Politecnico di Milano
BSc Architectural Design (English track) · English
Last checked: 19 July 2026
2026/27 admissions at a glance
Programmes and campuses
Each campus is a separately comparable option: seats, and sometimes delivery mode, differ by campus even for the same programme name.
Architectural Design — Milano Leonardo
EnglishPlaces for 2026/27
Total: 100
Architectural Design — Piacenza
EnglishPlaces for 2026/27
Total: 50
Tuition
Amount depends on ISEE/ISEEU band; figures shown are the standard plan range, not a flat fee.
International students & enrolment
Awaiting publication
Sources
TEST ARCHED results are valid only for the university where the test was taken (CISIA rule). This page states facts published by the university and CISIA; always confirm against the current admission notice before acting.
University Guide
Beyond admission: what this school is like, how it teaches architecture, and what studying here actually involves.
History
Politecnico di Milano was founded in 1863 by Francesco Brioschi as the Istituto Tecnico Superiore, Italy's first polytechnic. A civil-architecture section was added in 1865, and the university moved to its present Piazza Leonardo da Vinci site in 1927. It now operates seven campuses (Milano Leonardo, Bovisa, Cremona, Lecco, Mantova, Piacenza) plus an international site in Xi'an, China, and is the largest technical university in Italy, focused exclusively on engineering, architecture and design.
Academic reputation
QS World University Rankings 2027 places Politecnico di Milano 87th globally and 1st in Italy overall, up from 187th a decade earlier. In QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026, its Architecture programmes rank 7th globally and Design 6th globally.
Position in Italian architecture education
Italy's top-ranked university overall and its highest-ranked architecture school internationally (QS). As a pure technical/design university with no humanities, law or medical faculties, and based in Milan — Italy's design-industry capital — it is broadly regarded as the country's leading technical/design-oriented architecture school, distinct from the more classical-humanities orientation of schools like Sapienza or IUAV Venice.
International reputation
Exchange agreements with more than 600 universities worldwide and over 100 double-degree agreements enabled almost 2,500 students to study abroad in AY2023/24; the AUIC architecture school separately maintains short-mobility and double-degree ties with 250 accredited international universities.
The architecture school
AUIC — School of Architecture Urban Planning Construction Engineering — AUIC School, formed 2016 unifying three prior schools; traces its lineage to the Milan School of Architecture opened in 1865
AUIC in its current form was founded in 2016, unifying the former School of Architecture and Society, School of Civil Architecture, and School of Building Engineering-Architecture. It traces its lineage to the Milan School of Architecture opened in 1865 as the civil-architects section of the Royal Superior Technical Institute of Milan, combining artistic disciplines from the Brera Academy with the technical-scientific disciplines of the Institute.
AUIC frames design as "a synthesis of multiple knowledge domains" -- a founding principle of what it calls "polytechnic culture" -- combining humanities/arts with exact sciences and techniques, training graduates to address problems "from buildings to interior spaces, from cities to territories, to landscapes, to cultural heritage."
AUIC describes itself as "positioned among leading international institutions" in its sector rankings, with a faculty history including prominent figures in architecture, urban planning and construction engineering.
Curriculum by programme
Architectural Design — Milano Leonardo
Year 1
Subjects: Architectural Design Studio; IC Maths; Fundamentals of Representation; History of Architecture 1; Elements of Architectural Typology; Architectural Technology Fundamentals; Urban Planning Studio
Skills developed: Representational and technical foundations, first design studio, introduction to architectural history and urban planning
Year 2
Subjects: Architectural Design Studio 2; Building Physics; Digi Skills - Space Representation in Digital Environment; History of Art; Statics; Building Technology Studio; History of Architecture 2; Urban Planning; Heritage Preservation Fundamentals
Skills developed: Building-physics and structural fundamentals, digital representation skills, larger design studio paired with building technology
Year 3
Subjects: Architectural Design Studio 3; Historical Building Preservation Studio; Interior Design Studio; Mechanics of Materials and Structures; Final Design Workshop; Project Evaluation
Skills developed: Advanced design specialisation, historical preservation and interior design, structural mechanics, capstone final design and feasibility/economics evaluation
Architectural Design — Piacenza
Year 1
Subjects: Architectural Design Studio; IC Maths; History of Architecture 1; Fundamentals of Representation; Elements of Architectural Typology; Architectural Technology Fundamentals; Urban Planning Studio
Skills developed: Identical content to Milano Leonardo Year 1: representational/technical foundations, first design studio, architectural history and urban planning
Year 2
Subjects: Architectural Design Studio 2; Building Physics; History of Art; Statics; Digi Skills - Space Representation in Digital Environment; Heritage Preservation Fundamentals; Building Technology Studio; Urban Planning; History of Architecture 2
Skills developed: Identical content to Milano Leonardo Year 2, listed in different registry order
Year 3
Subjects: Mechanics of Materials and Structures; Architectural Design Studio 3; Historical Building Preservation Studio; Final Design Studio; Project Evaluation; Workshop
Skills developed: Differs from Milano: no Interior Design Studio; adds an extra Workshop module. Official focus for the Final Design Studio and electives is environmental sustainability and landscape/open-space design.
Educational characteristics
Design education
The design studio is the explicit backbone of the degree: three annual 'Architectural Design Studio' courses (Year 1 to Year 3), each carrying a large share of the annual credit load, consistent with AUIC's stated philosophy of design as the central, synthesising discipline.
Technical education
A structural/construction sequence runs through all three years: Architectural Technology Fundamentals (Year 1), Statics and Building Technology Studio (Year 2), Mechanics of Materials and Structures (Year 3).
Historical & cultural education
History of Architecture 1 and 2, History of Art, and -- distinctively -- a dedicated Historical Building Preservation Studio plus Heritage Preservation Fundamentals in Year 2/3, making heritage/conservation a genuine strand of the degree rather than a token elective.
Digital education
A required course, 'Digi Skills -- Space Representation in Digital Environment' (Year 2), plus an elective in parametric 3D CAD. Beyond the curriculum, the campus houses the 1,600 sqm Architectural Model Lab (traditional and digital/3D-printing model-making) and Polifactory, a 300 sqm makerspace with analog and digital prototyping equipment.
Laboratory activities
Design studios run as year-long, high-credit modules; the Piacenza track additionally carries standalone Workshop modules in Year 3. The programme also references seminars, workshops, exhibitions and study trips supplementing the core studios.
What makes it different
Based in Milan, the operational base of Italy's furniture, product-design and fashion industries -- a structural advantage over schools in smaller Italian cities, reflected in industry-linked electives like furniture product design. The heritage-preservation content (a dedicated studio plus a fundamentals course, on top of two history-of-architecture courses) is uncommonly deep for a purely English-taught international programme. Piacenza's Year 3 has a distinct specialisation in environmental sustainability and landscape/open-space design, giving the same degree title a different disciplinary flavour depending on campus choice. Seat allocation for the English track differs meaningfully by campus rather than following one uniform ratio -- see the Admission Database sections above for the exact, per-campus EU/non-EU breakdown (source: Politecnico di Milano official seat-allocation page, AY 2026/27, verified 26 July 2026).
Is this university right for you?
A good fit if you: want the highest-ranked architecture education in Italy (QS #7 globally), thrive in a large technical/design-industry city, and are prepared for the most competitive English-track admission in the country.
Less suitable if you: want a low-cost, low-competition path into architecture, or prefer a smaller, quieter campus over Milan's scale and pace.
International environment
International students
9,940 international students out of 49,395 total enrolled (about 20%), from over 100 countries: 2,632 in bachelor programmes, 6,608 in master's, 700 in PhD, university-wide. 7,375 architecture students and 4,793 design students university-wide (no official breakdown by campus).
Exchange programmes
Exchange agreements with more than 600 universities worldwide and over 100 double-degree agreements (university-wide); AUIC separately maintains ties with 250 accredited international universities for architecture-specific mobility.
Erasmus
Almost 2,500 students studied abroad through exchange/double-degree programmes in AY2023/24 (university-wide figure).
English-taught courses
Multiple English-taught Master's programmes exist within AUIC (Architecture; Architectural Design and History; Landscape Architecture; Urban Planning and Policy), giving English-track L-17 graduates a same-language progression path if they stay at Politecnico di Milano. Note: some shared electives in the L-17 itself are Italian-only even for English-track students.
International partnerships
AUIC maintains double-degree and short-mobility ties with 250 accredited international universities.
Career
Career outcomes
University-wide occupational survey data (Master's-level graduates): 97% employed at one year, 99% at five years; architecture-specific figures show 96% employment at one year rising to 98% at five years, with 90% reporting a job consistent with their degree. These figures describe Master's-level outcomes -- most L-17 graduates continue to a Master's before entering the profession, so they should not be read as bachelor-only outcomes.
Internships
A credit-bearing Internship appears as a formal terminal activity within the official course list, alongside the Final Exam.
Professional qualification pathway
The L-17 alone does not confer full "Architetto" status. Graduates may sit the Esame di Stato Section B, which if passed allows registration as "Architetto Iunior" (Junior Architect) -- a distinct, more limited professional tier. Full Section A "Architetto" registration requires a Master's-level qualification (e.g. continuing to an LM-4 or equivalent) plus its own State Exam. The programme provides pathways to Master's programmes in Architecture and related fields, recognised across EU member states under Directive 85/384/CEE.
Student life
Living cost level: High
Milan is consistently ranked Italy's most expensive city to live in; student monthly budgets including rent commonly run roughly EUR1,200-1,500, with a central one-bedroom exceeding EUR1,500/month alone.
No official campus-specific housing-cost data was found; the figures above are from third-party cost-of-living sources, not official Politecnico di Milano pages.
Piacenza's own official self-description emphasises a manageable scale, a dynamic and proactive atmosphere, and close ties to the local industrial network, explicitly contrasting with the larger, more anonymous Milan main campus. Piacenza is comparatively cheaper to live in than Milan -- cost-of-living comparisons suggest roughly 25-30% lower overall costs, mainly via lower rents (third-party estimate, not an official university figure).
Admission at a glance
For exact seats, dates and fees, see the admissions section above — this is a qualitative summary only.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Architectural Design bachelor at Politecnico di Milano taught fully in English?
Yes -- Politecnico di Milano offers a fully English-taught track of the 3-year Architectural Design (L-17) bachelor at both its Milano Leonardo and Piacenza campuses, alongside separate Italian-taught tracks. It is one of only two Italian universities offering English-language TEST ARCHED admission (the other being Politecnico di Bari).
What's the real difference between the Milano Leonardo and Piacenza campus programmes?
Years 1 and 2 cover the same courses at both campuses. In Year 3, Piacenza drops the Interior Design Studio in favour of an additional sustainability/landscape-focused Workshop, reflecting its official focus on environmental sustainability and landscape/open-space design, while Milano keeps a dedicated Interior Design Studio.
Does a Politecnico di Milano L-17 degree make you a licensed architect in Italy?
No. The L-17 alone, plus the State Exam (Esame di Stato) Section B, only qualifies you as an "Architetto Iunior" (Junior Architect) -- a limited professional tier. Full "Architetto" (Section A) registration requires a Master's-level qualification and its own State Exam.
How competitive is the English-track TEST ARCHED at Politecnico di Milano?
Seat allocation differs meaningfully by campus, not by a single 50/50 ratio: for AY 2026/27, Milano Leonardo's English track offers 50 EU/Italian-equivalent seats and 50 non-EU-abroad seats (100 total), while Piacenza's English track offers only 10 EU/Italian-equivalent seats against 40 non-EU-abroad seats (50 total) -- a much steeper ratio favouring international applicants at Piacenza specifically. (Source: Politecnico di Milano official seat-allocation page, AY 2026/27, verified 26 July 2026.) Exact current-cycle cutoff scores were not independently confirmed and should be checked against the official ranking once published.
Is it more affordable to study architecture at Piacenza than at Milan?
Yes, materially. Cost-of-living comparisons put Piacenza roughly 25-30% cheaper than Milan overall, driven mainly by lower rents -- a relevant factor when choosing between the two campus options for the identical degree title.
Prepare for the test
Study the same TEST ARCHED syllabus with cards, practice questions and mock exams.