Starting from the 2025-2026 academic year, the University of Padova’s Medicine and Surgery program in English will be held in the beautiful and historic city of Venice. This change has been made official following the signing of the “Protocollo d’Intesa” by Luca Zaia, President of the Veneto Region, in collaboration with Daniela Mapelli, Rector of the University of Padova, and Edgardo Contato, Director General of Ulss 3. The program will commence its first year in Venice in 2025, and by 2030, it is expected to host over 600 international students in the city.
This development marks a historic milestone not only for the Veneto region and the international student community but also for the city of Venice, which currently lacks a medical school of its own. The agreement reflects a shared understanding of the challenges facing Venice, including population decline and the growing need for healthcare professionals in the local system.
It is important to note that students already enrolled in Padova will complete their studies there.
At the presentation, Rector Mapelli stated: “The degree course in English was started in Padua six years ago. Now, students enrolling in the first year will begin their studies exclusively in Venice and will immediately commence their practical internships. We have an entire hospital at our disposal.” All classes and practical activities are planned to take place at the San Giovanni e Paolo Hospital which has some incredibly unique features such an Emergency Department entrance accessible by boat (pictured below).
You can find a full gallery of photos of the beautiful hospital at this link.
“Furthermore, the English language is an added value that is now indispensable,” Mapelli added. “With this new training offer, we also hope to expand the pool from which we can recruit new young doctors.” For those interested in further details, we have included PDFs of the original proposals and agreements here.
As reported in a recent news article regarding the course location:
Three classrooms at the Santi Giovanni e Paolo Hospital are designated for teaching medicine in English. These include the “Angels’ Hall,” the refectory, and a third room located opposite the refectory, along with access to the library and laboratories.
- Official press release photos, videos and documents can be found in this google drive link.
The internationalisation of Italian universities, particularly within medical programs, has been a growing trend over the past year. This is evident not only in the introduction of many new English-taught courses at well-established Italian medical schools but also in experimental initiatives aimed at greater English integration such as in Florence. Another great example is the offering of full scholarships for students in Bolzano’s new English course, provided they agree to remain in the region for a certain period after graduation.
While this is a huge but possibly upsetting piece of news for students who were considering the University of Padova, as they will now need to factor in a completely different city with different conditions, overall, this feels like an overwhelmingly positive announcement for Italy.
With growing concerns about the role of international students and immigration into Italy, the value of attracting international students to the country and its cities is finally being recognized. This proposal hopes to attract not only a larger international community to Venice, rather than just temporary tourists, but also to encourage these students to set roots, and become Venetians, remaining in the healthcare system to contribute to the needs of the region. Finally the value of attracting foreign talent is being realised!
A big thank you to our fantastic Discord detective and contributor, Hillovian, for uncovering this exciting news about Padova’s English Medicine and Surgery course and helping to source the information.
2 thoughts on “BREAKING NEWS: PADOVA MEDICINE IN ENGLISH (2025)”
In 2025-26, will students selected for Medicine and Surgery through IMAT at the University of Padova study in Venice, or will they study in Padova?
They will physically study in Venice, but it will still be a “University of Padova” degree.