Italian Government Scholarships for Foreign Students

Brief description:

Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) offers scholarships to foreign citizens who do not live in Italy, and to Italian citizens living abroad (IRE), to study, train or do research at public or legally recognised Italian higher education institutions. The aim is to foster cultural, scientific and technological cooperation and to promote the Italian language and culture. The 2026-27 call closed on 26 March 2026, and the 2027-28 call has not been published yet.

Host Institution(s):

Public and legally recognised Italian higher education institutions

Level/Field(s) of study:

In the 2026-27 call: Master’s degrees (Laurea Magistrale), higher education courses in fine arts, music and dance (AFAM), PhD programmes, research under academic supervision, and Italian language and culture courses, in all fields. New awards for first-cycle (Bachelor’s) study were limited to AFAM programmes.

Target group:

Foreign citizens of the eligible countries listed in each year’s call, and Italian citizens living abroad (IRE) in the countries named in the call (in 2026-27: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lebanon, Morocco, Peru, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia, Uruguay and Venezuela)

Scholarship value/inclusions/duration:

In 2026-27 the grant was €9,000, paid in three instalments into an Italian bank account (€3,000 in a single payment for Italian language and culture courses). Grantees also get health and accident insurance arranged by MAECI and may be exempt from enrolment and tuition fees, depending on each university’s policy (not for Italian language courses). Scholarships last 3 to 9 months depending on the course, and renewals are granted only with satisfactory academic progress.

Eligibility:

In the 2026-27 call, applicants had to:

• be a foreign citizen not living in Italy, or an Italian citizen living abroad (IRE), from an eligible country;
• hold the academic qualification needed to enrol in the chosen Italian course;
• be no older than 28 for Master’s, AFAM and advanced Italian language courses, 30 for PhD programmes and 40 for research projects (except renewals);
• have at least B2-level Italian for Italian-taught courses or B2-level English for English-taught courses (A2-level Italian for Italian language courses; no language proof needed for PhD and research).

Application instructions:

Applications are currently closed.

Applications are submitted online through the Study in Italy portal. The 2026-27 deadline was 2 pm (Italian time) on 26 March 2026, and the 2027-28 call has not been published yet.

It is important to read each year’s Call for Applications on the Study in Italy portal and visit the official website (link found below) for detailed information on how to apply for this scholarship.

Website:

Official Scholarship Website: https://www.esteri.it/en/opportunita/borse-di-studio/per-cittadini-stranieri/borsestudio_stranieri/

Related Scholarships: Top 10+ Scholarships in Italy for International Students