Campus life and services

The Welcome Desk supports students from the pre-arrival phase and throughout their academic journey at Luiss University, assisting them with administrative procedures and organisational matters related to their stay in Rome. The Welcome Desk also organises various activities for international students, including orientation days upon arrival, guided tours of Rome, meetings, competitions, and special sessions throughout the year. It also promotes initiatives and opportunities organised by other parts of the University, such as Italian language courses, volunteering activities, sports competitions, theatre workshops, and much more.

The Welcome Desk is the first point of contact for international students who don't know who to turn to for University services, so they can make the most of their experience at Luiss and take advantage of all the opportunities on offer.
You can find the Luiss Welcome Desk on the Viale Romania campus, or contact it by email at welcomedesk@luiss.it or by phone on +39 06 85225770.

The University helps students find accommodation in convenient locations that suit their personal needs through three types of services:

• university residences, complexes of small apartments with double rooms and common areas;
• affiliated residences, which offer rooms and services at a discounted price for Luiss students;
• private rooms and flats, for which students can use the CasaLuiss brokerage service free of charge.

All the options on offer are conveniently located nearby, allowing students to easily reach the campuses. Students can always contact the university regarding any issues related to their accommodation.

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Luiss students receive support from university tutors and academic tutors throughout their entire academic journey.

Your university tutor – a young researcher or professional in the social sciences – can help you:

• organise your workload
• plan your study for the semester with the exam session in mind
• communicate with Luiss lecturers and researchers
• enhance your education with training opportunities and practical experience
• write your study plan or make decisions for the future
• choose the most suitable thesis for your future career
• to find the Luiss offices and services you might need

Your university tutor will help you build your Student Biography, start charting a career path that reflects your ambitions and goals, and increase your employability in the job market.
You can find a tutor at any time, Monday to Friday, from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm, in the tutor rooms on Viale Romania or Via Parenzo.

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In addition, Luiss students can also turn to a team of academic tutors, who provide individual learning support across various disciplines. Academic tutors arrange one-to-one sessions, study groups (focusing on specific topics, methodology, or transferable skills), and teaching modules in the Academic Gym – a literal 'exam gym' designed to help students prepare. Academic Gym sessions focus on various disciplines, including financial mathematics, economics, political sociology, and international law, among others.

The Luiss Language Centre coordinates and develops language training within the University, delivered through a blended approach that combines traditional lessons with innovative multimedia materials and language workshops. The Language Centre offers Luiss students courses in English, Italian (for foreigners), French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Russian, Arabic, and Chinese.

Italian language courses

Luiss offers all its international students the opportunity to attend free Italian language courses. These are offered every semester and are organised into different levels based on the students' proficiency, as assessed through an initial placement test.
Italian lessons are held once a week and may be compulsory for certain categories of students.
If you're taking Italian lessons as a compulsory course, classes will be held once a week (2 hours and 30 minutes per week) on Thursdays. Attendance is compulsory, and you'll need to take an exam at the end of each course.
If Italian isn't a compulsory language in your study plan, the course needs to be chosen by a minimum number of students before it can start. If it goes ahead, the course will be held once a week on Saturday mornings. For students who choose to enrol in the course as an optional subject, attendance is strongly recommended. Consequently, students who attend fewer than 50% of the classes will not be admitted to the next level of the course.

This course aims to introduce students to typical everyday Italian phrases and expressions, teaching them how to exchange information and discuss common topics through simple activities.

For more information, you can contact the University's Language Centre at cla@luiss.it.

IELTS test

IELTS = The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is one of the most widely accepted English language proficiency exams, recognised by universities, governments, immigration authorities, companies, and employment agencies worldwide. The test assesses four skills: listening, reading, writing, and speaking.
Luiss University promotes and organises IELTS Academic test sessions on campus in collaboration with International House – Accademia Britannica Roma, an IELTS examination centre accredited by IDP Education Australia.
All Luiss students who, at the time of application, are formally enrolled in the second or third year of a bachelor's degree course, or in the first or second year of a master's degree course, are eligible to register for the test.

Candidates who have paid the registration fee will have free access to the IELTS Academic test preparation course. The course, which lasts a total of 20 hours spread over four days, is designed to provide the technical skills and tools needed to prepare candidates to perform at their best in the four sections: listening, reading, writing, and speaking. During the final lesson, candidates will take a mock test, which will be marked with immediate feedback from the teacher.

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Students are invited to meet up at the Luiss Cafeterias on Viale Romania and Viale Pola, which are open for lunch and dinner throughout the week. Our chefs create healthy, balanced meals, blending traditional Italian dishes with exotic flavours, reflecting the University's multicultural identity. The menus are designed to cater to all dietary needs, including vegetarian and gluten-free options, as well as special meals for those with food allergies and intolerances. Students can access the Luiss Cafeterias menu via the Luiss app, allowing them to plan and select their meals before arriving at the cafeteria. 

The Luiss Cafeterias not only cater to a wide range of tastes and dietary preferences, but also serve as social spaces for meeting up on campus, particularly the historic Borghetto and the terrace in Viale Pola. These areas are designed with various seating arrangements, making them ideal for eating, socialising, and collaborative study – whether you're on your own or in a group – all in an open-plan space.

Located at Via di Santa Costanza 53, just a short walk from the Mausoleum of Santa Costanza, the Library blends the allure of history with a modern, sustainable, and inclusive study environment. With over 2,000 square metres fully covered by Wi-Fi, the facility offers more than 300 study spaces and is designed to break down all barriers, featuring tactile routes and maps for maximum accessibility.

The spaces are arranged to meet every study and research need:

• 5 rooms: Monographs, Periodicals, Economics, Law, and Political Science.
• Collaborative and relaxation areas: 3 bookable rooms for group work, the Luiss University Press Readers' Lounge, and spacious, well-equipped outdoor areas.
• Cutting-edge technology: PC workstations, scanners, tablets, interactive whiteboards, self-service loan stations, and a video enlarger with text-to-speech. For added convenience, there are also two automated book return stations on the Viale Romania and Via Parenzo campuses.

With its extensive collection of both print and digital resources – including e-books, e-journals, and specialised databases – the Library supports the University’s teaching and research.

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Luiss University founded the Luiss Sports Association in 1999. The project began with the first basketball team, followed by women's volleyball and men's football. In subsequent seasons, additional teams were formed, bringing the total to fifteen across basketball, football, volleyball, rugby, rowing, swimming, skiing, athletics, and cycling. Throughout the academic year, student-athletes can take part in various sports tournaments, including golf, tennis, and football.
Since 2016-2017, thanks to the Luiss Sport Academy, students have had the opportunity to gain management training while also taking up new sports. All Luiss student-athletes can enrol in the Luiss Sport Programme, which allows them to continue competing in their favourite sports while pursuing top-quality academic courses, with the option to apply for sports scholarships.

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The Career Services Office helps Luiss students and alumni take their first steps into the job market by offering guidance and training programmes.
Students can get advice from qualified professionals specialising in recruitment, who will help them discover and strengthen their skills.

• Placement activities: the CS encourages students to take part in internships, in line with regional and national regulations, both in Italy and abroad. An internship is a unique opportunity to gain work experience and get a foot in the door of the job market.
• Career Centre: The new Career Centre platform is now available to help students and recent graduates stay up to date on internship opportunities and job offers from companies, law firms, and public institutions, both in Italy and abroad. Through the Career Centre, students and graduates can also apply for job offers posted daily by employers.

Luiss promotes activities based on the principles of Ethics, Responsibility, and Sustainability to help create a university that fosters cultural evolution within society.
Ethics means promoting and respecting the values of honesty, equality, and integrity.
Responsibility means consciously considering the consequences of decisions at every level. 
Sustainability means encouraging lifestyles that respect the environment.

Various activities and workshops are organised based on the concepts of Ethics, Responsibility, and Sustainability (ERS), enabling students to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The aim is to enhance community awareness and understand how each individual can play a unique role in creating value for society.

In this context, Luiss has developed VolontariaMENTE, a volunteering programme open to all undergraduate and master's students. They can gain direct experience through 15 different social projects that offer unique opportunities to learn, share, and change the world.

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The Luiss Language Café is a popular multilingual space for creative collaboration and cultural exchange. It's open from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm, Monday to Friday, in room 312 (third floor) on the Viale Romania campus.
All students, faculty, and staff can gather here to catch up on the latest news and enjoy music in different languages, have a free coffee or tea, browse our international newspapers and magazines, as well as over 1,000 books. They can also take part in or suggest a lecture or event, play or learn to play the keyboard or guitar, or book a creative space or theatre area to create something meaningful. The café is a vibrant space where people chat, share, and socialise. There are only two rules: don't study, and speak another language! Our mission is to foster peer learning, collaboration, and connection. By openly sharing our knowledge, experiences, and best practices through other languages, we aim to provide a wonderful foundation for creativity and personal fulfilment.
The café features an open lounge (for chatting and language exchange, brainstorming and creative workshops, listening to and enjoying music, reading and discussion), three maker spaces (for creating videos, blogs, podcasts, articles, interviews, presentations, and projects), and a theatre area (for themed seminars and lectures, presentations, debates, sharing best practices, and developing performance skills, as well as cultural events like film, literary, and quiz nights).
For more information, check out the café's blog, Facebook page, and Instagram profile.

The Laboratory of Fabulous Things – LOFT has recently opened its doors on the Romania campus. The space has been designed to foster and enhance an academic culture rooted in technology, design thinking, and creativity.

LOFT fosters and develops creative activities thanks to its inherent flexibility and numerous spaces, which include: an advice centre, a programming area with 3 dedicated computers, a central co-working space, a video production room with a green screen and a white screen, a post-production room, and a high-tech cinema.
All members of the University are welcome at LOFT. Access is open to everyone during our many events and courses. Outside of these times, however, a membership programme is in place to ensure optimal use of resources. This allows us to gain a deeper understanding of people's skills, motivation, and willingness to collaborate.

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The LOFT is open Monday to Friday from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm.

When the LOFT isn't hosting scheduled activities, members can access it for any creative purpose. If their activity requires it (for example, for video production, post-production, recording, and so on), they can book any space via email.
The Loft has already hosted numerous events and courses, including a series of Sparkhub meetings, video-making and Geek Café courses, Skill-a-bus activities, and institutional events organised by Career Services, including 8 introductory webinars for master's programmes. Many of our events have been streamed live.

The courses currently offered by Luiss LOFT include programming, machine learning, CISCO-certified courses on the Internet of Things (Introduction to the Internet of Things, IoT Fundamentals: Connecting Objects, IoT Fundamentals: Big Data and Analytics, IoT Fundamentals: Hackathon Playbook), and the songwriting workshop (Luiss Music Factory).
Future topics include digital education, MATLAB, and advanced Excel.

Opened on 26 November 2014, the Luiss Community Garden is the first community garden within an Italian university: a 500 m² green space open to students, staff, faculty, and the entire community that revolves around the campuses.
The Luiss Community Gardening Programme is the perfect testing ground for collaborative governance, encompassing social, economic, institutional, and legal technology. This governance is founded on collaboration, sharing, and cooperation, with the aim of guiding students, student associations, and staff towards effective co-management of the Garden. It seeks to make the most of the ideas, efforts, energy, skills, expertise, and talents that come from the community.
The Luiss Community Gardening project, managed by the ERS and the Student Development Office, is a real incubator where students can explore sustainability, learn how to manage land, and develop ideas and projects using the right tools.
Furthermore, to mark World Autism Awareness Day in April 2016, the University launched the Autistici & Giardinieri project, which engages fifteen autistic teenagers and adults in caring for the garden in Viale Romania.

Luiss Counselling is a free service open to all Luiss students. It offers dialogue-based therapy designed to respond to requests for help from those who may feel the need to resolve an urgent psychological issue. The service is open to all students who wish to seek advice or simply discuss their views on any concern with a professional, with full respect for the student's privacy.
Counselling sessions can enrich international students by increasing their awareness of cultural differences and helping them find creative strategies, drawing on their personal strengths, to overcome obstacles and enjoy a fulfilling experience abroad.

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ESN ROMA L.U. is a section of the Erasmus Students Network, one of the largest interdisciplinary student associations in Europe. Its mission is to represent international students at Luiss University and enhance the university's internationalisation. ESN Roma Luiss is committed to providing opportunities for cultural understanding and personal development, guided by the principle of “Students Helping Students”.
Its aim is to make every international student's stay in Rome and at Luiss unforgettable, by supporting diversity, promoting the international dimension, and involving students in numerous fun activities.
Furthermore, ESN encourages student mobility as a means to gain international experience and cultivate an appreciation for diversity and cultural exchange.
You can get in touch with the ESN Roma Luiss Association via their website, their Facebook page, or by emailing info@esnromaluiss.it.

Over the years, Luiss students have established various clubs, groups, and student organisations to make the most of their daily life on campus. They also have the opportunity to take part in a range of cultural, recreational, and volunteer activities outside the university. Today, there are over 30 Luiss Student Associations covering a wide range of interests, including politics, sustainability, finance, human rights, innovation, volunteering with children with disabilities, sport, LGBT rights, and much more.

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