Scholarships for International Students in Italy

Italy is one of those places in Europe where international students wish to take up programs in the fields of business, management, fashion, and economics. The universities in the country offer high-quality education in subjects that belong to every other discipline and they also offer these programs at affordable rates when compared to other countries in Europe. The best part about studying in Italy is that even though the tuition fee may seem high for non-EU candidates, they will always be able to apply for scholarships and receive them without delay.

Most of the scholarships that are provided in the country are provided by the government and the universities. Students will be able to apply for the scholarships through the government website or even through the universities they have been admitted to. The scholarships are often course-specific with different scholarships being provided for undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs. The scholarships generally cover the tuition and are either merit-based or need-based.

Searching for Scholarships in Italy

Scholarships that are provided by the government and by universities are often nationality-specific. While searching for scholarships and making a list of scholarships that one can apply for, they will have to initially enquire whether candidates from their country can avail of Italian scholarships. Candidates will then be able to check the scholarship website to know the details of programs taught in English and contact their universities through the university website to know the procedures to apply for the scholarships. If the scholarship application requires candidates to have an acceptance letter, they will have to contact the professors from their respective departments.

The main places the candidate will find information regarding scholarships are the Italian Scholarships website and the websites of the universities they are applying to.

Procedure to Apply for Scholarship in Italy

The steps to apply for scholarships in Italy are-

• The procedure to apply for scholarships in Italy begins with the candidate enquiring whether they are eligible for the scholarship based on their nationality.
• Then they will have to find their major or program on the official Italian Scholarship website.
• Once they have found the program, they will have to contact professors from their respective departments to procure the admission acceptance letter.
• Candidates will then be able to obtain the pre-admission letter by submitting the admission application.
• Candidates are required to create an account on the website and fill in the online application form.
• They will be required to submit the necessary documents during this step.
• Candidates will then be able to submit the scholarship application on the Italian Government Scholarship website.
• Once the application has been submitted, candidates will have to wait for the results which will be eventually mailed to them from the Italian Scholarship Agency.

General Requirements for Scholarships in Italy

The documents that are required while applying for a scholarship in Italy change according to the scholarship that the candidate is applying for. Most of the scholarships are either merit-based or need-based and some scholarships are a combination of the two. In merit-based scholarships, candidates will be evaluated based on their past academic performances and their performance in the first semester of the program they have enrolled in. Need-based scholarships will consider the economic background of the student and hence students will be required to submit their financial details are part of the application.

The general requirements include-

• Candidate must be less than 28 years old if they are applying for a graduate program and less than 30 years old if they are applying for a doctoral program
• Candidate must not be residing in Italy while applying
• Candidate should meet all admission requirements for the course they are applying to

Documents Required for Scholarship Application

The documents that are required include-

• Proof of English Proficiency
• Proof of Italian Proficiency, if the course is taught in Italian
• Educational Transcripts/Mark lists
• CV
• Recommendation Letters
• Pre-admission Letter
• A Personal Letter

Available Scholarships

A few of the scholarships that are easily available for candidates are-

University of Bologna Study Grants for International Students

This study grant is offered by the University of Bologna and is provided to candidates who have the required qualifications for the program they are applying for. The diploma that the candidate has should ideally be from an institution outside the Italian education system but it can also be from an Italian institution situated outside the country. Candidates will have to take the SAT or TOLC test if they are applying for an undergraduate program or a GRE if they are applying for a postgraduate program. The gross amount that is provided as part of the scholarship is €11,000. This is offered as a fee waiver for the tuition fee only and is calculated based on the tests the candidate has taken and the economic condition of the candidate. The fee amount is reduced to as low as €158 per year but can also be as high as €2,200 to €6,100 per year based on the financial situation of the candidate.

Politecnico International Scholarships

The Politecnico di Torino institution offers multiple scholarship options for international candidates. These include Alta Scuola Politecnica, COLFUTURO scholarship-loans, Eni Project- Petroleum Engineering, TOPoliTO, etc. The most popular among these is the ASP/Alta Scuola Politecnica which is provided to architecture and engineering candidates who have applied for an MSc program in the institution.

Merit Based Scholarships- Politechnico Milano 1863

This campus provides scholarship options on a merit basis which are called platinum scholarships, gold scholarships, and silver scholarships. The platinum scholarships provide students with €10,000 per year along with an additional tuition waiver. The gold scholarships award an amount of €5,000 per year along with a tuition fee waiver while the silver scholarships include only a tuition waiver. The tuition waiver is provided for the entire amount candidates would otherwise have to pay as their tuition. The amount is transferred to the candidate in two or three installments over the year. It is entirely merit-based and hence candidates will be chosen for the scholarship by evaluating their previous academic records.

Italian Government Scholarships for Foreign Students

This scholarship is provided by the government to candidates who are pursuing a postgraduate or doctoral program in the country as long as their institution is a public university or is legally recognized. Since it is a government-sponsored scholarship, it covers not only the tuition fee the candidate has to pay but also their health and medical insurance throughout the time they receive their grant. Since the tuition fee is covered in the scholarship, students will not even have to pay an enrollment fee unless they have taken up a course in the Italian language and culture. Along with the fee waiver and insurance, students who receive this scholarship will also receive €900 per month as an allowance.

Bocconi Merit and International Awards

The University of Bocconi offers international students with fully merit-based scholarships. The scholarship covers only graduate programs and includes a full fee waiver for the program the candidate has chosen. The waiver is worth €14,000 every year and since it is a merit-based scholarship, the student will not have to submit an additional application for the same. They will be evaluated based on their admission application. At the end of the year, candidates will not have to apply for a scholarship renewal as it will be automatically renewed if the candidate has earned 50 credits in their first year of college. If the candidate does not have the required credits, the scholarship will be canceled and cannot be restored under any circumstance.

University of Padua Scholarships

The University of Padua offers innumerable scholarships for both domestic and international students. A few of the scholarships that international candidates can apply for include Padua International Excellence Scholarship Program, Galilean School of Higher Education Scholarships, Unipd 4 Afghanistan, Gini Foundation-Grants for Foreign Nationals, etc. The most popular among these is the Padua International Excellence Scholarship through which 44 students who have enrolled for an undergraduate or graduate program will receive a full fee waiver and an additional €8,000 per year. Since it is a merit-based scholarship, students will be automatically considered for the scholarship once they have submitted their admission application. The candidates who receive the scholarship will have to maintain a credit score of at least 20 ECTS without which the university will revoke the same.

Scuola Normale Superiore PhD Scholarships

Candidates who have applied to the Scuola Normale Superiore for a Ph.D. program will receive a scholarship irrespective of their nationality and field of study. The scholarship will include a full tuition fee waiver along with an amount that contributes to accommodation expenses. They will also be able to receive free meals from the facilities on the campus. Students will not be required to pay an enrollment fee and they will also be receiving funds that are to be invested in research activities irrespective of whether the research is being conducted within or outside the country.

University of Bocconi Women International Awards

The Women Awards or the Women International Awards offered by the University of Bologna is provided to women who have enrolled for MSc Finance. It is a fully merit-based scholarship that covers the entirety of the tuition fee as a fee waiver. The scholarship is provided to women who are exceptional and talented in the field of economics and finance since it is believed that these fields are dominated by men. Female candidates who have applied for the program will be considered for the scholarship irrespective of their nationality. The scholarship will be renewed for a second year only if the candidate gets at least 50 credits in their first year.

University of Milan International Economics Scholarships

This scholarship is provided to candidates who have applied for a master's program in economics at the University of Milan. It covers the entirety of the tuition fee as a fee waiver and is provided irrespective of the nationality of the candidate. Candidates are not expected to apply separately for the scholarship since their admission application will be considered automatically for the scholarship. The scholarship has a language requirement for which candidates will have to submit proof of language proficiency in the form of TEFL, IELTS, or TOEFL.

University of Pisa International Awards

This scholarship is awarded to 18 international students who have been enrolled for the master's programs that are taught in English at the University of Pisa. It is also provided for students who are enrolled in the Bachelor's degree for Management for business and Economics. The candidates who receive the scholarship will be awarded an amount of €6,000 and will also be exempted from paying the tuition fee in the first year of the program. The award amount will vary in the second and third years depending on whether the candidate is doing a master's or bachelor's program.

Fee-Reduction in Public Universities in Italy

In most public universities in Italy, students who have enrolled for a master's or bachelor's program will automatically be considered for the scholarship that they provide. The scholarship is offered as a fee waiver which can range from 20% of the fee to even 100% of the fee based on the economic condition of the candidate and their merit as displayed in their previous academic transcripts. Candidates who get a fee waiver that is less than 100% will have to pay the regional tax that is listed with the tuition fee which will range from €140 to €160 every year. They will also have to pay an additional amount of €16 for the revenue stamp.