Market Intelligence Brief - Italy 2022

Italy is home to the fourth largest population in Europe and has the eighth largest economy in the world by total GDP. Over 77,000 Italians opted to study overseas in 2019, with the UK as the most popular study destination by a large margin. However, the UK's recent changes to the fee status of EU students have led to a substantial decline in incoming Italian students. There are no UK branch campuses in Italy but over 2,500 students were studying for UK HE qualifications in the country in the most recent academic year, including both in-person and distance learning programmes.

Italy's domestic education system boasts numerous high-ranking universities and contributes solidly to global research output, despite comparatively low investment in research compared to the size of the Italian economy - partly due to extensive international collaboration. However, Italy faces a number of pressing challenges in relation to its education provision and uptake. Its population is ageing and shrinking; there is a notable skills gap in relation to market needs; and the country has among the highest average school drop-out rates in the EU. Graduate employment rates are also lower than the EU average, contributing to a significant brain drain as graduates move from the South to the North of the country or to other nations in search of better job prospects. Successive governments have attempted legislation to counteract these trends, with the provision of new vocational and technical training structures and schemes seen as one route to rebalancing market needs and skills. 

This 24-page report gives an overview of the Italian education system and the country's wider demographic, economic and political context, with a focus on international education trends in the country - including both student mobility and transnational education. It aims to provide useful information to UK education institutions and other UK stakeholders considering partnerships with Italian counterparts and to support further cooperation and engagement between the UK and Italy.