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DSU regional scholarships, MAECI government grants, Invest Your Talent, plus Bocconi and Polimi merit awards and how the ISEE decides your eligibility.
Canonical: https://qa.prezumi.com/blog/scholarships-in-italy
Funding a degree in Italy is more achievable than many students expect, because tuition itself is income-based and several distinct scholarship systems run alongside it. This guide covers the main routes: regional "right to study" (DSU) scholarships, Italian government and MAECI scholarships, the Invest Your Talent in Italy programme, university merit scholarships at institutions like Bocconi and Politecnico di Milano, and Erasmus+. It also explains the ISEE, the income document that sits underneath almost all of these.
For the bigger picture of studying in Italy, see the pillar guide on how to Study in Italy.
Most Italian funding is income-based, and the figure used is the ISEE (Indicatore della Situazione Economica Equivalente). It is an official measure of your household's income and assets. Italian universities use it to set your tuition band, and regional DSU bodies use it to decide whether you qualify for a scholarship and how much.
International students whose family income is earned outside Italy usually cannot get a standard ISEE, so they obtain an ISEE Parificato instead. This is the "equivalised" version, calculated by an authorised body (such as a CAF, a tax assistance centre) from your translated and legalised income and asset documents from home. The lower your ISEE Parificato, the lower your tuition band and the stronger your scholarship eligibility.
Getting an ISEE Parificato takes time and the right documents (income statements, property records, family composition), often translated and legalised. Start gathering these months before any scholarship deadline, because a missing or late ISEE can disqualify you regardless of merit.
The largest source of need-based funding for international students is the regional Diritto allo Studio Universitario (DSU) system. Each Italian region runs its own body that awards scholarships (borse di studio) to students based on income (ISEE) and academic merit. These are the bodies behind names like DSU Toscana, ER.GO (Emilia-Romagna), LAZIODISCO (Lazio), DiSCo and EDISU Piemonte, among others.
A DSU scholarship typically includes some combination of:
Because each region sets its own thresholds, amounts and deadlines, you must apply through the body for the region where your university is located. As of 2024/2025, the exact grant amounts and ISEE thresholds vary by region and are published annually in each region's call (bando); confirm them on your regional DSU's website and via the national overview at studyinitaly.esteri.it.
DSU deadlines are often earlier than you expect and may fall in late summer, close to or even before you arrive. Read your region's bando as soon as it is published and prepare your ISEE Parificato in advance.
The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) offers scholarships to international students and researchers from specific eligible countries. These typically support master's, PhD, and research or higher-education programmes, and can include a monthly stipend, tuition coverage, and health insurance.
Applications are usually submitted through a dedicated MAECI online platform during an annual call, and eligibility depends on your nationality, the level of study, and academic record. The official details and current call are published by the Italian government; check studyinitaly.esteri.it for the current programme, eligible countries, stipend amount, and deadline, since these change each cycle.
Invest Your Talent in Italy (IYT) is a government-backed programme that funds international students from selected countries to study master's degrees in fields such as engineering, technology, design, economics, and management at participating Italian universities. It often combines a scholarship with an internship in an Italian company, which is valuable for building local work experience.
Eligibility is limited to specific partner countries and partner universities, and applications run on an annual cycle. Confirm the current participating universities, eligible nationalities, and the scholarship value on the official programme pages linked from studyinitaly.esteri.it.
Private and technical universities run their own merit scholarships, which are especially important if you are aiming at an institution that charges higher tuition.
Because these are set per university and per year, always read the specific scholarship page for your programme rather than relying on a general figure.
| Scholarship | Type | Typically covers | Where to confirm |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regional DSU | Need-based (ISEE) | Living grant, housing, meals, fee exemption | Regional DSU body |
| MAECI government | Merit + country eligibility | Stipend, tuition, insurance | studyinitaly.esteri.it |
| Invest Your Talent | Merit + partner country | Tuition, internship, allowance | studyinitaly.esteri.it |
| Bocconi / Polimi merit | Merit-based | Partial to full tuition | University admissions page |
| Erasmus+ | Exchange / mobility | Mobility grant | Your home or host university |
If you are already enrolled at a European university, Erasmus+ funds a period of study or an internship in Italy as part of your existing degree. It is a mobility grant rather than a full-degree scholarship, paid as a monthly contribution toward the higher cost of living abroad. Arrange it through your home university's international office, which manages the partner agreements and grant amounts.
For most international students at a public university, the strongest combination is a low ISEE Parificato (which lowers tuition) plus a regional DSU scholarship (which covers living costs and often waives the remaining fee). At a private university like Bocconi, a merit scholarship or tuition waiver does the heavy lifting instead. Government routes like MAECI and Invest Your Talent are excellent where you qualify by nationality and level of study. You can read how funding fits into the full timeline in the Study in Italy pillar, and you will need that funding evidence again for your student visa for Italy.
The standard ISEE is for households with income and assets registered in Italy. International students whose family income comes from abroad obtain an ISEE Parificato instead, calculated by an authorised body from translated and legalised documents from your home country. Both produce the income figure used for tuition bands and scholarships.
Yes. Regional DSU scholarships are generally open to international students enrolled at a university in that region, judged on income (ISEE) and academic merit. The exact eligibility rules and thresholds are set by each region's annual bando, so check your regional DSU body directly.
It is possible. A low ISEE Parificato combined with a DSU scholarship can cover both tuition and living costs at a public university, and MAECI or Invest Your Talent grants include stipends. Full funding is competitive and depends on income, merit, and nationality, so apply to several sources.
They vary by source and are published in annual calls. DSU regional deadlines often fall in late summer, sometimes around arrival time, while MAECI and Invest Your Talent have their own annual cycles. Confirm each deadline on the official site early, because the ISEE paperwork can take weeks to prepare.
Generally you arrange funding around the same time as enrolment and before the visa, because the visa requires proof of sufficient funds, and a confirmed scholarship can help demonstrate that. See the Student visa for Italy guide for the proof-of-funds requirement.
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