Scholarships and study routes in Italy for international students

Choose your next Italy step

Start with the task that is blocking your application. Each guide below answers a different question.

• No university shortlist yet? Compare the three profiles.
• Need regional support? Read DSU and then the financial-document route.
• Already admitted? Check the university's Universitaly instructions.

Current planning status: checked 5 October 2026

Checked 5 October 2026. The table is a selected tracker, not a complete national calendar. The Polimi Engineering page has an academic-year heading inconsistent with its September 2027 rows: confirm your programme with admissions.

On a small screen, scroll the table sideways to compare all columns.

Choose a degree before choosing a funding headline

Start with the exact bachelor's, single-cycle, master's or doctoral programme. Record the teaching language, academic prerequisites, intake, application portal and whether admission is limited by a test or ranking. For a bachelor's route, a foreign school qualification normally needs to represent at least 12 years of education; university-specific rules explain how shorter school systems are assessed.

For a master's application, compare your previous degree, subjects, credits and grades with the programme requirements. A university can reject an academically mismatched application even when the applicant qualifies for a general scholarship category.

• Exact programme and campus
• Degree level and prior qualification
• Teaching language
• Admission call and deadline
• Application fee and document format
• Separate funding deadline

English requirements are programme-specific

Italy does not have one IELTS score for every university. English-taught programmes commonly ask for a CEFR level such as B1 or B2 and publish their own accepted certificates, minimum scores and deadlines. Some institutions may accept a completed qualification taught entirely in English when the official documents clearly state the language of instruction.

Treat a Medium of Instruction letter as evidence to be checked, not a universal IELTS waiver. Verify the exact course notice, scholarship condition and consular checklist. An English-taught degree can also carry a later Italian-language learning requirement at some institutions.

Understand tuition before estimating the scholarship gap

Public-university tuition can depend on the programme, study load, citizenship or residence category and the family's economic documentation. For 2026–2027, the University of Padua describes general degree costs from zero to about €3,000 a year. Politecnico di Milano shows a standard annual range from €157.04 up to €3,943.04, while reserved non-EU master's students with a foreign qualification may be charged the maximum when no qualifying scholarship applies.

The University of Bologna uses a fixed €157.04 component plus a variable programme and economic component. These examples are planning references for a named academic year. Your final amount comes from the university account after your documents are assessed.

Follow the admission, Universitaly and visa sequence

Apply first through the university's stated admission system. After a positive evaluation, non-EU applicants living abroad generally complete the required pre-enrolment through Universitaly. The university validates the request so it can support the study-visa process with the relevant Italian diplomatic mission.

University validation does not guarantee a visa. Follow the embassy or consulate serving your place of residence for financial, accommodation, insurance and document requirements. Keep university admission, scholarship, Universitaly and visa tasks as four separate rows in your tracker.

A practical Italy shortlist

For every programme, create one record containing the official degree page, admission call, tuition page, language rule, scholarship owner and current deadline. Add a personal budget showing tuition after any waiver, housing, food, transport, insurance, visa-related costs and money needed before the first benefit payment.

Use the dedicated AspireCompass guides below for the detailed checks. Return to the original university or government page immediately before submission because annual calls and document rules can change.

• Italy scholarships and current-cycle status
• DSU and foreign-income documents
• Selected universities and 2026–2027 fees
• English evidence and admission sequence

Build one connected Italy application plan

Choose a degree first, then connect its admission rule to the exact deadline, funding route, document process and first-year budget. These guides cover the tasks that most often depend on one another.