Which university did Galileo attend?

Galileo attended the University of Pisa. In 1580, at his father’s urging, he enrolled there to study medicine, although his interests soon shifted toward mathematics, natural philosophy, and mechanics.

While studying in Pisa, Galileo encountered ideas that shaped his later scientific work. He was especially interested in mathematics and in the study of motion. A famous story places his observation of a swinging chandelier in Pisa Cathedral around 1581; comparing its swings with his pulse helped inspire his investigations into pendulums and timing, although later retellings sometimes simplify the evidence.

Galileo did not complete a medical degree at Pisa. He left the university before graduating and later supported himself through teaching and research. In 1589 he returned to Pisa as professor of mathematics. In 1592 he moved to the University of Padua, where he spent eighteen productive years teaching geometry, mechanics, and astronomy. The University of Padua is therefore an important part of his career, but it was Pisa where he originally enrolled as a student.