Legislative decree n° 662/1996 addresses a key problem of so-called "mega-universities": students struggling to enroll and successfully attend them. The need to split universities with more than 40.000 enrolled students was thus seen as urgent to guarantee potential students' right to education. While some large universities gave life to minor independent campuses (such as the University of Eastern Piedmont or the University of Rome Three), the University of Bologna opted for a Multicampus structure by activating decentralized campuses in the Romagna area.
The Forlì Branch of the University of Bologna began operating on October 1st, 2001. Before then, Forlì had been the seat of the second School of Political Science of the University of Bologna, dedicated to the memory of Roberto Ruffilli, and of the School of Modern Languages for Interpreters and Translators (SSLMIT). After 2001, its academic options broadened but kept their highly internationalized and professionalized character: the Schools of Engineering and Economics were added to existing schools.
The Department of Interdisciplinary Studies in Translation, Languages, and Cultures (SITLeC) and the Language Centre for the Scientific and Teaching Divisions of Romagna (CLIRO) are located at the Forlì branch.
Further, in 2006 e-Learning labs were activated. They are part of the wider of the University of Bologna e-Learning Development Center (CELAB).
