# Luiss University

Luiss University (Italian: Libera Università Internazionale degli Studi Sociali Guido Carli, lit. 'Free International University for Social Studies Guido Carli') is a private university located in Rome, Italy, founded in 1974 by a group of entrepreneurs led by Umberto Agnelli.
It provides undergraduate and postgraduate education, in addition to a range of Double Degree programs, in the fields of finance, business, management, law, and political science. It is located near the historical center of the city, between the neighborhoods of Parioli and Trieste. The university is supported by Confindustria, the Italian Confederation of Industries. Luiss has four different campuses: one in Viale Romania, one in Via Parenzo, one in Villa Blanc, and the last one in Viale Pola. It also has a library in Via Santa Costanza.

## History

In 1974, a group of entrepreneurs led by 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 aas 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, to 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 four Departments: Law, Business and Management, Economics and Finance, and Political Science. Today the university offers many courses entirely taught in English, such as 'Economics & Business' or 'Politics, Philosophy and Economics'.

## Rankings

* Luiss ranks among the top 100 European Business Schools, as stated by the Financial Times' official ranking.
* Luiss is ranked 14th in the world, 1st in Italy and 2nd in Europe in political science and international studies, according to the QS ranking 2023.
* Top 46 worldwide in economics and management (QS ranking 2023)
* Top 47 worldwide in law (QS ranking 2023)
* It entered the top 100 of the world's most prestigious universities for the social sciences in 2022, doubling its position from 2021.
* Ranked 1st in Italy among medium-sized universities, and 1st in Italy among private universities (Censis).
* Since 2017, the university has climbed an average of more than 200 places in every field it teaches (according to the QS 2022 ranking by subject).
* In late 2022, according to the Financial Times Master's in Management 2022 rankings, the university remains in the top 100 for all indicators and has moved up more than 20 places in one year, ranking 30rd.
Luiss joins the world's elite 15 universities in Politics and International Studies in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2023. The University's impressive rise continues as it now ranks in the top 50 positions globally for "Business and Management" and "Law" areas, having climbed more than 30 positions in one year.

## Admission

To attend a degree program at one of the four 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 secondary 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.
On average, candidates admitted to Luiss are high achievers: 68.1% of students have a final secondary school average of over 90/100, compared to the national average of 24.6%.
To be admitted to a master's degree, Luiss' graduates with degree grades of 100 or above can be admitted to degree programs 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 the following four departments:

### Department of Law

The academic organization provides a single five-year cycle for the combined bachelor's and master's degree program in Law (Category: LGM/01).

### 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); Management and Computer Science (category L-18);
* Master's degree in Business Management (category LM-77); Management in English (category LM-77); Accounting, Finance and Control (category LM-77); Marketing (category LM-77); Corporate Finance (category LM-77); Global Management and Politics (category LM-77)

### Department of Economics and Finance

The Department of Economics and Finance offers the following degree programs:
* Bachelor's degree in Economics and Business (category L-33);
* Master's degree in Economics and Finance (category LM-56)

### Department of Political Science

The Department of Political Science offers the following degree programs:
* Bachelor's degree in Politics, philosophy and economics (category L-36);
* Master's degree in International Relations (category LM-62); Government and Policies (category LM-62)

### Postgraduate degrees

The university has several 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;
* The Specialized School for the Legal Professions offers two-year programs for the theoretical study of specific legal issues along with practice activities such as mock trials;
* Luiss School of Law is a school for the theoretical study of specific legal problems;
* The Massimo Baldini School of Journalism offers two-year programs that require enrollment in the journalism trainee program. At the end of the course (taught by professional journalists, academics, and technical specialists), the university confers a diploma.

## Corporate placement and campus drive

LUISS provides a wide network of corporate placement opportunities for its students and recently 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 historic campus is situated at Viale Pola 12 (in the 1930s, this was the residence of Galeazzo Ciano and Edda Mussolini), which is referred to in most of the documents that mention the university. It continues to house the university's general management, administrative services, human resources, and academic support services. Also at this location are master's degrees, the School of Journalism and the Specialized School for the Legal Professions, as well as the Luiss Business School and LUISS University Press.
The Viale Romania campus opened in October 2007 at Viale Romania 32, in the heart of the Parioli quarter in Rome. This campus has the largest number of buildings and students even though it has not yet been completed: only the first 9,420 m$^2$ out of the 28,000 m$^2$ 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 Finance, 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 at Via Parenzo 11, which is not far from the historic 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, 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.
The newest Luiss campus is Villa Blanc, home to the LUISS Business School, at Via Nomentana 216. The campus was inaugurated in June 2018.
There is also the campus located at 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

* Félix Morlion [nl], 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

### 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

### General Managers

* Pier Luigi Celli, from May 1, 2005, to July 14, 2013
* Giovanni Lo Storto, from July 15, 2013

## Other figures
### Deans of departments

* Antonio Nuzzo (Dean of the Department of Law)
* Stefano Manzocchi (Dean of the Department of Economics and Finance)
* Alessandro Zattoni (Dean of the Department of Business and Management)
* Roberto D'Alimonte (Dean of the Department of Political Science)

### Faculty (former and current)

* Glauco Benigni (Author, journalist, former Head of International Press Rai International)
* 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)
* Antonio Baldassarre (former President of the Constitutional Court of Italy, President of SISAL and RAI)
* Giuseppe Conte (former Prime Minister of Italy)
* Vincenzo Caianiello (former President of the Constitutional Court of Italy, jurist, magistrate and politician)
* Lucio Caracciolo (geopolitical analyst)
* Antonio Catricalà (jurist)
* Pier Luigi Celli (writer, entrepreneur, manager)
* Fulvio Conti (CEO and general manager of Enel)
* Roberto D'Alimonte (political analyst)
* Vincenzo Fagiolo (cardinal)
* Fabio Fortuna (economist)
* Augusto Fantozzi (former Minister of Finance)
* Domenico Fisichella (political analyst, then Senator, Minister of Culture, Vice President of the Senate)
* Giovanni Maria Flick (former President of the Constitutional Court of Italy)
* Franco Fontana (President of Cassa di Risparmio della Provincia dell'Aquila and chairman of the board of Statutory Auditors at ENEL)
* Enrico Giovannini (economist, statistician and former Minister of Labour)
* David Held (political analyst, philosopher)
* Antonio Martino (economist, politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Defense)
* Daniele Mastrogiacomo (journalist)
* Giuseppe Mazzei (journalist)
* Carlo Mezzanotte (Vice President Emeritus of the Constitutional Court of Italy)
* Andrea Monorchio (economist and accountant general of the State)
* Fiamma Nirenstein (journalist and politician)
* Giovanni Orsina (historian, scientific editor of the Luigi Einaudi Foundation, Rome)
* Alessandro Pajno (magistrate, President of the Council of State)
* Luciano Pellicani (sociologist and journalist)
* Pietro Perlingieri (jurist and university professor)
* Mario Pescante (entrepreneur and politician)
* Roberto Pessi (labor law expert and lawyer)
* Francesco Pizzetti (jurist, President of the Authority to Guarantee Privacy)
* Gianni Profita (economist)
* Gaetano Quagliariello (politician, former Minister for Constitutional Reform)
* Giuseppe Pizza (politician and Undersecretary of Public Education, Universities and Scientific Research)
* Pietro Reichlin (economist, brother of Lucrezia Reichlin)
* Gian Luigi Rondi (critic)
* Giuseppe Sacco (economist, columnist)
* Paolo Savona (economist, former Minister of Industry, President of Unicredit Bank of Rome)
* Carlo Scognamiglio (former President of the Senate, Minister of Defense, Honorary President of the Italian Aspen Institute and of the Rizzoli-Corriere della Sera publishing group)
* Vincenzo Scotti (politician, Minister of the Interior and Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs)
* Paola Severino (jurist, former Minister of Justice)
* Chicco Testa (entrepreneur)
* Sergio Vento (diplomat)
* Vincenzo Visco (former Minister of Finance and Vice Minister of Economy)
* Victor Zaslavsky (historian)

### Alumni

* Elisabetta Belloni (Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
* Rosy Bindi (politician)
* Concetta Brescia Morra (professor of Law, member of Administrative Board of Review of European Banking Supervision)
* Daniele Capezzone (politician)
* Annagrazia Calabria (politician)
* Fabio Caressa (journalist)
* Lorenzo Cesa (politician)
* Giovanni Chiodi (politician)
* Ranieri de Marchis (Head of Internal Audit at UniCredit)
* Giovanni Floris (journalist)
* Gerardo Greco (journalist)
* Giulia Innocenzi (journalist)
* Maurizio Lauri (Chairman of the Board of Statutory Auditors at UniCredit)
* Giampiero Massolo (Ambassador, President of Fincantieri, former General Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
* Antonio Mele (economist)
* Carlo Messina (CEO of Intesa Sanpaolo)
* Massimo Moratti (CEO of Saras S.p.A.)
* Marco Nori (CEO of Isolfin)
* Marco Furore (politician, MEP)
* Nicola Ottaviani (politician, mayor of Frosinone)
* Pieter Omtzigt (Dutch politician)
* Elio Leoni Sceti (businessman)
* Alessandro Cardelli (Capitan Regent of the Republic of San Marino)
* Alessandro Battilocchio (politician)
* Fabio Panetta (Deputy Governor of Bank of Italy, member of the SSM Supervisory Board)
* Roberto Speranza (politician, former Minister of Health)
* Riccardo Zacconi (CEO of King)
* Luca Maestri (former CFO of Apple Inc.)
* Princess Victoria Romanovna (businesswoman)