Difference
The different situations and their laws, Government rules and social circumstances in which the Salesian University Institutions are located, make it difficult to assign an exact category-name / denomination and an unambiguous classification. Among the IUS there is a good number of universities as properly understood, college centres with a few faculties, autonomous university colleges or attached to other universities that are non salesian; there are a few centres where higher study courses are conducted but then without proper university academic tittles, though they may have other type official recognition.

Different carrier opportunities
The study offered at the IUS is mainly in the areas of human, educational and communication sciences; but it extends also to other areas like the technology, informatics, telematics, and also the business management, thus, broadening its perspective evermore in specialised fields. In this scenario, touches of colours are not missing like that of the centre dedicated exclusively to the study of the wines (faculty of enology).

Latest creation
The big majority of the IUS is a recent creation. This represents a new phenomenon in the educative and pastoral activities of the Salesians of Don Bosco. Right from the beginning of their existence, middle of the 19 th century, the Salesians have dedicated most of their activities for education and teaching at various levels that precede the university studies, but it is only next to the professional training for which they are well known everywhere. The fidelity to their vocation as educators of the working classes has now made them to take up colleges as well so as to offer them the formation and to meet their new demands.

Autonomy and coordination
Each of the Salesian University Institutes is actually autonomous. But - taking into consideration the autonomy of the university as regards its academic, research and management nature - the first responsibility of each of IUS lies on the Salesian Congregation, which is their real promoter and / or guarantor. The concretion and representation of the Congregation in a territory is called Province.
In the past years, the IUS have felt the need of links and co-ordination among themselves in order to respond better to the demands of their competence whether they be of university nature or of salesian educative-pastoral inspiration. The IUS have expressed such a need of rapport and co-ordination in the meetings held first at Brasilia (1995) and in Rome (10-13 July, 1998). At the meeting in Rome they have succeeded in formulating a series of orientations and initiatives under the Common programme for the promotion of the IUS (1998 - 2001). This Common Programme has been approved by the Rector Major of the Salesian Congregation in such a way that the service to the Salesian University Institutions, promoted by him and by his Council on 8 th December, 1997, may be realised in the management and in the realisation of the same programme.

Aim of this web site
The opening of this website on the Internet responds to the need of making an efficient means of communication available for the exchange information and co-ordination of the IUS, while the C ommon programme will be realised in the coming years.

That is why the structure of the concept and the sobriety of the graphics of this website are made accordingly just for this purpose. As consequence, it is a site the nature of which is primarily instrumental. But at the same time this site is: