The number of PhD students enrolled at Italian universities steadily grew from 2000 to 2007, reaching 40,000 enrollments. However, it declined starting from the academic year 2007/2008. This drop was only interrupted in 2017, when enrollments increased, surpassing the figure recorded in 2007. In the academic year 2023/2024, 47,000 PhD students were studying or researching in Italy.
Number of PhD students enrolled at Italian universities from 2000 to 2024
Characteristic
Number of PhD students
2000/2001
21,128
2001/2002
26,304
2002/2003
29,945
2003/2004
35,386
2004/2005
37,520
2005/2006
38,256
2006/2007
40,121
2007/2008
39,238
2008/2009
39,281
2009/2010
38,344
2010/2011
36,392
2011/2012
34,877
2012/2013
34,921
Created with Highcharts 7.2.2Number of PhD students2000/20012001/20022002/20032003/20042004/20052005/20062006/20072007/20082008/20092009/20102010/20112011/20122012/20132013/20142014/20152015/20162016/20172017/20182018/20192019/20202020/20212021/20222022/20232023/2024
010,00020,00030,00040,00050,00060,000
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Ministry of University and Research. (January 30, 2025). Number of PhD students enrolled at Italian universities from 2000 to 2024 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved June 06, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1483891/italy-number-of-phd-students/
Ministry of University and Research. "Number of PhD students enrolled at Italian universities from 2000 to 2024." Chart. January 30, 2025. Statista. Accessed June 06, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1483891/italy-number-of-phd-students/
Ministry of University and Research. (2025). Number of PhD students enrolled at Italian universities from 2000 to 2024. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: June 06, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1483891/italy-number-of-phd-students/
Ministry of University and Research. "Number of Phd Students Enrolled at Italian Universities from 2000 to 2024." Statista, Statista Inc., 30 Jan 2025, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1483891/italy-number-of-phd-students/
Ministry of University and Research, Number of PhD students enrolled at Italian universities from 2000 to 2024 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1483891/italy-number-of-phd-students/ (last visited June 06, 2025)
Number of PhD students enrolled at Italian universities from 2000 to 2024 [Graph], Ministry of University and Research, January 30, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1483891/italy-number-of-phd-students/
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