Scholarships and Student Financial Aid in Italy

DSU: Italy's main student financial aid system

Diritto allo Studio Universitario (DSU) is Italy's national right to study system, delivered through regional agencies rather than a single central office. Every region runs its own DSU body under a different name, such as ER.GO in Emilia-Romagna, DiSCo in Lazio and EDISU in Piedmont, with equivalent agencies covering every other region. The structure of what they offer stays consistent across the country.

According to Politecnico di Milano's outline of the scheme , DSU awards combine a cash stipend with services: a meal card for campus catering, discounted or free accommodation in a university residence if you live away from home, and support toward costs if you study abroad on an exchange lasting 2 to 10 months. Many universities also apply an automatic tuition exemption to DSU recipients on top of the cash benefit.

Who qualifies

Eligibility runs on two tracks. Income eligibility uses your ISEE for university use, a threshold set every year in each region's official DSU call, so the exact euro cutoff changes annually and by region. Academic eligibility requires first-year students to enroll on time, and continuing students to reach a minimum number of CFU credits by a set date each year, with the exact credit bar depending on your enrollment year and degree level. International students request an ISEE parificato through a CAF office to convert foreign income and asset documents into the Italian format DSU calls require.

How to apply for DSU

Each regional DSU agency opens its call (bando) once a year, usually over the summer before the academic year starts, with a published deadline and required documents. You apply online directly through your region's DSU agency website, not through Universitaly, and you generally need to already be enrolled or in the process of enrolling at a university in that region. Missing the annual deadline means waiting for the next call, so apply as soon as your regional agency publishes it.

University-run scholarships and reductions

Beyond DSU, individual universities run their own scholarship programs, often targeting incoming international students, high school leavers with strong grades, or students entering specific faculties such as engineering or business. These sit outside the DSU system and have their own separate application, deadline and selection criteria, published on each university's scholarships or international office page.

Universitaly aggregates 238,357 scholarships and financial aid listings from institutions across the country, along with over 45,000 available residence bed spaces, making it a useful starting point for comparing what different universities offer before you commit to one.

National scholarships for international students

Italy's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation runs a separate scholarship program for foreign citizens, aimed at students from specific partner countries, alongside bilateral agreements individual countries hold with Italy. These sit outside DSU and university awards, follow their own annual call and selection process, and are worth checking through your home country's Italian embassy or cultural institute if you move to Italy from outside the EU.

The no-tax area as indirect aid

Even without a DSU grant, Italy's ISEE based tuition system already works as a form of aid. Students under the no-tax threshold at their university pay only the small compulsory fees, regional tax and stamp duty, not full tuition, regardless of whether they receive a DSU stipend. Check your target university's fee page to see where its no-tax cutoff sits, since it is set locally and differs from one university to the next.

Building a funding plan

Combine the no-tax fee band, a DSU application if your ISEE and region qualify, and a university specific scholarship application into one timeline. Start each application as early as its call opens, since DSU funding is often limited and awarded in ISEE order rather than to every eligible applicant.

Keeping your scholarship

DSU awards renew each year, not automatically for the full length of your degree. You reapply annually, and continuing students need to show the required CFU progress by the deadline set in that year's call to stay eligible. Falling short of the credit bar in one year usually means losing the benefit for the following year, even if your income still qualifies.

Combining aid sources

A DSU grant, a no-tax fee band and a university merit scholarship are not mutually exclusive. Many students combine two or three of these depending on eligibility, since each runs its own separate application and budget. Check each scheme's rules directly, since some university scholarships reduce in value if you already receive a full DSU award.

Where to check current amounts

Because DSU cash amounts, income thresholds and credit requirements reset every year and differ by region, treat any number you see outside an official regional agency call as an estimate. Go to your target university's DSU or right to study office page for the current year's bando before you plan your budget around a specific figure.