Established in 1926 as one of the first Architecture Schools in Italy, Iuav is one of the leading universities in Europe and across the world in the fields of architecture, design, fashion, visual arts, urban and regional planning, and theatre, characterised by the combination of a renowned tradition with a strong commitment to permanent innovation.

A place where study options and teaching methods develop in line with international trends, a centre for advanced research and training on environmental, territorial and urban issues, a privileged observatory on Made in Italy excellence, the only scuola speciale in Italy completely dedicated to the arts.

Iuav approach is based on interdisciplinary dialogue, research, the importance of history and planning. Iuav has always been an experimental university, especially in terms of teaching methods that combine theoretical lectures with practical workshops: students have the opportunity to gain experience in design with the guidance of internationally renowned architects, designers, artists, urban planners, professionals and lecturers.

Located in the heart of Venice, a unique place for both spaces and lifestyle, Iuav interacts with the city and its surroundings by organising scientific, cultural and exhibition events. During the year, many opportunities to participate in cultural and sport events are also available to all members of the university.

Iuav is an international university thanks to a wide network of worldwide partners in teaching and research, an increasing number of degree programmes and courses in English, a variety of research opportunities on cutting-edge topics in the frame of international partnerships, a vibrant community of teachers, professionals and students from all over the world.

The Department of Architecture and Arts, a fundamental structure of the university research, covers a wide range of knowledge and territories. Among them: architecture and archeology, architecture and dynamic systems of the earth, urban policies, cities and sustainability, communicating knowledge, knowledge and decision, the art of building, housing, landscape design, land government, innovation and efficient construction, memory and narrative of arts, fashion and design, fashion design, north-south and degrowth processes, new frontiers of design, theater production, infrastructure and mobility, representation, semiotics, communication and interaction, restoration, historical studies.

The University has laboratories that provide tools, technologies and skills for university research and external customers. IUAV laboratories, equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and highly specialized skills, carry out scientific and professional activities in various fields: photography, representation, surveying, topography, cartography, geographic information systems, petrography, analysis of materials for architecture and the environment, technology, earth science, geotechnics, geophysics, construction science, construction technology, technical physics, environmental control technology.

The University’s Project Archive conducts an intense activity of research, acquisition, sorting and publication of architectural archives, of which it has a collection with over 100,000 documents, 150,000 photographs, 300 architectural models, 10,000 digital reproductions.

Iuav has the largest library dedicated to architecture and other design disciplines: over 200 thousand volumes on architecture, planning, design, arts, fashion, almost 4 thousand magazines, 26 thousand dissertations, 2400 videos, 460 places for reading in over 2,200 square meters open to the public and the city.

The library also has a wide repertoire of databases and digital resources, is open to students, researchers and the Venetian public and offers itself as a place of culture hosting events and debates.

In the Censis ranking of the best Italian universities, IUAV ranks first among the universities of Veneto and second among the Polytechnics. The three-year degrees in the Arts, Design and Fashion area, rank first in Italy. The Architecture, Urban Planning, Arts, Design, Fashion and Theatre master’s degrees rank second among Italian universities.

IUAV is the first Italian university in the field of internationalization.

In the EA – Education Around ranking, the IUAV University of Venice is first in Italy for the three-year and master’s degree courses in Architecture, second for the master’s degrees in Performing Arts and third for the three-year degrees in Design on 63 state universities examined.

According to the QS University Ranking, the most consulted global university ranking in the world, published by QS analysts Quacquarelli Symonds, IUAV is among the top 100 universities in the world in Architecture and Urbanism.