USI is the result of the combination of two projects initiated in the 1990s:
USI offers quality and interdisciplinary study curricula where theory and practice go hand in hand and where students play an important role: small-sized classes are the ideal venue for exercising in groups and for each individual student to express him/herself and thus develop their personalities and their uniqueness.
Direct interaction with faculty enables students to discover unexpected realities within a cosmopolitan and friendly environment, open to international careers.
Research at USI is marked by ambitious projects seeking new developments and new solutions through interdisciplinary perspectives in several areas, namely:
USI’s flexible structure allows for decisions to be made swiftly, thus enabling the fluid exchange of ideas. Researchers at the University are provided with an unfettered and open access to the world to develop projects independently.
The University’s Career Service aims to foster exchange and contacts with the business world, and to acquaint students with the working environment, thus ensuring a smoother and successful transition from the academic world to the workplace.
USI Alumni was set up to assure continuity of contacts between Università della Svizzera italiana and its alumni.
The Service aims to:
USI’s two student residences (USI Home on the Lugano campus, Casa dell’Accademia on the Mendrisio campus) are reserved first of all for exchange students, international students on certain scholarships and German-Swiss or French-Swiss students enrolled in the first year of the Bachelor in Architecture.
Founded in 1996, the University Library Lugano is the body responsible for organizing documents (books, periodicals, electronic media etc..) within the Lugano faculties of the Università della Svizzera italiana. The Library responds to aims of study, research and Information.
eLab aims at improving the quality of teaching at USI through the integration of ICT (Information and Communication Technologies). To achieve this goal, eLab provides USI faculties, departments, institutes, teachers, and collaborators with the required infrastructures and services.
Around 2800 students and about 800 professors and researchers, hailing from over 100 countries, convene every day on the three campuses in Lugano, Mendrisio and Bellinzona.
The relatively small size of the campuses encourages the free flow and open exchange of ideas within the academic community.
A Service for Sport and Leisure has been set up to promote joint sporting activities between the Università della Svizzera italiana and the University of Applied Sciences of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI) and to coordinate local members’ participation in national and international university sports events.
The Service organises regular sports activities, free or at convenient prices. As member of the Swiss Confederation of University Sports, it collaborates with the sports services of other universities and promotes national and international student sporting events.
Several student associations have been created within the University. The main objectives are to improve relations between students and the institution and to enrich the range of educational and recreational offer during school. The associations are concerned mainly with the collection of didactic material, organisation of parties and meetings, cultural and sporting events, and networking among University students and the business world.
The acknowledged student associations active at USI are listed below:
