How many times have we heard of the Normale di Pisa or the Sant’Anna as centers of Italian university excellence? Many. But did you know that from 2022, in the heart of Naples, there will be an excellence of this kind? Is called Southern High Schooland the name itself can be misleading: it is not a high school, nor even a master’s degree, but a university education institution with advanced doctoral training under a special regulation. Simply put, it is an integrated university path designed for those who want to go beyond the canonical university studies.
The SSM was born in 2019 as an experimental university project, and in 2022 it became an autonomous university institution with offices in Mezzocannone 4 and in the monumental complex of San Marcellino and Festo – a sixteenth-century cloister in the historic center of Naples. From 2027 another will be added: Palazzo Fuga, the monumental Albergo dei Poveri where, in the central body, the new residence of the Southern High School will be located.
The Southern High School is the only independent special secondary school in the South and has as partner university the Federico II Universityone of the oldest universities in Europe. This is not a detail to be overlooked, because it is precisely part of the journey. In the morning, in fact, students follow degree courses at Federico II, while in the afternoon they are at the Southern High School to attend exclusive courses and seminars or engage in applied research and other projects. In practice, this institute does not replace the traditional university, but elevates it.
At the end of the course, the SSM awards a license diploma which it is equivalent to a II level master’s degreethus allowing you to avoid an extra year of study compared to the traditional path.
What you study at the Southern High School: the seven addresses
The organizational structure of the SSM includes two interdisciplinary academic structures, the legal humanistic area and the scientific-technological area, with seven fields of study for ordinary students:
- Archeology and cultures of the ancient Mediterranean. Historical research, conservation, use of heritage (ACMA);
- Global history and governance (GHG);
- Law and Organizational Studies for the Promotion of Diversity and Inclusion (LOSPD);
- Texts, traditions and book cultures. Italian studies and novels (TTCL);
- Mathematics Physics and Engineering (MFI);
- Molecular sciences for earth and space (MOSES);
- Genomic and experimental medicine (GEM).
Southern High School also offers international level doctoral coursesso for those who want to do research, the road is practically already traced from the beginning of the route. You don’t just study from books — you actively participate in the production of new knowledge, starting from the first year.
If you would like to know more about the courses, you can consult the Southern High School website.
How to enter: selection and requirements
Entering is not easy, and it is not for a specific reason: There are 40 places available per year, faced with hundreds of applications arriving from all over Italy and also from abroad.
The selection is divided into written and oral tests which not only test disciplinary knowledge, but also critical ability, reasoning and research potential. Here it doesn’t matter where you come from or the economic situation of your family. There is only one criterion: the merit.
As we mentioned at the beginning, to access the Southern High School it is necessary to be enrolled in a Federico II three-year or single-cycle master’s degree course, in line with the chosen SSM address.
What the Southern High School offers to those who are admitted
The students who study here, in addition to being followed step by step by the professors throughout their journey, are entitled to a series of advantages:
- University fee exemption
- Scholarship of up to 1,500 euros per year with which you can also buy books and teaching materials
- Free room and board on the university campus (residency is compulsory and includes 3 meals a day, room cleaning, change of sheets and towels, a token for laundry services at a partner dry cleaner)
- Access to advanced classrooms and laboratories with top-of-the-line equipment
- Study periods abroad and participation in international conferences
- Language certification at the end of the course
- Licensing diploma with equivalent value to a level II master’s degree
- Leisure spaces with musical instruments and games
In an era in which studying at high levels often comes at a cost that few can afford, all these advantages are no small thing: not having the financial burden on your shoulders means being able to commit all your energy to studying and doing research.
The conditions for maintaining the benefits of the School
But to continue to benefit from all this, the School imposes requirements:
- Maintain a weighted average between exams at SSM and Federico II of at least 27/30
- Do not have grades lower than 24/30
- Complete all exams within the academic year (both those of the SSM and Federico II)
In short, it is not a path for everyone, but for those who want to be challenged… and challenging.
What future scenarios after school: research, doctorates and the job market
The Southern High School not only trains well-prepared students, but people with a dense network of international contacts already built during their studies, with real research experiences on their curriculum and with a degree that is also valid as a master’s degree. For large companies, European institutions and foreign universities, all this is a very strong signal.
If you are interested in studying here, you have until August 28th to register for the call to access the 2026/2027 academic year.
