Founded in 1992 by the Ministry of Public Education, under the request of several professors of the Sapienza University of Rome, it was the third public university to be established in the metropolitan area of Rome. The university comprises 8 schools and 12 departments, enrolling 35,338 students and having 1,370 academic and professional staff. At present, the university offers 54 undergraduate degree programs, 75 master's degree programs, 16 doctoral schools and five PhD programs. It is the second-largest university of Rome by enrollment and one of the largest research-based institutions in the country.