Luiss University () is a private university located in Rome, Italy, founded in 1974 by Umberto Agnelli.
It provides undergraduate and postgraduate education, in addition to a range of Dual Degree programs, in the fields of finance, business, management, economics, law, and political science. It is located near the historical center of the city, between the Parioli and Trieste quarters. The university is supported by Confindustria, the Italian Confederation of Industries. Luiss has four different campuses: one in Viale Pola, one in Via Parenzo, one in Villa Blanc, and the last one in Viale Romania. It also has a library in Via di Santa Costanza.
In the UI GreenMetric World University Rankings 2025, Luiss Guido Carli ranked 12th worldwide out of 1,745 universities from 105 countries, and 2nd in Italy.
History In 1974, Umberto Agnelli (the brother of Gianni Agnelli, who at the time was president of Confindustria), launched a project investing economic and intellectual resources in the establishment of a university. This university would be designed to offer undergraduate and postgraduate education that is geared toward the needs of the market.
Luiss came out of a pre-existing university (Pro Deo University, founded in 1966), which was redesigned and renamed Luiss (an acronym for Libera Università Internazionale degli Studi Sociali, which means "Free International University of Social Studies") in 1977. Eventually, other public and private industrial groups, as well as some banks, joined the founders.
The group of businessmen and bankers who had promoted and financed the birth of the project, as well as the transformation of the organization of the old Pro Deo University, into the more modern ones of Luiss University, as it is today, was established in 1985 in the current "Friends of Luiss". From its inception Senator Umberto Agnelli acted as its president. He was succeeded by Francesco Gaetano Caltagirone (still in office), who is central to the funding of scholarships for competent but disadvantaged students at doctoral levels.
Guido Carli, former Governor of the Banca d'Italia, President of Confindustria, and later Senator, was President of Luiss from 1978 until he died in 1993. His work was so highly esteemed that in 1994 the university changed its name to Luiss Guido Carli.
Originally, the university had only the faculties of Economics and Political Science, to which were added the faculty of Law in 1982. In 2011, an academic reorganization took place, which resulted in today's six Departments: Law, Business and Management, Economics and Financial Markets, Political Science, Accounting and Corporate Finance and AI, Data and Decision Sciences. Today the university offers many courses entirely taught in English, such as 'Economics and Business', 'Management and Artificial Intelligence' or 'Politics: Philosophy and Economics'.
Admission To attend a degree at one of the six departments at Luiss, candidates must pass an admission test. Each year a maximum number of places available is set and the admission test is done in two different sessions (one in February and one in May), after which a ranking by session is drafted, where each student has a score made up of their final grade in high school and their test score. Admission is based on the available slots and where selected students choose not to attend, other students are selected from the waiting list.
The admission test lasts 90 minutes and is made up of 100 multiple-choice questions measuring general culture (15%) and aptitude (85%). The subjects on the test are logic and reading comprehension; logical and mathematical aptitude and financial mathematics; numerical and spatial logic; abstract reasoning and critical/verbal skills; knowledge of general math and general culture (current events, history, literature, philosophy); and English.
Luiss University reports a high level of academic selectivity; 68.1% of its admitted students possess a secondary school final grade exceeding 90/100, while the Italian national average for the same cohort is 24.6%.
To be admitted to a master's degree, Luiss' graduates with degree grades of 100 or above can be admitted to degrees without having to take an admission test, until all the available slots are taken. Graduates from other universities (for a maximum of 250) must take a written test to apply for admission.
Organization The university is divided into six departments:
Department of AI, Data and Decision Sciences
Department of Accounting and Corporate Finance
Department of Law The Department of Law provides a single five-year cycle for the combined bachelor's and master's degree program in Law (category: LGM-01) (in Italian); Global Law (category: L-14) (in English).
Department of Business and Management The Department of Business and Management offers the following degree programs:
Bachelor's degree in Economics and Management (category L-18) (in Italian); Business Administration (category L-18) (in English); Management and Artificial Intelligence (category L-18) (in English); Master's degree in Strategic Management (category LM-77) (in English and Italian); Management (category LM-77) (in English); Administration, Finance and Control (category LM-77) (in English and Italian); Marketing (category LM-77) (in English and Italian); Data Science and Management (category LM-91) (in English); Global Management and Politics (category LM-77) (in English)
Department of Economics and Financial Markets The Department of Economics and Finance offers the following degree programs:
Bachelor's degree in Economics and Business (category L-33) (in English); Master's degree in Economics, Institutions and Financial Markets (category LM-56) (in English and Italian); Finance (category LM-77) (in English)
Department of Political Science The Department of Political Science offers the following degree programs:
Bachelor's degree in Political Science (category L-36) (in Italian); Politics: Philosophy and Economics (category L-36) (in English); Master's degree in International Relations (category LM-52) (in English); Government and Public Affairs (category LM-62) (in English and Italian)
Postgraduate schools The university has five autonomous postgraduate schools:
LUISS Business School is a school for professional management and a center of research and management consulting. It has its MBA program, various types of master's degrees, and ad hoc training courses for business customers; LUISS School of Government offers specific training, through the provision of four different master's degrees in the field of political processes and decision-making, both in the public and private sectors; LUISS School of European Political Economy is a research and specialization school as well as a center of research dedicated to issues of European scope. LUISS School of Law is a school for the theoretical study of specific legal problems along with practice activities such as mock trials; LUISS "Massimo Baldini" School of Journalism offers two-year Master's degrees programs and Executive Courses.
PhD School The Luiss PhD School has four Doctoral programs:
Doctoral Program in Politics PhD Program in Economics PhD Program in Management PhD Program in Law and Business (in Italian)
Corporate placement and campus drive Luiss provides corporate placement opportunities for its students and collaborated internationally for exploring students' dynamics for international experience. The first collaboration took place in December 2021 with TreeAndHumanKnot RisingIndia Think-tank.
Campuses
Luiss Guido Carli currently has five campuses in Rome.
The main campus is situated in Viale Pola 12 (in the 1930s, this was the residence of Count Galeazzo Ciano and Edda Mussolini), in the Trieste quarter. It's the university's rectorate, general management, administrative services, human resources, and academic support services. Master's degrees, the Massimo Baldini School of Journalism and the Luiss School of Government, as well as the Luiss Business School and LUISS University Press, are also located here.
The Viale Romania campus opened in October 2007 in Viale Romania 32, in the heart of the Parioli quarter. This campus has the largest number of buildings and students even though it has not been completed yet: only the first out of the planned are currently being used. This campus (converted from a former school entirely redesigned as a university campus) houses the Departments of Business and Management, Economics and Financial Markets, and Political Science, the Student Office, the Orientation Office, the Placement Office, Teaching and Research, International Relations and IT.
The Department of Law is located in Via Parenzo 11, which is near the main campus of Viale Pola. The building was originally a hospital for blind war veterans (commemorated by a marble plaque inside the building). In the 1990s, Confindustria decided to take over the structure,Francesco Perego, La LUISS si espande in un monumento degli anni '30 in Corriere della Sera, May 14, 1992. restoring the original plan and shape of the building while completely renovating the interior. The building was designed by Pietro Aschieri in 1929–1931 and renovated by Studio Passarelli 1990–93. Substantial parts of the interior were renovated to their original design.Guida, Open House Roma 17, VI edizione.
The newest Luiss campus is Villa Blanc, home to the LUISS Business School, in Via Nomentana 216. The campus was inaugurated in June 2018.
There is also the campus located in Via di Santa Costanza, which houses a library that specializes in the economic, legal, political, and social sciences. The Library has over 100,000 books, 1,800 journals, and 80 databases.
Administration
Presidents , from the university's founding to October 31, 1975 ("Pro Deo" and "Luiss") Carlo Ferrero, from November 1, 1975, to October 31, 1978 Guido Carli, from November 1, 1978, to April 23, 1993 Luigi Abete, from November 1, 1993, to July 18, 2001 Antonio D'Amato, from July 18, 2001, to December 20, 2004 Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, from December 20, 2004, to July 15, 2010 Emma Marcegaglia, from July 16, 2010, to June 18, 2019 Vincenzo Boccia, from June 19, 2019 Luigi Gubitosi, from October 19, to April 9, 2025 Giorgio Fossa, from April 9, 2025
Rectors Roberto Lucifredi, from November 1, 1966, to July 27, 1974 ("Pro Deo") Giuseppe Mira, from November 1, 1974, to October 31, 1977 ("Pro Deo" and "Luiss") Rosario Romeo, from November 1, 1978, to July 16, 1984 ("Luiss") Carlo Scognamiglio, from November 1, 1984, to June 18, 1992 Mario Arcelli, from July 16, 1992, to September 30, 2002 Adriano De Maio, from October 1, 2002, to June 16, 2005 Marcello Foschini, from June 16, 2005, to September 30, 2006 Massimo Egidi, from October 1, 2006, to October 3, 2016 Paola Severino, from October 3, 2016, to June 18, 2018 Andrea Prencipe, from June 18, 2018 Paolo Boccardelli, from June 26, 2024
General Managers Pier Luigi Celli, from May 1, 2005, to July 14, 2013 Giovanni Lo Storto, from July 15, 2013 Rita Carisano, from November 21, 2024
Other figures
Deans of Departments Irene Finocchi (Head of the Department AI, Data and Decision Sciences) Antonio Punzi (Dean of the Department of Law) Alberto Petrucci (Dean of the Department of Economics and Finance) Christian Lechner (Dean of the Department of Business and Management) Giovanni Orsina (Dean of the Department of Political Science)
Faculty (former and current) Glauco Benigni (Author, journalist, former Head of International Press of Rai Italia) Francesco Giorgino (Rai TV Presenter) Giuliano Amato (jurist, politician, former Prime Minister of Italy) Dario Antiseri (philosopher) Daniele Archibugi (economist) Fabiano Schivardi (economist) Fabrizio Cacciafesta (mathematician) Matteo Arpe (banker, former CEO of Capitalia)