Who this guide is for
Use this guide if you are comparing funding for study in Italy, particularly when your household has income or assets outside Italy. Scholarship eligibility can depend on citizenship, the institution, degree level, household circumstances, prior awards and academic progress. Admission to a university does not itself establish eligibility for financial aid.
Keep three funding routes separate
Make a separate entry for regional student support, university awards and Italian government scholarships. These are research categories for your funding plan; the actual call decides who can apply, what is covered and whether awards can be combined.
- Regional support: identify the body serving your chosen institution and read its current competition notice.
- University awards: check whether selection is automatic or requires another application, and whether a tuition waiver also includes living support.
- MAECI: verify the eligible citizenship list, course category and conditions on the official Study in Italy portal.
Prepare household evidence before ordering documents
ER.GO says foreign income and asset documents must come from the competent authorities where those resources are located, with Italian translation and legalisation or an applicable apostille. EDISU's international guidance also covers EU and non-EU applicants with household resources abroad and provides access instructions for applicants without SPID or CIE.
DSU Toscana's current foreign-student page distinguishes EU, non-EU and designated-country routes, as well as new applications and some renewals. Its examples concern 2026/27. Do not copy a renewal exemption into a first-time application.
- List household members and every country in which relevant income or assets arise.
- Find the required income and asset reference years in the new call before requesting certificates.
- Check issuer, translation, legalisation, delivery method and document deadline separately.
- Confirm how the call defines an independent student; living away from your family alone is not evidence that you meet that definition.
MAECI: historical deadline and the next call
The MAECI 2026/27 application deadline was 26 March 2026. A 2027/28 call is not yet verified here. Check the new official call before planning an application.
The 2026/27 call includes master's, AFAM, PhD, research and Italian-language categories. Ordinary new bachelor's applicants should not assume eligibility: the specified bachelor's/single-cycle 'Costruiamo il futuro' route is for renewals, while AFAM has its own provisions. Use this as historical context only; the next call may change.
Plan for cash flow as well as the award amount
Build two budgets: one before any award is confirmed and another using only the benefits in an actual award letter. Keep the amount of aid distinct from when it becomes available.
- Include tuition, regional or administrative charges, accommodation deposits, insurance, travel and living costs.
- Check whether housing is a guaranteed benefit, a separate ranking or a contribution toward rent.
- Record acceptance, enrolment, bank-account and academic-progress conditions for payment.
- Read incompatibility, renewal and repayment clauses before relying on multiple awards.
Your next action and what remains unknown
Choose the university first, then locate its regional body and scholarship pages. Save the exact 2027/28 notice when published and replace old dates rather than carrying them forward. Checked 20 September 2026: 2027/28 deadlines, economic thresholds, reference years, benefit amounts and merit conditions remain unverified here. No scholarship is presented as guaranteed.
Official sources
Check the current programme call before submitting. The links below were used to prepare this guide; a prior-cycle call does not confirm the deadline for your intended intake.
- ER.GO — documents for international applicants ↗www.er-go.it
- EDISU Piemonte — international student documentation and access ↗edisu.piemonte.it
- DSU Toscana — foreign students ↗www.dsu.toscana.it
- MAECI — government scholarships, current call and deadline ↗www.esteri.it
- MAECI — 2026/27 call in English, historical reference ↗www.esteri.it