Women’s application in underrepresented subjects
IULM is committed to encouraging applications by women in subjects where they are comparatively underrepresented:
This commitment is embedded in the IULM Strategic Plan 2025–2027 and the Gender Equality Plan. IULM promotes women's participation in fields where gender imbalances persist through university outreach, orientation activities, educational initiatives and collaborations with other universities, professional associations, community organisations and international partners.
STEM and AI
IULM continues to promote women's participation in STEM and technology-related fields, where women remain comparatively underrepresented.
A key example is the Bachelor's degree in Artificial Intelligence for Business and Society, for which 57% of graduates in 2025 were women, an improvement on the previous year. The University promotes access to emerging technological disciplines through Open Days, orientation activities and communication initiatives aimed at prospective students.
IULM also supports gender balance in research and innovation: the Behaviour & Brain Lab has 57% female researchers, demonstrating substantial female participation in research at the intersection of technology, behavioural sciences and innovation.
A particularly significant example of IULM's commitment to encouraging women to enter traditionally male-dominated fields through collaborative outreach is the international Erasmus+ project FA-ST – Promote Female Startups in STEM.
Developed through an international partnership involving Università IULM, the European University Cyprus, PontoPR and RACIO, FA-ST aimed to empower young women, particularly those facing socioeconomic disadvantages, by encouraging entrepreneurship and the development of startups in STEM-related sectors.
The project combined STEM education, entrepreneurial training and women's empowerment. Its activities included the development of dedicated educational materials, communication campaigns, digital dissemination and outreach to external stakeholders.
Importantly, the project's dissemination strategy extended beyond participating universities to the Lombardy Library Network, municipalities and nonprofit associations, demonstrating IULM's experience in collaborating with educational institutions and community organisations to reach women outside traditional university recruitment channels.
Screenwriting and Creative Industries
IULM continues to address gender representation in areas of the creative and cultural industries where women's participation and professional visibility can be strengthened.
Through its partnership with ALF – Pensare al Femminile, the University collaborates with external cultural and professional organisations to promote women's opportunities in cinema, audiovisual production and screenwriting.
The initiative includes the Women Screenwriters Award, the Best European Female Film Award and the Women Advertising Directors Award, supporting the recognition of female talent in creative professions.
In 2025, IULM renewed its collaboration with ALF for the third edition (2025–2026), launched in connection with the Milano Film Fest. The partnership provides opportunities for students in the Master's Degree in TV, Cinema and New Media to participate in the selection of finalists for the Best European Female Film Award, strengthening the connection between university education and professional cultural initiatives.
The collaboration continued in 2026, with IULM participating as a partner in the third edition of ALF Premi Cinema.
These activities demonstrate how IULM works with external cultural and professional organisations to promote women's visibility, encourage interest in creative professions and strengthen opportunities for women in the audiovisual industry.
Sports and Sports Marketing
IULM also actively encourages women's participation in sports and sports-related professional fields, traditionally characterised by lower female representation in several areas.
Through IULM Sport, the University provides women students with opportunities to participate in competitive sports, including football, volleyball and basketball.
In 2025, the IULM women's football team participated in the Street Queens Cup, an international tournament organised by the International Street Football Association (ISFA), bringing together female street-football communities from across Europe.
The initiative involved collaboration between IULM Sport and ONELab and provided an opportunity to promote women's participation, inclusion and visibility in football through an international community-based sporting event.
IULM also expanded opportunities for inclusive sporting participation through the establishment of the IULM Sport FXC – Fireball Extreme Challenge team in 2025. The initiative involves mixed-gender teams and collaboration with the international FXC Federation, promoting participation by women and men in an emerging competitive sporting discipline.
Within the Master in Sports Marketing and Communication, IULM has also recorded a substantial increase in female enrolment since the programme's first edition in 2017/2018.
|
Academic year |
Total enrolled |
Female students |
Male students |
Female % |
|
2017/18 – First edition |
23 |
7 |
16 |
30.4% |
|
2022/23 |
24 |
10 |
14 |
41.7% |
|
2023/24 |
34 |
14 |
20 |
41.2% |
|
2024/2025 |
35 |
19 |
16 |
54.3% |
The number of female students increased from 7 in the first edition to 19 in the latest reported cohort, representing an increase of approximately 171%. Over the same period, women's share of enrolment rose from 30.4% to 54.3%, an increase of approximately 24 percentage points.
These figures demonstrate a substantial change in female participation in a programme preparing students for professional careers in sports management, marketing and communication.
Research and Cultural Engagement
IULM also promotes women's participation and visibility through research, cultural initiatives and public engagement activities addressing fields in which women's contributions have historically received less recognition.
The “La Montagna al Femminile” project highlights women's contributions to the cultural, economic and social development of Alpine territories through research, exhibitions and community engagement.
More broadly, initiatives such as “IULM al femminile” promote women's achievements, professional experiences and contributions across academic, cultural and professional fields, encouraging reflection on gender stereotypes and opportunities.
These activities complement the University's educational and orientation initiatives by providing female students and prospective applicants with visible examples of women's participation and achievement in different professional sectors.
University Outreach and External Collaboration
IULM's approach to encouraging applications by women in underrepresented subjects is supported by a combination of institutional outreach and collaboration with external partners.
The University's initiatives demonstrate IULM's commitment to encouraging women to consider subjects and professional pathways where they have traditionally been underrepresented, combining university-led activities with partnerships involving other universities, professional organisations and community groups.
This approach forms part of the University's broader gender equality strategy, supporting women's participation in STEM and technology, creative industries, sport and sports management, research and cultural engagement.