Universities
Is Bocconi University worth it for international students, and how do you apply?
Bocconi (Milan) is continental Europe's strongest business, economics, and finance university, and for a student targeting those fields it is genuinely worth it — it feeds top European finance and consulting recruiters, teaches in English at the bachelor's level, and costs far less than a comparable UK or US private university. You apply directly through Bocconi's own portal (not UCAS or Common App), in rolling rounds where applying early materially improves both admission and scholarship odds.
Bocconi runs rolling admission rounds from roughly September to June; the early session (Sept-Oct) returns decisions by November and is the smart play for both a place and merit scholarships. You can submit SAT in lieu of the Bocconi test. A deposit of EUR 300-500 holds an offer while you wait for other results.
Tuition runs to about EUR 17,000/year — premium for Italy but a fraction of UK/US private pricing, and merit scholarships can reduce it substantially. The prestige premium in finance and consulting is one of the cases where it is measurably worth paying. For families hedging across countries, Bocconi pairs well with UK and Dutch applications.
Reviewed by Priscilla Han. BrightKey is independent and takes no payment from schools or universities. Editorial standards.