-time enrollment, late submissions, and service charges apply.
2. Single Course Enrollment Fees: Students can enroll in individual courses (insegnamenti singoli) with fees based on credit load: €300 for up to 12 CFU, €500 for 13-24 CFU, €700 for 25-36 CFU, €900 for 37-48 CFU, €1,100 for 49-60 CFU.
3. Service Contributions: Miscellaneous fees for admission exams (€30-€80), late submission penalties (€10-€60), diploma supplements (€20), shipping fees (€10-€30), badge replacement (€10), and other administrative services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Università degli Studi di Ferrara is a public Italian state university offering higher education across nearly 70 undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, and specialization degree programs in scientific, medical, humanistic, economic, legal, and technical disciplines. It delivers courses through on-campus instruction at Ferrara and satellite locations (Rovigo, Bolzano, Pieve di Cento, Adria) and via a Moodle-based distance learning platform, while charging income-based tuition fees.

Product overview

Università degli Studi di Ferrara operates as a comprehensive public university offering a digital ecosystem for approximately 70 degree programs. The core digital infrastructure consists of the institutional website (unife.it) serving as the main gateway, the student portal (studiare.unife.it) for administrative functions, and the SOS online support system. Students access services through dedicated mobile applications including GETUPDATE for schedules, ufirst for appointment booking, app IO for notifications, and thefaculty for test preparation. Distance learning is delivered through the Moodle-based sea-el.unife.it platform. The university provides educational software through partnerships including Google Workspace, Microsoft Office 365, MATLAB, Autodesk, and Archicad. The Unife Master School division manages postgraduate offerings including master's degrees and continuing education. Authentication integrates with Italian national systems SPID and CIE, while payments use the PagoPA platform. Orientation and admission rely on CISIA TOLC testing systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• COLOURS: A European university alliance of nine institutions of which Unife is a founding member, promoting academic excellence, European mobility, and inclusive multidisciplinary education.
• IUSS Ferrara 1391
• Unife Master School (UMS)
• SOS - Supporto Online Studenti
• WeMaMy

Products and services

• Undergraduate and Graduate Degree Programs (Lauree)

Quantifiable outcome

• 91% student satisfaction rate (AlmaLaurea 2024)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration18 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• WeMaMyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 July 2025Collaboration with female entrepreneur startup WeMaMy (founded by Francesca Casalino) to staff phone-based Help Desk during enrollment periods. Three operators (mothers from Ferrara area) provide support in Italian and foreign languages for prospective students and families on registration procedures, course offerings, and digital tools.
• COLOURS (European University Alliance)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlliance of nine European universities promoting academic excellence, European mobility, and inclusive multidisciplinary approach. Unife is one of the founding members of this initiative focused on enhanced student exchange and joint academic programs.
• CISIA (Consorzio Interuniversitario Sistemi Integrati per l'Accesso)coreTechnology or IntegrationConsortium providing standardized TOLC (Test OnLine CISIA) placement exams for engineering, science, and economics programs. Enables remote TOLC@CASA testing from home.
• Università di Parma (interateneo programs)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint inter-university degree programs in Philosophy, Quaternario/Preistoria/Archeologia, and Electronic Engineering for Intelligent Vehicles with shared administration and coursework across multiple institutions.
• Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia (interateneo programs)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative degree programs in Philosophy, Quaternario/Preistoria/Archeologia, Electronic Engineering for Intelligent Vehicles, Advanced Automotive Engineering, and Electric Vehicle Engineering with shared administration.
• Università di Bologna (interateneo programs)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint Electronic Engineering for Intelligent Vehicles and Electric Vehicle Engineering programs with Bologna as administrative hub.
• Double Degree Partner UniversitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOver 20 international university partnerships enabling double degree programs across disciplines including: Pontificia Università Cattolica del Paranà (Brazil), University of Southern Denmark, University of East Anglia (UK), University of Paderborn (Germany), University of Paris Sud-Paris Saclay (France), University of Cadice (Spain), University of Nantes (France), University of Granada (Spain), University of Strasbourg (France), University of Le Mans (France), ICAM Strasbourg (France), University of Cranfield (UK), University of Valencia/Polytechnic of Valencia (Spain), University of Regensburg (Germany), University of Toulouse Jean Jaurès (France), University of Verona (Italy), University of Trento (Italy), University of Kristianstad (Sweden), University of West Florida (USA), University of Parma (Italy), University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (Italy), Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore Milano (Italy).

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Università degli Studi di Firenze: Large historic Italian public university with comparable comprehensive scope and research footprint. A natural peer for benchmarking on AlmaLaurea graduate outcomes and QS rankings positioning.
• Università degli Studi di Verona: Northern Italian public university and double-degree partner. Comparable scale and disciplinary breadth, sharing overlapping applicant geography in the Veneto-Emilia corridor.
• Università di Trento: Public university in the same northern Italian region with stronger research positioning. Competes directly for high-achieving students in science, engineering, and social sciences, and is a benchmark on internationalization metrics.
• Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna: Italy's oldest university and the flagship public research institution in the same Emilia-Romagna region. Comparable comprehensive offering across disciplines, similar tuition model, and joint inter-university degree programs with Unife, making it the closest direct peer and primary regional competitor.
• Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore: Largest private Italian university, double-degree partner with Unife, with a comparable national multi-campus footprint. Represents the closest private-sector parallel and competes for the same national applicant pool.
• Università degli Studi di Padova: Historic northern Italian public university with a comparable comprehensive portfolio and similar scale. Directly competes for the same regional applicant pool and is a like-for-like benchmark on graduate outcomes and rankings trajectory.
• Università degli Studi di Torino: Major northern Italian public research university with comparable scale and disciplinary breadth. Competes for top national applicants and serves as a peer benchmark on employment outcomes and international partnerships.
• Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia: Public university in the same region running shared inter-university programs with Unife. Closely matched in size, public funding model, and disciplinary breadth — directly competes for regional students and faculty.
• Università degli Studi di Parma: Neighboring Emilia-Romagna public university operating joint inter-university degree programs with Unife in Philosophy, Quaternary/Prehistory/Archaeology, and Electronic Engineering. Highly comparable in scale, scope, and student demographics.

Broad incumbents

• Politecnico di Milano: Italy's leading technical university with much larger scale and stronger global brand. Overlaps with Unife in engineering, architecture, and design programs and represents the dominant incumbent in technical higher education nationally.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://www.unife.it
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/unifetv
• Facebookfacebook.com/unife.it
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/universit%C3%A0-degli-studi-di-ferrara
• Instagraminstagram.com/unife.it

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Università degli Studi di Ferrara