Università della Svizzera italiana
Logo | |
| Motto | USI. Libertà di creare, responsabilità nell'agire USI IS U |
|---|---|
| Type | Public research university |
| Established | 21 October 1996 |
| Rector | Gabriele Balbi (interim) |
| Students | 4,749 (2025) |
| Location | , , |
| Campus | Urban |
| Colours | Black and white |
| Affiliations | SFI, EUA, swissuniversities |
| Website | www |
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.
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.
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. 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.