Scholarships in Italy for International Students: Types and Rules

International students in Italy can apply for four main kinds of funding: regional right-to-study (DSU) scholarships awarded on income and merit, universities’ own merit scholarships and fee waivers, Italian government scholarships offered through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and targeted programmes such as Invest Your Talent in Italy. The rule that matters most for the visa is this: merely applying for or being eligible for a scholarship does not count as proof of financial means, whereas an explicit award from a reliable institution can. This guide explains each type, the timelines, the documents usually needed, and how scholarships interact with the visa.

What scholarships exist for international students?

Type	Awarded by	Basis	Where to apply
Regional right-to-study (DSU) scholarship	Regional DSU body (one per region, sometimes one per university)	Income (ISEE / ISEE parificato) and merit	The regional body’s annual call (bando), usually online
University merit scholarship or fee waiver	The university or department	Academic merit, sometimes nationality or course	University’s own call, often alongside admission
Italian government scholarship	Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation	Merit; limited to specified countries and course types	The ministry’s annual call via the Study in Italy portal
Invest Your Talent in Italy	Ministry of Foreign Affairs with partner universities and companies	Merit; specific countries and English-taught courses	Programme’s own call; check the current edition

Regional right-to-study (DSU) scholarships

DSU stands for Diritto allo Studio Universitario, the “right to university study” guaranteed by the Italian constitution and funded largely by the regions. Each region has a right-to-study body (the name varies by region; your university’s international office will tell you which one covers it) that publishes an annual call for scholarships and services open to students enrolled at institutions in that region, including international students. DSU support typically combines a cash grant, exemption from the university contribution, and access to subsidised canteens and, where available, a place in a student residence.

Eligibility is assessed on two things: the family’s economic situation, measured by the ISEE or, for students with income abroad, the ISEE parificato (an equivalent indicator calculated by an Italian tax-assistance centre from translated and legalised family income and asset documents); and merit, which for first-year applicants usually means the entry qualification and for later years a minimum number of credits earned. The amounts, thresholds, application windows and the exact documents required are set by each regional body in its call and differ by region and year. We do not reproduce them here because they change every year; read the call of the body covering your university in full, including the sections on international students and on how to obtain the ISEE parificato.

University merit scholarships and fee waivers

Many universities run their own schemes for international students: full or partial waivers of the contribution, merit grants for the top applicants to particular programmes, and scholarships funded by departments, foundations or partner companies. These are usually awarded through a separate call, sometimes automatically on the basis of the admission ranking and sometimes by application with a CV, transcript and motivation letter. Windows often coincide with the admission period, well before the Universitaly pre-enrolment and the visa, so look for them when you first research the course. Conditions commonly include enrolling on time and keeping up a minimum number of credits; read the renewal rules before you depend on the award for later years.

Italian government scholarships

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (esteri.it) offers scholarships to foreign citizens from a list of countries for study and research at Italian institutions, typically for Laurea Magistrale, AFAM second-level, PhD, research projects and Italian language courses. The call is usually published each spring on the Study in Italy portal with the eligible countries, course types, age limits, duration and benefits. Successful candidates still need university admission and a visa; the ministry’s award letter is an example of an explicit award from a reliable Italian institution that the consulate can take into account as financial means. Check the current call for the countries covered and the application window; neither is fixed from year to year.

Invest Your Talent in Italy

Invest Your Talent in Italy is a programme promoted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that, in previous editions, offered scholarships and internship opportunities to students from a set of partner countries for selected English-taught master’s programmes at participating universities. Programmes of this kind can change their country list, partner universities or funding from one edition to the next, or pause. Search for the current edition on the Study in Italy portal and confirm with the participating university that it is open for your intake before planning around it.

Scholarships and the visa financial requirement

The consulate must be satisfied that you have financial means of at least the reference amount of €10,179.85 per year from lawful and traceable sources. The rules on how scholarships fit in are precise:

• Funds may be provided by reputable Italian institutions, including universities, by local governments, or by foreign institutions considered reliable. An explicit award letter from such a body, stating the amount and duration, can therefore count towards the requirement.
• A mere application for, or eligibility for, a regional DSU scholarship without an explicit award letter does not count. Because DSU results are often published after the visa deadline, most first-year applicants cannot use a DSU scholarship as financial evidence and must show family or personal funds instead.
• The consulate also looks at the overall socio-economic situation of you and your family and whether it is reasonable to expect that funds will remain available for the whole course. A one-year scholarship does not remove the need to show how later years will be funded.

Consulates publish their own lists of accepted financial documents; you can find your consulate and its list through Il visto per l’Italia. Our guide to financial requirements covers the evidence in detail.

Timelines

Exact dates differ by body and year, but the sequence is usually as follows. Put each real date from the relevant call into your planning calendar.

1. Winter to spring. University merit scholarship calls open, often with the admission round. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs publishes its annual call. Start assembling family income and asset documents for the ISEE parificato.
2. Late spring to summer. Regional DSU calls open, typically with deadlines in late summer or early autumn. Obtain the ISEE parificato from a CAF, which needs translated and legalised documents; allow several weeks.
3. Summer to autumn. Visa application. If you have an explicit award letter, include it; otherwise rely on family funds. Enrol as soon as possible after arrival, since many awards are conditional on enrolment.
4. Autumn to winter. DSU provisional and final rankings are published; successful students receive fee exemption and the first grant instalment according to the body’s schedule.

Documents typically needed

Calls vary, but most scholarship applications draw on the same set of documents. Each awarding body specifies the format, language and legalisation it requires; check this before ordering translations.

• Passport and, after arrival, the residence permit or application receipt.
• Academic qualifications and transcripts, with CIMEA statements or a Dichiarazione di Valore where the call requires them.
• For income-based awards: family composition certificate, income statements for each family member, documents on property and financial assets, all translated into Italian and legalised or apostilled as the call specifies, and the resulting ISEE parificato issued by a CAF in Italy.
• For merit awards: ranking position, grade average or test score as defined by the call.
• Proof of enrolment or pre-enrolment, and the student’s Italian tax code (codice fiscale) once obtained.
• Italian bank or postal account details for payment, which usually means the grant can only be paid after you arrive and open an account (see after arrival).

Because scholarship documents overlap heavily with admission and visa documents, prepare them together. Our document preparation guidance service maps each document to every place it will be needed. For how fees are calculated once a scholarship is awarded, see tuition fees; for the broader picture, return to the Study in Italy hub.

Frequently asked questions