DSU Scholarship in Italy: The Complete Guide for International Students

What is the DSU scholarship?

DSU stands for Diritto allo Studio Universitario — "the right to university study". It is a need-based scholarship funded by the Italian state and the regions, created so that students with limited financial means can study at university. It is not a merit scholarship in the traditional sense: the main question is your family's economic situation, not your grades.

The most important thing to understand is that DSU is regional. Each Italian region has its own agency, its own call for applications (called the "bando"), its own deadlines and slightly different rules. A few examples: ER.GO in Emilia-Romagna (Bologna, Modena, Parma, Ferrara), EDISU Piemonte (Turin), DSU Toscana (Florence, Pisa, Siena), DiSCo Lazio (Rome), ESU in Veneto (Padua, Venice, Verona), and ERSU in Sicily. In Lombardy (Milan, Pavia, Bergamo) the universities themselves manage the scholarship. So the rules that apply to you depend on where your university is.

What does the DSU scholarship cover?

The DSU package usually includes several benefits together:

A cash grant (borsa di studio): paid every academic year. The amount depends on your family's financial situation and your student status. For students living away from home, the highest amounts can reach roughly €7,000 per year, while lower-income thresholds and other categories receive less.

A tuition fee waiver: DSU winners are usually exempt from university tuition and the regional tax, so you pay little or nothing to the university.

Accommodation: many agencies offer a place in student residences. If you get a room, its cost is normally deducted from your cash grant — but it is still one of the cheapest and safest ways to live in an Italian city.

Meals: free or heavily discounted meals at university canteens, often one or two meals per day.

Extras: some regions offer additional support for international mobility (such as Erasmus), for students with disabilities, or for graduating on time.

In sede, pendolare or fuori sede — why your status matters

The agency classifies every student in one of three categories, and the amount of your grant depends on it. "In sede" means you live in the same city as your university. "Pendolare" means you commute from a nearby town. "Fuori sede" means you moved to the city to study and rent accommodation there.

Almost all international students are fuori sede, which is the category with the highest grant. But there is a condition: you usually need a registered rental contract in the city for most of the academic year (often at least 10 months), or a place in a university residence. Without a proper contract, you may be reclassified and receive much less.

Who is eligible?

International students — including non-EU students — can apply on the same terms as Italian students. You need to meet three types of requirements.

Enrolment: you must be enrolled (or about to enrol) in a Bachelor's, Master's, single-cycle or PhD program at a university in that region.

Economic requirements: your family's income and assets must be below the limits set in the bando. These are measured with an indicator called ISEE. For international students, the national maximum ISEE is around €26,000, but each region can set its own limits and every year they are updated.

Merit requirements: first-year students do not need previous grades to win the scholarship, but they must earn a minimum number of university credits (CFU) during the first year to keep it. From the second year, a minimum number of credits is required to apply again.

ISEE Parificato: the key document

Because your family income is not registered in Italy, you cannot get a normal ISEE. Instead, you need an ISEE Parificato — an equivalent calculation based on your family's documents from your home country. It is usually issued for free by a CAF (an authorised tax assistance centre) in Italy, or through the scholarship agency itself.

To calculate it, you will need official documents about your family, such as: a family composition certificate listing all members of your household; income certificates for each family member for the reference year (usually two years before the application); property certificates showing any houses, apartments or land the family owns, or a certificate stating that they own none; and bank balance statements as of 31 December of the reference year.

These documents usually must be translated into Italian and legalised — either with an apostille or by the Italian embassy or consulate in your country, depending on the country. This is the step that takes the longest, so start months before the deadline.

Students from countries on Italy's official list of "particularly poor countries" may follow a simplified procedure, presenting a certificate from the Italian embassy instead of the full set of documents. The list changes, so check the current bando for your region.

Step-by-step: how to apply

1. Choose your university, and therefore your region and agency. 2. Read that agency's bando carefully as soon as it is published — usually between June and August. 3. Get your Italian tax code (codice fiscale), which is needed for the application. 4. Prepare, translate and legalise your family documents. 5. Get your ISEE Parificato from a CAF or through the agency. 6. Submit the online application on the agency's portal before the deadline — often in late summer or early autumn. 7. If you want accommodation, check whether it requires a separate application or an earlier deadline. 8. Follow the provisional and final rankings, usually published in the autumn, and complete any steps required after you win, such as uploading documents or confirming your enrolment.

Remember that DSU deadlines run alongside university admissions, Universitaly pre-enrolment and your student visa. Planning all four together is essential.

How and when the money is paid

The cash grant is usually paid in two instalments. The first typically arrives in the first months of the academic year, often between December and February, once your enrolment and documents are confirmed. The second instalment is paid later, and for first-year students it is often linked to reaching the minimum number of credits.

Payments go to an Italian bank account or prepaid card in your name, so opening an account soon after arriving is important.

Keeping your scholarship: the credit requirement

This rule surprises many students. If you are a first-year student and do not reach the required credits by the deadline set in the bando — often around 20 CFU by the following August or November — you may lose the second instalment and even be asked to repay the money and the value of services you received.

In the following years, you must reach a minimum total number of credits to stay eligible. The good news: if you pass your exams regularly, you can receive the DSU scholarship for every year of your degree, plus usually one extra semester.

The most common mistakes

Starting the documents too late: legalisation and translation can take weeks or months. Using the wrong year: income and assets must refer to the exact reference year stated in the bando. Leaving out family members or property: declarations are checked, and false or incomplete information can lead to cancellation and penalties. Missing the accommodation deadline, which can be earlier than the scholarship deadline. Not registering a rental contract, which can change your status from fuori sede to a lower category. And not tracking credits during the first year.

Is DSU worth the effort?

Absolutely. For many international students, the DSU scholarship turns Italy into one of the most affordable places in the world to earn a European degree. The process is detailed and the paperwork is strict, but it is completely achievable with good planning. Keep in mind that the student visa still requires proof of funds, so DSU does not replace that requirement — but once you arrive, it can cover a large part of your costs.