Università della Svizzera italiana

Logo
Motto	USI. Libertà di creare, responsabilità nell'agire USI IS U
Type	Public research university
Established	21 October 1996 (1996-10-21)
Rector	Gabriele Balbi (interim)[1]
Students	4,749 (2025)[2]
Location	Lugano , Ticino , Switzerland
Campus	Urban
Colours	Black and white
Affiliations	SFI, EUA, swissuniversities
Website	www.usi.ch

The Università della Svizzera italiana (USI, University of Italian-speaking Switzerland), sometimes referred to as the USI University or the University of Lugano in English-speaking contexts, is a public Swiss university established in 1995, with campuses in Lugano, Mendrisio and Bellinzona (Canton Ticino, Switzerland). USI is the only university in Switzerland where the official language is Italian, but many of its programs are in English.

Five faculties operate within the university: Communication, Culture and Society; Economics; Informatics; Biomedical Sciences; and the Academy of Architecture. The Faculties of Communication, Culture and Society, Economics, Informatics, and Biomedical Sciences are based in Lugano, while the Academy of Architecture is located in Mendrisio.

Two affiliated biomedical research institutions, the Institute for Research in Biomedicine and the Institute of Oncology Research, are located in Bellinzona and operate in close academic association with USI.

USI enrolls more than 4,500 students from over 100 countries, with approximately 60 percent of its student body originating from outside Switzerland, one of the highest proportions among Swiss universities.^[3]

From 1 July 2023 the university was led by Rector Luisa Lambertini, previously professor at the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne. On 5 December 2025 USI announced her resignation effective 31 December 2025, and Vice-Rector Gabriele Balbi was appointed interim rector from 1 January 2026.^[4]

In international rankings, USI was placed 9th worldwide in 2024 in the Times Higher Education World's Best Small Universities ranking, which evaluates institutions with fewer than 5,000 students according to research performance, teaching quality, international outlook, and student–staff ratio.^[5] In the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024, USI was included in Economics & Econometrics, ranking among the leading Swiss institutions in the field, with particularly strong citation impact and academic reputation indicators.^[6]

The intellectual origins of higher education in the territory of present-day Ticino predate the creation of the modern Swiss federal state. Archival documentation preserved in the State Archives of Lucerne records that in 1588 a proposal was discussed for the establishment of a higher-education institution in Lugano.^[7] The initiative, initially associated with the Somaschi Fathers and later connected with the Society of Jesus, formed part of the wider Catholic educational expansion that followed the Council of Trent. Across the Alpine and pre-Alpine regions, the post-Tridentine Church sought to consolidate philosophical and theological education as an instrument of institutional renewal and confessional identity.

The proposed Lugano institution was conceived as a college devoted to advanced instruction in philosophy and theology, designed to serve both clerical formation and the broader cultural consolidation of Catholic territories within the loosely structured Old Swiss Confederation. Political fragmentation among the cantons, financial limitations, and the complex administrative status of the Italian bailiwicks prevented its realization.

No sustained university project emerged during the early modern period. Ticino's administrative dependence on sovereign cantons and the proximity of established academic centers such as the University of Pavia and institutions in Milan reduced both the urgency and the feasibility of founding an autonomous university.

The issue reappeared in the 19th century within the broader context of liberal reform and state-building. In 1844 the Grand Council of Ticino approved a project for the establishment of a cantonal academy, developed by the statesman and educational reformer Stefano Franscini, who later became a member of the Swiss Federal Council.^[8] Franscini's proposal sought to create an advanced educational center capable of meeting the administrative, cultural, and professional needs of the canton while integrating into the federal framework.

Financial constraints and political rivalries among Locarno, Bellinzona, and Lugano prevented implementation. Nevertheless, the 1844 vote represented the first formally approved cantonal initiative toward higher education.

Throughout the 20th century, proposals periodically resurfaced, including projects for a Higher School of Italian Culture, a Higher School of Italian Switzerland with technical orientation, and an Institute of Culture of Italian Switzerland devoted to historical and linguistic research.^[9] Although none progressed beyond the planning stage, these recurring debates gradually consolidated the idea that a university represented a strategic necessity for Italian-speaking Switzerland within the multilingual Swiss Confederation.

In the 1970s the debate took institutional form through the project known as the Centro Universitario della Svizzera Italiana (CUSI). Conceived primarily as a postgraduate and research-oriented center, CUSI aimed to develop regional sciences, humanities, and interdisciplinary programs aligned with the socio-economic profile of Ticino.^[10]

The project was approved by the Grand Council of Ticino on 11 December 1985. For the first time, the canton formally committed itself to establishing a higher-education institution.

Opposition quickly emerged. A referendum committee led by Augusto Bolla and Giovanni Maria Staffieri collected the required signatures to submit the law to a popular vote. On 20 April 1986, with a turnout of 41.5 percent, voters rejected the proposal by 47,011 votes against 21,512 in favor.^[11]

Although the referendum halted the CUSI project, it clarified structural concerns regarding financial sustainability and institutional identity. The episode became formative in shaping subsequent proposals for a full-fledged university.

In the early 1990s the university project re-emerged within national discussions concerning multilingualism and regional representation. In May 1990 a group of scholars and professionals published a manifesto in Libera Stampa advocating the creation of a university in Italian-speaking Switzerland.^[12]

On 27 October 1990 Federal Councillor Flavio Cotti publicly endorsed the initiative in a speech in Poschiavo, linking the proposal to Switzerland's constitutional multilingualism and to balanced linguistic representation in higher education.

Architect Pier Giorgio Gerosa was appointed to draft strategic reports between 1991 and 1993 outlining a multi-faculty university integrated into the Swiss academic system.^[13]

In parallel, the ETH Board commissioned architect Mario Botta to design a national academy of architecture. Although not adopted federally, the proposal gained cantonal support and evolved into the Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio.

In 1993 the Municipality of Lugano commissioned Mauro Baranzini, Sergio Cigada, and Lanfranco Senn to design faculties in economics and communication sciences. Luigi Dadda and Remigio Ratti joined the group in 1995, strengthening the academic and institutional structure of the proposal.

In March 1995 the Municipal Council of Lugano approved the faculty project. In October 1995 the Grand Council adopted the law establishing the Università della Svizzera italiana as a public cantonal university.

The institution was structured around three founding pillars: the Faculty of Economics, the Faculty of Communication Sciences, and the Accademia di architettura di Mendrisio. The Swiss Science Council expressed a favorable opinion in autumn 1996, enabling the university to commence teaching.

USI officially opened on 21 October 1996. Marco Baggiolini became its first President, and Mauro Dell'Ambrogio was appointed Secretary General.

In 2000 USI awarded its first degrees, and the Swiss Federal Council recognized Ticino as a university canton, integrating the institution fully into the Swiss higher-education system.

In 2001 USI became the first Swiss university to align its curricula with the principles of the Bologna Declaration, introducing the three-cycle structure ahead of most other Swiss institutions.

In 2015 the University Council approved a governance reform introducing a rectorate model and establishing an Academic Senate.^[14]

In 2021 the East Campus in Lugano was inaugurated in cooperation with the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland.^[15]

In the 21st century USI progressively strengthened its academic presence nationally and internationally. The expansion of its educational offer, combined with infrastructural development culminating in the opening of the East Campus, enhanced its attractiveness and reinforced its international orientation.

More than 60 percent of its student body originates from outside Switzerland, one of the highest proportions among Swiss universities.^[16]

In 2020 USI entered the QS World University Rankings, appearing among the youngest European institutions evaluated globally.^[17]

In the 2022 edition USI reached 240th position worldwide.^[18]

In 2024 Times Higher Education ranked USI 9th globally among universities with fewer than 5,000 students.^[19]

In the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024, USI was included in Economics & Econometrics, distinguishing itself particularly in citation impact and academic reputation metrics.^[20]

USI participates in European research frameworks including Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe.^[21]

The combination of established strength in economics and finance, development in communication and computer sciences, and expansion into biomedical research has defined USI as a compact yet high-profile research university fully integrated into the Swiss academic system and increasingly visible within global higher education.

The Universita della Svizzera italiana (USI) is organized as a multi-site institution within the Canton of Ticino, primarily in Lugano, Mendrisio, and Bellinzona. Established in 1996, the university developed its physical infrastructure within an existing urban environment rather than according to a traditional collegiate or enclosed campus model. Its buildings reflect late-20th- and early-21st-century academic planning integrated into the surrounding city fabric.

The historic and administrative core of the university is the West Campus (Campus Ovest) in Lugano, located at Via Giuseppe Buffi 13 in the Molino Nuovo district. The site originated through the conversion and adaptation of the former Ospedale Civico area in the mid-1990s, coinciding with the foundation of the university.^[22] Existing hospital buildings were progressively renovated and adapted for academic use, enabling the establishment of the first teaching and administrative facilities.

The West Campus hosts the Rectorate, central administrative offices, lecture halls, seminar rooms, and student services. It accommodates the Faculty of Economics and the Faculty of Communication, Culture and Society, as well as part of the Faculty of Informatics. The site also includes the university cafeteria and study areas that function as focal points of daily academic life.

The University Library in Lugano serves as the principal bibliographic infrastructure for the faculties based in the city. Its collections focus on economics, social sciences, communication studies, informatics, and related disciplines. The library provides access to print holdings, scientific journals, electronic databases, and national cataloguing systems within the Swiss academic library network.^[23] The facility includes spaces for individual and group study and forms part of Switzerland's coordinated academic library system.

South of the main complex, central service buildings house institutional units, including communication and research support services. Following governance reforms in 2015, the Rectorate became the principal executive body of the university and operates from the Lugano campus.^[24]

Adjacent to the central structures is the so-called Blue Building, formerly used as a cantonal laboratory and subsequently repurposed to accommodate research institutes and academic offices, particularly within the Faculty of Economics.

The East Campus (Campus Est), inaugurated in March 2021 in the Viganello district of Lugano, represents the most significant infrastructural expansion in USI's history.^[25] Developed on a former industrial site, the project introduced a contemporary urban campus organized around a central courtyard and portico systems connecting multiple buildings. Campus Est hosts the Faculty of Informatics, parts of the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, the research institute IDSIA (Istituto Dalle Molle di Studi sull'Intelligenza Artificiale), and several departments of the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland. The concentration of advanced computing and life-sciences infrastructure at this site has strengthened interdisciplinary collaboration and inter-institutional integration within Ticino.

In Bellinzona, USI is connected to major biomedical research institutions, including the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB) and the Institute of Oncology Research (IOR), both affiliated with the university.^[26] These institutes operate within dedicated research facilities and contribute to the university's life-sciences activities and doctoral training.

The Faculty of Theology of Lugano (Facolta di Teologia di Lugano), an institution affiliated with USI, is also located on the Lugano campus.^[27]

In Mendrisio, the Academy of Architecture (Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio) operates within a distributed campus integrated into the historic town centre. The complex includes restored historical structures, among them buildings associated with the former Servite convent, adapted for academic use. The Academy contains design studios, lecture halls, modelling laboratories, exhibition spaces, and research facilities.^[28]

A student residence known as Casa dell'Accademia, located in Mendrisio, provides accommodation for approximately 72 students and serves primarily the Academy community.^[29]

USI's institutional presence is articulated across several principal sites:

The West Campus functions as the administrative and historical core of the university. The East Campus represents its most recent urban and infrastructural expansion. Mendrisio constitutes the architectural and design-oriented pole of the institution, while Bellinzona anchors its biomedical research network within the cantonal capital.

The relatively short distances between Lugano, Mendrisio, and Bellinzona reflect Ticino's compact territorial configuration and facilitate academic mobility and collaboration across sites.

Although comparatively young as an institution, USI is associated with several architecturally and institutionally significant sites:

The Universita della Svizzera italiana (USI) is a public cantonal university of the Canton of Ticino and forms part of the coordinated Swiss higher-education system. It operates under cantonal legislation and federal recognition mechanisms overseen by the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation. The university is integrated into the national coordination framework through swissuniversities.

Unlike collegiate universities, USI is organised as a unified institution structured around faculties and central governance bodies.

USI is organised into five faculties distributed across three campuses (Lugano, Mendrisio, and Bellinzona):

The Faculty of Economics, based in Lugano, provides teaching and research in economics, management, finance, and public policy. Its Institute of Finance, founded in 1999, is part of the Swiss Finance Institute, the national research network in financial economics.^[30]

The Faculty of Communication, Culture and Society integrates communication sciences, media studies, humanities, philosophy, and social sciences.^[31] It offers programmes including a Master in Philosophy with research areas spanning metaphysics, philosophy of mind, philosophy of science, and ancient and medieval philosophy.

The Faculty of Informatics, established in 2004, offers bachelor, master, and doctoral programmes in computer science.^[32] It collaborates closely with the Dalle Molle Institute for Artificial Intelligence Research (IDSIA), jointly operated with the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland.^[33]

The Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, established in 2014, coordinates medical education and biomedical research in collaboration with ETH Zurich, the University of Basel, and the University of Zurich.^[34] It maintains close links with affiliated research institutes in Bellinzona, including the Institute for Research in Biomedicine and the Institute of Oncology Research.

The Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio, founded in 1996 on the initiative of Mario Botta, constitutes USI's architecture faculty and operates within a distributed campus embedded in the historic centre of Mendrisio.

An institution affiliated with USI is the Faculty of Theology of Lugano, a private ecclesiastical faculty integrated into the university's institutional framework following cantonal approval.^[35]

USI is governed through a centralized institutional framework composed of a University Council, a Rectorate, and an Academic Senate.

The University Council is the university's principal strategic and supervisory body. It oversees financial management, long-term planning, and senior appointments.

The Rectorate functions as the executive authority of the university and is headed by the Rector. Following reforms approved in 2015, USI adopted a rectoral governance model clarifying the separation between strategic oversight and academic leadership.^[36]

The Academic Senate represents the academic community and advises on teaching, research, and academic development. Faculty boards operate within each faculty and are accountable to central governance structures.

USI participates in national research funding mechanisms administered by the Swiss National Science Foundation and in European research frameworks including Horizon Europe.

As a public cantonal university, USI's funding derives from cantonal allocations, federal contributions distributed through the Swiss higher-education coordination system, competitive research grants, and external funding sources.

Financial governance is exercised by the University Council in accordance with cantonal regulations governing public institutions.

USI is affiliated with and collaborates with a network of research institutions and national centres:

The Institute for Research in Biomedicine focuses on immunology and biomedical sciences.^[37]

The Institute of Oncology Research conducts translational cancer research and is part of the Bellinzona Institutes of Science (BIOS+).^[38]

The Swiss National Supercomputing Centre, relocated to Lugano in 2012, collaborates with USI in computational research and high-performance computing.^[39]

Through these affiliations, USI is embedded in national and international research networks across the fields of artificial intelligence, biomedical sciences, oncology, solar physics, supercomputing, finance, medical humanities, and ophthalmology.

Admission to the Universita della Svizzera italiana (USI) follows the general framework governing public universities in Switzerland. Undergraduate admission requires the Swiss Matura or an equivalent recognised secondary qualification.^[40] International applicants are evaluated on the basis of comparable credentials and programme-specific language requirements.

Graduate admission is decided at faculty level. Applicants must hold a recognised undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline. Some programmes require additional documentation, interviews, or portfolio review, particularly in architecture.

USI adheres to the system established under the Bologna Process, offering three-year undergraduate programmes (Bachelor) and two-year graduate programmes (Master). In addition, the university organises doctoral schools and a number of Executive Master programmes within continuing education.

Applications are submitted directly through USI's admissions platform. Evaluation is based on academic merit, compatibility with programme requirements, and, where relevant, faculty assessment. Doctoral admission requires faculty approval and the identification of a qualified supervisor.

USI's international profile is reflected in the composition of its student body, with more than 60 percent of students originating from outside Switzerland.^[41]

USI offers Bachelor programmes in five principal disciplines:

• Architecture
• Communication Sciences
• Economics
• Informatics
• Italian Language, Literature and Civilisation

These programmes combine lectures, seminars, and project-based learning. The Academy of Architecture applies a studio-based pedagogical model integrating design, theory, and history.^[42]

Twenty-three Master programmes are offered across fields aligned with faculty research strengths, including:

• Architecture
• Italian Literature
• Finance
• Management
• Political Economics
• Philosophy
• International Policies
• Health Communication and Management
• Corporate Communication
• Marketing
• International Tourism
• Financial Communication
• Public Management
• Computational Science
• Embedded and Cyberphysical Systems
• Artificial Intelligence
• Software and Data Engineering
• Financial Technology and Computing

Programmes are delivered in Italian and English, depending on the faculty and academic field.

Doctoral schools form a central component of research activity at USI. Doctoral programmes are offered in:

• Finance
• Communication Sciences
• Philosophy
• Informatics
• Architecture
• Economics
• Immunology
• Drug design
• Cancer Biology and Oncology

Research is conducted both within faculties and through affiliated institutes, including the Dalle Molle Institute for Artificial Intelligence Research (IDSIA), the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB), and the Institute of Oncology Research (IOR).

USI participates in national funding schemes administered by the Swiss National Science Foundation and in European research programmes such as Horizon Europe.

The university's startup support arm, the USI Startup Centre, functions as an incubator and accelerator for early-stage ventures. It offers incubation programmes, mentoring activities, networking events and workshops for students, researchers and external entrepreneurs.^[43]

In 2026, the USI Startup Centre was included in the Financial Times ranking "Europe's Leading Start-Up Hubs", published in collaboration with Statista and Sifted. In its first year of participation, it was listed among 180 startup hubs from 25 countries and was one of two university-based hubs in Switzerland included in the ranking.^[44]

The University Library in Lugano supports teaching and research in economics, communication sciences, informatics, and related fields.^[45] The Academy of Architecture maintains a specialised library in Mendrisio focused on architecture and design disciplines.

USI libraries are integrated into the Swiss academic library network and provide access to national and international electronic resources.

USI has progressively strengthened its international academic standing since its foundation in 1996. In 2020 it entered the QS World University Rankings as one of the youngest European universities evaluated globally.^[46]

In the 2022 edition of the QS World University Rankings, USI reached 240th position worldwide.^[47] This result placed the university among the highest-ranked medium-sized institutions internationally and marked a significant milestone in its development.

In 2024 Times Higher Education ranked USI 9th worldwide among universities with fewer than 5,000 students.^[48] The ranking emphasised research performance, teaching environment, international outlook, and knowledge transfer relative to institutional size.

In the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024, USI was included in Economics & Econometrics, reflecting the strength of its research output and citation impact in financial and economic disciplines.^[49]

These recognitions reflect the consolidation of USI's research profile in architecture, economics and finance, informatics, communication sciences, and biomedical research within the Swiss and international academic landscape.

Student life at the Universita della Svizzera italiana (USI) is shaped by its international composition, its multi-campus structure in Lugano, Mendrisio and Bellinzona, and its integration within the institutional and cultural context of the Canton of Ticino. Unlike collegiate universities, USI's student experience is organised primarily through faculties, research institutes, and central student services.

Each year in May, USI organises the Dies academicus, the university's official annual ceremony. The event brings together the academic community, political authorities, economic stakeholders and civil society. During the ceremony, the Rector presents institutional data on research and teaching activities, academic honours are conferred, and prizes are awarded to scholars and public figures who have contributed to scientific and cultural development.^[50] At the XXV Dies academicus in 2021, the affiliation of the Faculty of Theology of Lugano to USI was formally announced.^[51]

Since 2019, USI has promoted an annual Sustainability Week (Settimana della sostenibilità), organised in collaboration with the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI). The initiative includes conferences, round tables and workshops addressing environmental, economic and social sustainability, and reflects broader university policies concerning sustainable development and social responsibility.^[52]

USI also promotes cultural and artistic initiatives across its campuses. Since 2000 it has organised public lecture cycles, film screenings and temporary exhibitions, frequently in collaboration with regional cultural institutions such as the Museo d'arte della Svizzera italiana (MASI) in Lugano.^[53]

In 2022 the university inaugurated the permanent USI Art Collection, comprising works by contemporary artists active in Switzerland and Europe, installed within university spaces for cultural and educational purposes.^[54]

USI participates in the cultural life of Ticino through conferences and thematic forums. Notable initiatives include the Forum per la comunicazione e la cultura digitale promoted by the Faculty of Communication, Culture and Society, and the Finance Forum Ticino organised by the Faculty of Economics in collaboration with Swiss banking and financial institutions.^[55]

Students are represented within university governance through elected representatives in faculty bodies and the Academic Senate. Student participation contributes to institutional decision-making in academic and organisational matters.

Various student associations operate across faculties, coordinating cultural, academic and social initiatives. Among them is the Student Corporation, which supports associative activities and student media, and USI Students for Climate, active in environmental and sustainability advocacy.^[56]

Student groups promote activities across disciplinary and extracurricular interests. Academic associations organise guest lectures, workshops and networking events linked to faculty research areas.

In 2019 USI established the Student Media Center, which brings together student-run media initiatives including the web radio Radio Campus, the web television channel USI TV, and the digital magazine L'Universo. These platforms are managed by students with support from faculty and technical staff.^[57]

Sports activities at USI are coordinated by the Sport USI-SUPSI service, which offers courses, recreational activities and internal competitions across disciplines such as football, basketball, volleyball, swimming, yoga, and climbing.^[58]

USI participates in inter-university tournaments in Switzerland and abroad. Since 2018, USI students have taken part in the European Universities Games, a continental multi-sport event for university athletes.^[59]

Student media initiatives operate under the Student Media Center umbrella and contribute to the university's internal communication and public engagement. These include Radio Campus, USI TV, and the online publication L'Universo.

The university also supports academic dissemination through public conferences, exhibitions and collaborations with cultural institutions.

USI curates an academic publication series known as Collana USI, produced in collaboration with Armando Dadò Editore of Locarno. The series includes research monographs, conference proceedings and scholarly works by faculty and researchers, with the aim of disseminating scientific output and contributing to academic debate within Switzerland and internationally.^[60]

USI alumni have pursued careers in academia, technology, architecture, finance, and international institutions. Several graduates have been active in artificial intelligence research, architecture, and finance, reflecting the university's disciplinary strengths.

Faculty members associated with USI have included internationally recognized scholars in architecture, artificial intelligence, philosophy, economics, linguistics, and biomedical sciences, reflecting the institution's interdisciplinary orientation and international recruitment strategy.

• Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio
• University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland
• Higher education in Switzerland
• List of largest universities by enrollment in Switzerland
• Swiss Federal Council
• Swiss National Science Foundation
• Swiss Finance Institute

• USI Università della Svizzera italiana
• USI Photo Galleries
• Information about Università della Svizzera italiana
• European Journalism Observatory