Open to everyone who qualifies
On top of Italy's low public tuition, regional and university scholarships (borse di studio) cover fees and living costs for eligible students — often based on income, not just merit.
See real cost-of-living numbers →A borsa di studio is a right, not a prize: every region runs a public scheme (DSU — diritto allo studio universitario) that pays out to any enrolled student who falls under the income line, first come first served isn't how it works. If your family's income sits below the threshold, you qualify — full stop.
That's the part people miss. It's easy to assume scholarships go to the top of the class, but the Italian system is built the other way round: it's a financial-need programme first, with a light academic-progress check attached so it keeps paying out to students who are actually attending and passing.
Eligibility runs on your ISEE Università (university ISEE) — a certified measure of household income and assets, not just your payslip, calculated from your family's full financial picture even if you're an adult living independently.
For the 2025/26 academic year the national reference ceiling is roughly €27,950: at or below that, you qualify for at least a partial scholarship. At or below about half that figure — roughly €13,970 — you get the full amount, plus a top-up. Between the two, the amount scales down gradually. Each region (and each university's DSU body — EDiSU, ARDSU, DSU Toscana, and so on) confirms the exact figures in its own yearly bando, so treat this as the ballpark to plan around, not the final number.
Your first year has no academic requirement at all — only the income test applies. From your second year on, you keep the scholarship by hitting a minimum number of course credits (CFU) by a set date, typically around 10 August — generally in the range of 25 CFU out of a full year's 60, rising a bit each year after. That's a pass-and-keep-moving bar, not a top-of-class one.
A full scholarship is designed to cover tuition fees, rent, and everyday living costs for the academic year, usually paid out as a mix of a fee waiver and a cash instalment. Most schemes also throw in extras — subsidised or free meals at the student canteen (mensa), and a shot at subsidised housing.
You can apply for a place in a university dormitory (alloggio, posto letto) as part of your scholarship application, but demand far outstrips supply in most cities, so it's genuinely competitive and never a sure thing. The much easier, more reliable route is renting privately and submitting your signed rental contract (contratto di locazione) as proof of housing — that's the path most scholarship students actually end up on, and it's one of the things we help you sort.
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