Editing Tertiary education (section)

== European Union ==
Although tertiary education in the [[European Union|EU]] includes university, it can differ from country to country.

=== France ===
After going to [[nursery school]] (French: école maternelle), [[elementary school]] (French: école primaire), [[secondary education in France|middle school]] (French: collège), and [[lycee|high school]] (French: lycée), a student may go to university, but may also stop at that point.

===Italy===
{{See also|Higher education in Italy|List of universities in Italy}}
[[File:Sant'Ivo alla Sapienza -Rome.jpg|thumb|right|[[Sapienza University of Rome]]. It was founded in 1303 and is as such one of the world's oldest universities,<ref>{{Cite web |title=La Storia |url=https://www.uniroma1.it/it/pagina/la-storia}}</ref> and with 122,000 students, it is the [[List of largest universities by enrollment|largest university in Europe]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chi Siamo |url=https://www.uniroma1.it/it/pagina/chi-siamo}}</ref>]]
[[Education in Italy]] is compulsory from 6 to 16 years of age,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.camera.it/parlam/leggi/06296l.htm |title=comma 622 |publisher=Camera.it |date=2 December 2006|access-date=10 January 2018}}</ref> and is divided into five stages: kindergarten (''scuola dell'infanzia''), primary school (''scuola primaria'' or ''scuola elementare''), [[scuola media|lower secondary school]] (''scuola secondaria di primo grado'' or ''scuola media inferiore''), [[scuola superiore|upper secondary school]] (''scuola secondaria di secondo grado'' or ''scuola media superiore'') and university (''università'').<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR_20072008_EN_Complete.pdf|title=- Human Development Reports|website=hdr.undp.org|date=January 2008 }}</ref> Education is free in Italy and free education is available to children of all nationalities who are residents in Italy. Italy has both a private and public education system.<ref>{{cite journal | url =  http://ftp.iza.org/dp3222.pdf |title = Private School Quality in Italy | language = en | first1 = Giuseppe | last1 = Bertola | first2 = Daniele | last2 = Checchi  | first3 = Veruska | last3 = Oppedisano  | journal =  Discussion Paper Series | number = IZA DP No. 3222 | publisher = [[IZA Institute of Labor Economics]] | date = December 2007 }}</ref>

[[File:POLIMI Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32 - on the right the building 3.jpg|thumb|The [[Polytechnic University of Milan]] is the city's oldest university, founded in 1863. It is the best university in Italy.<ref>{{cite web|title=QS World University Rankings 2018.|url=https://www.topuniversities.com/universities/politecnico-di-milano#wurs|publisher=[[QS World University Rankings]]|accessdate=9 October 2017}}</ref>]]
[[File:Chiostro Unicatt.jpg|thumb|right|[[Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore]], an Italian [[Private university|private]] [[research university]] founded in 1921. Its main campus is located in [[Milan]], Italy, with satellite campuses in [[Brescia]], [[Piacenza]], [[Cremona]] and [[Rome]]. Degrees are offered both in [[Italian language|Italian]] and in English.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.learn4good.com/universities/search_study_abroad_university_programs.htm |title=Catholic universities in Europe, Italy study abroad, Milan semester programs |publisher=Learn4Good |date=2012-01-07 |access-date=2012-07-23}}</ref>]]
Italy has a large and international network of public or state-affiliated universities and schools offering degrees in higher education. State-run universities of Italy constitute the main percentage of tertiary education in Italy and are managed under the supervision of Italian's Ministry of Education.

Italian universities are among the oldest universities in the world; the [[University of Bologna]] (founded in 1088) notably, is [[List of oldest universities in continuous operation|the oldest one ever]]; also, [[University of Naples Federico II]] is the world's oldest state-funded university in continuous operation.<ref name="Storia d'Italia">{{Cite book |title=Storia d'Italia |date=7 August 1981 |publisher=UTET |isbn=88-02-03568-7 |volume=4 |location=Torino |page=122|language=it}}</ref><ref name="Delle Donne">{{cite book|first=Fulvio|last=Delle Donne|title=Storia dello Studium di Napoli in età sveva|publisher=Mario Adda Editore|year=2010|language=it|isbn=978-8880828419|pages=9–10}}</ref> Most universities in Italy are state-supported. 33 Italian universities were ranked among the world's top 500 in 2019, the third-largest number in Europe after the United Kingdom and Germany.<ref name="jakubmarian">{{cite web |url=https://jakubmarian.com/number-of-top-ranked-universities-by-country-in-europe/ |title=Number of top-ranked universities by country in Europe |publisher=jakubmarian.com |year=2019}}</ref>

There are also a number of [[Superior Graduate Schools in Italy|Superior Graduate Schools]] (''[[Grandes écoles]]'')<ref name="ricercaitaliana.it">{{cite web|url=http://www.ricercaitaliana.it/scuole_eccellenza.htm |title=Scuole di Eccellenza|website=ricercaitaliana.it|archive-url = http://web.archive.org/web/20130307083252/http://www.ricercaitaliana.it/scuole_eccellenza.htm |archive-date = 7 March 2013 }}</ref> or ''Scuola Superiore Universitaria'', which offer officially recognized titles, including the ''Diploma di Perfezionamento'' equivalent to a Doctorate, [[Dottorato di ricerca|''Dottorato di Ricerca'']] i.e. [[Doctorate|Research Doctorate]] or ''Doctor Philosophiae'' i.e. PhD.<ref name="istruzione.it">{{Cite web|url=https://www.istruzione.it/avviso_agli_utenti/non_valido.html|title=SITO IN MANUTENZIONE|website= istruzione.it}}</ref> Some of them also organize master's degree courses. There are three Superior Graduate Schools with "university status", three institutes with the status of Doctoral Colleges, which function at [[Graduate school|graduate]] and post-graduate level. Nine further schools are direct offshoots of the universities (i.e. do not have their own 'university status'). The first one is the [[Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa]] (founded in 1810 by [[Napoleon]] as a branch of [[École Normale Supérieure]]), taking the model of organization from the famous [[École Normale Supérieure]]. These institutions are commonly referred to as "Schools of Excellence" (i.e. "Scuole di Eccellenza").<ref name="ricercaitaliana.it"/><ref name="Scuole di Eccellenza">{{cite web|url=http://scuoledieccellenza.it/|title=Scuole – Scuole di Eccellenza|website=scuoledieccellenza.it}}</ref>

Italy hosts a broad variety of universities, colleges and academies. Founded in 1088, the [[University of Bologna]] is likely [[List of oldest universities in continuous operation|the oldest in the world]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://virtualglobetrotting.com/map/universit-di-bologna-oldest-university-in-the-world/ |title=Università di Bologna (oldest university in the world) |publisher=Virtual Globetrotting |date=21 October 2006 |access-date=27 October 2009}}</ref> In 2009, the University of Bologna is, according to [[Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings|The Times]], the only Italian college in the top 200 World Universities. Milan's [[Bocconi University]] has been ranked among the top 20 best business schools in the world by [[The Wall Street Journal]] international rankings, especially thanks to its [[M.B.A.]] program, which in 2007 placed it no. 17 in the world in terms of graduate recruitment preference by major multinational companies.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mba.sdabocconi.it/home/main.php?id=12001&ym=2007-09 |title=Conferenze, ospiti, news ed eventi legati agli MBA della SDA Bocconi – MBA SDA Bocconi |publisher=SDA Bocconi |access-date=30 October 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080627040822/http://mba.sdabocconi.it/home/main.php?id=120012008&ym=2007-09|archive-date=27 June 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Bocconi was also ranked by [[Forbes]] as the best worldwide in the specific category Value for Money.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oie.gatech.edu/sa/programs/show.html?id=bocc |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080508020611/http://www.oie.gatech.edu/sa/programs/show.html?id=bocc |archive-date=8 May 2008 |title=Gatech :: OIE :: GT Study Abroad Programs |access-date=30 October 2010}}</ref> In May 2008, Bocconi overtook several traditionally top global business schools in the [[Financial Times]] [[Executive education]] ranking, reaching no. 5 in Europe and no. 15 in the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.corriere.it/vivimilano/cronache/articoli/2008/05_Maggio/12/sda_bocconi.shtml |title=Sda Bocconi supera London Business School – ViviMilano |work=Corriere della Sera |date=12 November 2008 |access-date=30 October 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080924222100/http://www.corriere.it/vivimilano/cronache/articoli/2008/05_Maggio/12/sda_bocconi.shtml |archive-date=24 September 2008 }}</ref>

Other top universities and polytechnics are the [[Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore]] in Milan, the [[LUISS]] in Rome, the [[Polytechnic University of Turin]], the [[Politecnico di Milano]] (which in 2011 was ranked as the 48th best technical university in the world by [[QS World University Rankings]]<ref name=qs1>{{cite web|title=Politecnico di Milano – QS World University Rankings|url=http://www.topuniversities.com/institution/politecnico-di-milano|publisher=topuniversities.com|access-date=8 February 2012}}</ref>), the [[Sapienza University of Rome|University of Rome La Sapienza]] (which in 2005 was Europe's 33rd best university,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arwu.org/rank/2005/ARWU2005_TopEuro.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080430202044/http://www.arwu.org/rank/2005/ARWU2005_TopEuro.htm|archive-date=30 April 2008 |title=Top 100 European Universities |publisher=Arwu.org |access-date=27 October 2009}}</ref> and ranks among Europe's 50 and the world's 150 best colleges<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arwu.org/rank2008/ARWU2008_TopEuro(EN).htm |title=ARWU2008 |publisher=Arwu.org |access-date=27 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080822033350/http://www.arwu.org/rank2008/ARWU2008_TopEuro(EN).htm |archive-date=22 August 2008}}</ref> and in 2013, the Center for World University Rankings ranked the [[Sapienza University of Rome]] 62nd in the world and the top in Italy in its ''World University Rankings''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cwur.org/top100.html|title=World University Rankings 2013|publisher=Center for World University Rankings| year=2013 |access-date=17 July 2013}}</ref>) and the [[University of Milan]] (whose research and teaching activities have developed over the years and have received important international recognition). This university is the only Italian member of the League of European Research Universities (LERU), a prestigious group of twenty research-intensive European Universities. It has also been awarded ranking positions such as 1st in Italy and 7th in Europe (The [[CWTS Leiden Ranking|Leiden Ranking]] – Universiteit Leiden).