Sustainability is one of RUFA’s core values. Across all our campuses in Rome and Milan, we promote a model of growth that combines environmental responsibility, social inclusion and cultural innovation. Through sustainable spaces, dedicated projects, applied research and initiatives involving students, lecturers and external partners, we offer you an environment where creativity and awareness work together to build a fairer and more resilient future.
RUFA for Sustainability
CRAFT OUR PATH
The “CRAFT OUR PATH” claim expresses the desire to act as an academic community. The use of English and three simple, universal words makes their meaning accessible to everyone.
To craft is a metaphor for the learning method promoted by the Academy: a careful, detailed and conscious creative process in which action is not immediate or instinctive, but gradual and considered.
The possessive adjective our emphasises the importance of collective action, highlighting the urgency of a shared commitment. RUFA welcomes staff, lecturers and students from across Italy and more than 60 countries: within this diversity of cultures and perspectives, inclusion becomes a strength.
The noun path represents each individual’s responsibility for their own journey: achieving a goal requires sacrifice, dedication and perseverance. Just as in academic life, everyone who belongs to this wider community is called upon to promote and support responsible practices in order to build a better future.
LEARNING
We support our students throughout their development, inspiring them to embrace more sustainable ways of thinking and consuming. We create learning opportunities that turn knowledge into a tool for change, providing the skills needed to address global challenges while nurturing creativity, critical thinking and an innovative outlook.
INCLUSION
We create an open, multicultural and dynamic environment where young creatives from around the world can turn their ideas into reality. We value every identity, promoting respect and dialogue in order to break down barriers and build a shared culture. The future belongs to those with the courage to imagine it without boundaries.
RESPONSIBILITY
We are committed to reducing our environmental impact through renewable energy and sustainable choices. We promote a culture of responsibility that empowers students to become agents of change, guiding them towards conscious action. Every gesture and every choice can make a positive difference: together, we are building a fairer and more sustainable future.
RUFA Sustainability Report
The report represents an important milestone and, at the same time, a voluntary commitment to transparently share the results achieved and the actions undertaken, outlining a path centred on social and environmental responsibility.
The document reflects the Academy’s commitment to promoting an educational model in which sustainability, inclusion and innovation are the pillars of the learning experience and academic life. It bears witness to the values that inspire RUFA, reflected in the Sustainability Manifesto, and to its commitment to contributing to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through concrete and measurable initiatives capable of generating a positive impact on the academic community and society.
With a community of more than 1,500 people, RUFA is a thriving centre of talent where creativity meets knowledge to educate not only artists and designers, but active and aware citizens capable of interpreting today’s challenges and designing innovative solutions for the future. This commitment is reflected in the many projects, collaborations and academic programmes designed to integrate sustainability. This document marks a fundamental milestone in our sustainability journey, representing the beginning of an ongoing dialogue with our stakeholders and providing an account of the results, initiatives and ambitions that guide our commitment to a more sustainable and inclusive future.
The Manifesto forms part of the broader framework of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda, which, together with their 169 targets, provide a globally recognised model for building a fairer and more sustainable future. In 2023, RUFA identified a selection of SDGs relevant to its academic, educational and cultural activities, linking them to its priority material topics. The SDGs guide RUFA in planning its commitments and initiatives, contributing to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda targets and to the creation of positive impacts for the academic community and its stakeholders.
2023/2024
2025/2026
SUSTAINABILITY IN TEACHING
RUFA’s academic offering is designed to guide students through a journey of learning, preparation and growth, enabling them to become part of a broad and comprehensive professional and creative landscape. Thanks to its professional lecturers, RUFA is able to renew itself constantly and offer students dynamic, up-to-date programmes and study plans that respond to the evolving artistic and cultural context while providing high-level preparation and a strong, tangible professional outlook.
Among the many activities aimed at achieving the goals of the 2030 Agenda, the RUFA Sustainable Fashion Design programme stands out as a pioneering course that combines the creativity of fashion design with the key principles of sustainability, embedded both in the curriculum and in the Academy’s extracurricular activities.
Every RUFA programme places particular emphasis on sustainable processes, as demonstrated by the events in which students present their projects both within the Academy and externally, in partnership with companies and institutions.
ACADEMIC SUPPORT
DISABILITY, SLD AND SEN SUPPORT SERVICE
PSYCHOLOGICAL COUNSELLING
THESIS SUPPORT SERVICE
ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
RUFA has recently expanded its facilities with two new campuses in Rome and Milan, designed according to the principles of urban regeneration and sustainable architecture. These buildings not only represent an important step forward for the Academy, but also meet modern environmental standards by integrating energy-efficiency technologies and solutions that encourage sustainable mobility. Both campuses offer welcoming and functional spaces for the academic community and the surrounding area, creating creative hubs that embody the values of sustainability and environmental responsibility that RUFA seeks to share with its students and the cities in which it operates.
A space of more than 6,000 square metres in the heart of Rome’s Ostiense district. Created through the regeneration of the former Falegnameria Triestina, a historic landmark of the capital’s nightlife, the site is now a cultural hub dedicated to arts education, laboratories and events open to the local community.
The campus is located within the two buildings Bodio H and La Stilo, part of the Bodio Center complex, recently redeveloped to high ESG standards and awarded LEED® and BREEAM® certifications. A modern, functional campus with a strong focus on sustainability.
ARTISTIC PRODUCTION
AND THIRD MISSION
RUFA is an institution of excellence dedicated to artistic and cultural education, with a long tradition of innovation and creativity. The Academy stands out for its commitment to high-quality artistic production and for its mission to promote and develop creativity through an in-depth, personalised educational journey embodied by the RUFA Culture project. A digital platform entirely dedicated to projects by students, researchers and lecturers, it expands the accessibility and impact of these projects through a comprehensive digital archive—a true virtual portfolio—allowing the community to experience and revisit the Academy’s creative output. If RUFA Culture is the platform for artistic and cultural dissemination, its activities are the content: events, exhibitions and performances form the beating heart of how the Academy shares its results. RUFA’s Third Mission takes shape through its interaction with society, through the dissemination of knowledge and the promotion of artistic research.
Frequently Asked Questions
“Craft Our Path” encapsulates RUFA’s philosophy of conscious, gradual and responsible learning. To craft evokes a careful creative process built on attention and care; our emphasises the collective commitment of the academic community; path represents the personal journey that each student builds with dedication and vision. This claim defines a culture founded on sustainable education, research, inclusion and responsibility towards both the present and the future.
RUFA guides you through an educational journey that combines creativity, critical thinking and environmental awareness. Academic activities are designed to help you develop the skills needed to address global challenges through courses, workshops and projects that promote sustainable ways of thinking and consuming. Sustainability is not an additional topic: it is embedded in the teaching method, research and professional opportunities you encounter throughout your studies.
RUFA is an open, multicultural and dynamic environment where students from more than 60 countries can express their identity and turn ideas into projects. The Academy values every perspective, promotes collaboration across cultures and supports a community built on dialogue and respect. Inclusion policies, guidance activities, psychological support and dedicated programmes ensure a welcoming environment that is attentive to everyone’s wellbeing.
RUFA invests in campuses designed according to the principles of urban regeneration and sustainable architecture. Its Rome and Milan campuses integrate energy-efficiency technologies, low-impact lighting, environmentally friendly materials and solutions that encourage sustainable mobility. These spaces offer a functional and welcoming environment for the academic community and contribute to the sustainable development of the surrounding area, promoting a shared environmental culture. The Academy also pays close attention to water conservation and to maintaining a sustainable production chain.
Social responsibility is an integral part of RUFA’s mission. The Academy supports students and staff through a comprehensive welfare programme, mentoring, guidance, psychological support and initiatives dedicated to community wellbeing. RUFA promotes gender equality, for which it has obtained dedicated certification, and carries out activities that encourage participation, personal growth and inclusion. The aim is to educate active, aware citizens who are capable of making a positive contribution to society.
RUFA has identified a selection of Sustainable Development Goals from the 2030 Agenda that are relevant to its academic and cultural mission. These SDGs guide the planning of initiatives, educational projects and research activities. The Academy integrates environmental, social and cultural sustainability into its programmes, collaborations with external partners and student pathways, making a tangible contribution to the UN targets through measurable actions.
RUFA’s teaching evolves constantly in response to cultural change and environmental challenges. In addition to the Sustainable Fashion Design programme, the Academy introduces activities, projects and collaborations that promote responsible processes across all disciplines: design, visual communication, cinema, multimedia and the visual arts. Events, exhibitions and projects with companies and institutions become opportunities to put sustainable models into practice and develop future-focused skills.
RUFA’s Third Mission consists of disseminating knowledge and promoting artistic production through projects, events, exhibitions and performances open to the public. RUFA Culture, the Academy’s portfolio, collects and makes accessible the work of students, lecturers and researchers, increasing its visibility. In this way, RUFA engages with society, promotes artistic research and contributes to the cultural development of the local area.
RUFA Culture is the platform for events and initiatives that brings together creative projects produced by students, lecturers and researchers. It functions as a dynamic archive and as both a personal and collective portfolio, making artistic work easier to access and share. Through RUFA Culture, you can give visibility to your work, document your journey, take part in the Academy’s cultural life and connect with institutions, curators and industry professionals.
RUFA considers wellbeing an integral part of academic growth. For this reason, it offers guidance services, psychological support, mentoring, career services and initiatives dedicated to personal development. The Academy promotes a safe and welcoming environment in which you can approach your creative journey with balance and awareness. Cultural activities and attention to the community make RUFA a place where you can grow as a person as well as a professional.
RUFA supports students with specific learning difficulties, special educational needs and disabilities in accordance with Italian Law 170/2010 and its subsequent implementing decrees, as well as Law 104/1992.
Students with specific learning difficulties, special educational needs and disabilities have access to a dedicated office where they can discuss their preferences regarding the application of exemptions and the use of the most appropriate compensatory tools for their individual circumstances. Find out more on the dedicated page.
Book an appointment by emailing segreteriasdd@unirufa.it, after sending the same address the diagnosis certifying the specific learning difficulty or the INPS report confirming the disability.
During enrolment, the Office will usually contact the student directly to request the documentation when the SLD or disability box has been selected.
Email carriera.alias@unirufa.it to request an appointment or to state directly that you wish to activate an “alias” academic record.
You will be sent a form to complete, sign and return, indicating the name you wish to use.
This name will appear on all internal documents (examination records, classroom registers, emails, etc.), but not on official certificates intended for external use.
SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY
At the heart of RUFA’s mission is supporting and empowering students, accompanying them along a path of growth that begins with guidance and continues through to entry into the professional world. At the same time, the Academy is committed to ensuring a safe and stimulating educational environment in which student wellbeing is a priority. Through continuous support and dedicated services, RUFA provides a positive, balanced and future-focused academic experience.
In addition to supporting its student community, RUFA promotes the wellbeing of staff and the entire academic community through a robust welfare programme, training plans and a commitment to maintaining gender equality, for which it has also obtained UNI PdR 125:2022 certification.