The winter term has just begun and students from the surrounding regions have arrived for the start of classes. This year unibz has also welcomed 155 new exchange students from all over the world who have chosen Bozen-Bolzano as their home for the next six months. This is an ever-increasing number that underlines the growing appeal of unibz abroad. unibz has been able to attract students not only from Europe, but also from all over the world, with scholars coming from the USA, Brazil, Taiwan, Israel and South Korea. What made them choose our university?

"For me, the programme was the most important thing. I wanted to find a university that could help me with my degree and my CV, and that could offer me a well-rounded education," says Catherine Ross, who is studying economics and management at Baruch College in New York. "Coming from New York, I also wanted to see something completely different from where I'm from: Bolzano was the perfect place and I couldn't have had a more positive cultural shock". Sophie Keller was also impressed by the courses offered by the Faculty of Economics and came to unibz from the University of Augsburg in Germany to focus on the Economics, Management and Finance modules. "Spending a semester at a trilingual university will be invaluable for me: I am looking forward to improving my English and learning Italian. And I cannot wait to go skiing in these beautiful mountains," said Sophie. The Faculty of Engineering also attracted a number of students, including Katarina Sieklová, who is studying Computer Science at Masarykova Univerzita v Brne, a university in the Czech Republic with a high number of female students on its Computer Science programme. "I followed the suggestion of another student who came to unibz last year and described it as a dream city where you can do anything you want: she couldn't have been more right," says Katarina, who is in her first year of a Master's programme.  

All students were able to join unibz thanks to various exchange programmes, with 87% participating in the Erasmus+ programme, 8% through bilateral agreements and 5% choosing unibz as a free mover. Indeed, student mobility is an important part of unibz's mission and is supported by an extensive network of partnerships: 170 Erasmus+ agreements, over 30 bilateral agreements with Italian and non-European universities, and five Swiss European Mobility Programme agreements facilitate student exchanges to and from unibz. 

There will be plenty of opportunities for students to get to know each other and to be introduced to the unibz community, starting with last week's Welcome Session. unibz looks forward to providing these talented students with passion and knowledge, while allowing them to enjoy the breathtaking views of the Italian Alps.