Honours Students

Honours Students are admitted after they have passed a national public competitive examination which is highly selective (selection rate of 1 out of 20 candidates), intended to test the skills, personal ability and potential of candidates.
Honours Students are enrolled in Degree Courses at the University of Pisa alongside which they pursue a parallel and complementary training programme based on merit and individual benefit at the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, which benefits from the high quality of teaching activities, early access to research, exchange programmes with the most prestigious national and international universities, the promotion of internships with foreign and Italian companies and public bodies. Each student is mentored by a member of the teaching staff, who will assist them during the entire programme by way of focused tutoring activities (the ratio is 1 teaching staff member to every 7 students). Students must acquire advanced expertise in at least two foreign languages, pass all exams required annually, maintain an average grade of 27/30 and take periodic exams.

Students reside within the campus: the School offers them free board and lodging in specific facilities, a canteen service, the use of modern science laboratories and of the library, the use of sports equipment and specific areas for cultural and recreational activities. In this “education community” the skills necessary to deal with challenges in a job market that is increasingly complex and international are naturally developed.

Data on the employment status of students are excellent. From 1987 to date, around 1000 students have successfully concluded Honours Courses. The dropout or failure rate is extremely reduced and does not exceed 7-8%. Students of the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies achieve a Master’s Degree at 24.4 years of age, three years earlier than the national average. One year after graduating the rate of employment is 82.1% (national average 55.1%) and three years after graduating it is 91.9% (national average 82.5%).
Source: Almalaurea

How you can support us

Participants, supporters and donors can choose to fund an honours student place, ensuring that brilliant and strongly motivated students have the unique opportunity of educational and personal growth. The amount is approximately 15,000 euro per year. It is also possible to fund training and research experiences abroad, internships with companies or institutions, the expansion of infrastructures, laboratories and libraries.