On 30 and 31 October 2026, a new edition of the Italian Days on Higher Education in São Paulo will bring Brazilian students closer to the Italian higher education system. The initiative will also place two Italian schools in the city, both part of the Italian System of Education Abroad, at the centre of the programme. 

For the first time, Uni-Italia is organising an Italian Days on Higher Education (IDOHE) in Brazil and in South America, bringing to São Paulo a format for promotion and student guidance that, for years, has facilitated direct encounters between Italian higher education institutions and international students in their home countries. 

The São Paulo event, taking place on 30 and 31 October 2026, is the first stage of a broader Uni-Italia initiative in South America, which will continue in Buenos Aires in the following days. 

Among Uni-Italia’s main initiatives for the promotion of the Italian higher education system and the guidance of international students, the Italian Days on Higher Education are organised in cooperation with Embassies, Consulates and Italian Cultural Institutes. They are designed to facilitate direct interaction between representatives of Italian universities, academies and conservatoires and students in their home countries. 

In São Paulo, the IDOHE will bring together 14 Italian higher education institutions, which will meet with students on 31 October at the Renaissance São Paulo Hotel – Jardim Paulista. The participating institutions are the University of Florence, Bocconi University, University of Trento, University of Parma, University of Milano-Bicocca, University of Macerata, IUAV University of Venice, Polytechnic University of Turin, University of Pisa, University of Padua, University of Turin, University of Camerino, University of Genoa and University of Bologna. 

The choice of São Paulo is not accidental. Brazil is a particularly relevant context for the Italian higher education system, both because of the size of its student population and because of the strong interest in educational opportunities in Italy. This is complemented by the country’s longstanding Italian presence, which is particularly visible in São Paulo, including through the Italian educational institutions operating in the city. 

A key part of this year’s IDOHE is precisely the opportunity to highlight this component of the Italian System of Education Abroad (Sistema della Formazione Italiana nel Mondo – SFIM). On 30 October, delegations from the participating Italian higher education institutions will visit the two Italian schools in São Paulo: the Scuola Italiana Eugenio Montale and Colégio Dante Alighieri, the only two Italian state-recognised private schools in the city. 

Each school will host a dedicated half-day mini-fair, giving students the opportunity to meet directly with representatives of the participating Italian universities. Through these meetings, students will be able to learn more about different study pathways and explore opportunities to continue their education in Italy. 

The initiative therefore adds a further dimension to the traditional IDOHE format. Alongside the promotion of the Italian higher education system and student guidance in a dedicated event setting, it also highlights the connection between Italian schools abroad and Italian higher education institutions. 

Schools within the SFIM can serve as an important link to the Italian higher education system, helping students discover opportunities to study in Italy already during their school years and strengthening the relationship between Italian education and the educational communities established abroad. 

The decision to involve the two schools in São Paulo also reflects the attention of Uni-Italia President Prof. Francesco Profumo to the strategic role of Italian schools abroad and their capacity to contribute to increasingly strong links between the Italian education system and the international contexts in which it is present. 

The São Paulo IDOHE is organised in cooperation with the Consulate General of Italy in São Paulo, as part of a system-wide effort to promote greater awareness of Italy and the educational opportunities it offers. 

With this initiative, Uni-Italia is bringing the Italian Days on Higher Education to South America for the first time, while also highlighting the role of the Italian System of Education Abroad as a strategic element in bringing students closer to the Italian higher education system. 

The São Paulo experience thus confirms the vocation of the IDOHE format to create direct opportunities for interaction with students while adapting to different international contexts and connecting higher education institutions with other Italian educational and institutional networks present in the countries concerned.