Scholarships to Study in Italy for Indian Students
“Can I get a scholarship to study in Italy?” This is usually one of the first questions we hear from students who are planning their studies abroad. And it is a fair question. Tuition fees, accommodation, food, travel and other expenses can make the total cost of studying abroad look quite high when you first start planning.
But there is something we tell students quite early in the counselling process: don’t choose your university based only on the scholarship.
First decide what you want to study, which universities make sense for your profile and what your overall budget looks like. Then look at the scholarships and financial benefits available to you.
This approach gives you a much more realistic picture of what studying in Italy may actually cost.
Italy has several forms of financial support for students. These include scholarships offered by the Italian Government, regional financial benefits and scholarships or fee reductions offered by individual universities. Universitaly also provides information about scholarships and other student benefits available across the country.
So, if you are searching for scholarships to study in Italy for Indian students, here is where we suggest you begin.
What scholarships are available in Italy?
There isn’t one single “Italy scholarship” that all international students apply for. There are different schemes, and they can have very different eligibility rules. The main ones you will come across are:
- Italian Government scholarships, including the MAECI scholarship
- Regional scholarships and financial benefits
- University-specific scholarships
- Merit-based scholarships
- Need-based financial support and tuition benefits
Some students may be eligible for more than one type of support, while others may find that a particular scholarship simply doesn’t apply to their course or situation. That’s normal.
The important thing is to identify the options that actually fit your profile instead of collecting a long list of scholarships from Google and applying blindly.
MAECI Scholarship for Indian Students
When students search for an Italy government scholarship, they are often referring to the MAECI scholarship. MAECI stands for the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. The Ministry offers scholarships to eligible foreign students and Italian citizens living abroad under its annual call. Applications are made through the official Study in Italy portal.
The important word here is annual. The eligible countries, programmes, conditions and deadlines are specified in the relevant year’s call. So information published for one academic year should not automatically be treated as the rule for the next one.
For the 2026–27 academic year, applications for the MAECI scholarship had to be submitted through the Study in Italy portal by 26 March 2026 at 2 p.m. Italian time. The Italian Embassy in New Delhi also published information about the 2026–27 call and final ranking.
If you’re applying in a different intake, always check the new call rather than working from an old deadline.
What courses can MAECI support?
This is another point students sometimes miss.
MAECI is not simply a scholarship for “any course in Italy”.
For the 2026–27 call, the Study in Italy application system listed Master’s degrees, PhD programmes, research projects, higher education in Fine Arts, Music and Dance, intensive Italian language and culture courses, and a restricted route for Bachelor’s/single-cycle Master’s students who had already benefited from a specific scholarship programme.
So if you are planning a Bachelor’s degree, don’t assume that MAECI works in exactly the same way as it does for a Master’s student.
Regional scholarships in Italy
A lot of attention goes to MAECI, but Italy also has regional scholarships and financial benefits for students who meet the relevant conditions. Universitaly explains that regional bodies provide support for students who do not have sufficient financial means to pursue their studies. The relevant authority depends on the region where the institution is located.
And this is where your university and location become important. You cannot simply look up one national list and assume that the same scholarship rules apply everywhere.
A student choosing a university in one Italian region may have a different set of financial-support options from another student studying elsewhere.
Regional support can involve different kinds of benefits, and the actual rules, application process and requirements need to be checked for the relevant region and academic year.
For students who are particularly concerned about affordability, we therefore look at the financial side while shortlisting universities, not after everything else has been decided.
University scholarships in Italy
Italian universities may also offer their own scholarships, grants, fee reductions or other benefits for international students. These are worth checking individually.
Universitaly provides a dedicated section where students can look for scholarships and benefits promoted by institutions and can browse opportunities by region.
The Italian Embassy in New Delhi also publishes information about individual university scholarship opportunities. For example, its 2026–27 scholarship information included a university-specific call for international students from the University of Chieti-Pescara.
The point is simple: don’t assume that the only way to reduce your study cost is through a national government scholarship.
Merit-based vs need-based scholarships
These two terms create quite a bit of confusion.
A merit-based scholarship generally looks at academic performance or other achievements. A need-based benefit is more closely connected with financial circumstances and the documentation used to establish them. They are not interchangeable.
This matters because a student who doesn’t have exceptionally high marks may still have access to certain forms of financial support. At the same time, a student with excellent academic results cannot assume that every scholarship will automatically be available to them. Italy’s university support system recognises both merit and financial need as possible bases for assistance.
So don’t make the mistake of deciding your scholarship chances from your percentage alone. Look at the actual eligibility criteria for scholarships in Italy.
Can Indian students get scholarships to study in Italy?
Yes. Indian students can apply for eligible scholarship and financial-support opportunities available to international students, provided they meet the requirements of the particular scheme.
But there is no universal “Indian student scholarship”.
Your eligibility can depend on several things:
- The degree you want to study
- Your university
- Your academic qualifications
- Your financial circumstances
- The scholarship rules
- The country eligibility list, where applicable
- Your admission or enrolment status
- The documents you can provide
This is why two students applying for the same intake may have very different scholarship options. And honestly, that’s one of the reasons we don’t like giving students a simple answer such as, “Yes, you will get a scholarship.” Nobody can responsibly promise that without looking at the actual scholarship and the student’s profile.
Scholarships for Bachelor’s students
If you are planning a Bachelor’s degree in Italy, you should look beyond one particular scholarship.
University scholarships, regional financial benefits and tuition-related support may be relevant depending on your institution and circumstances. There can also be restrictions on particular government scholarship schemes. The 2026–27 MAECI call, for instance, had specific conditions around Bachelor’s and single-cycle Master’s applicants.
So if you’re a school-leaver looking at Italy, your scholarship research should happen alongside your university research. Don’t build your entire plan around a scholarship name you saw on a social media post.
Scholarships for Master’s students
For students planning a Master’s degree, there are several routes worth investigating. MAECI is one possibility, subject to the current call and eligible programmes. Regional benefits and university scholarships can also be relevant. This is often where the university shortlist becomes particularly important.
Suppose you have three universities on your list. Their tuition structure may differ. Their location may differ. The regional financial-support system may differ. The university’s own scholarship opportunities may also differ.
So instead of asking:
“Which university gives the biggest scholarship?”
we would ask:
“Which university gives me the best overall financial picture for the course I want?”
That is a much better comparison.
What about PhD scholarships in Italy?
PhD funding works somewhat differently from the usual Bachelor’s or Master’s scholarship search.
Many doctoral opportunities are connected to specific research positions and university programmes. So if you’re applying for a PhD, you should look at the individual doctoral call, research area, university and funding attached to that opportunity. Don’t treat a PhD application as simply another version of a Master’s scholarship application. The process and funding structure can be quite different.
What can a scholarship cover?
This is where we would ask you to be a little careful with the information you find online. You will see websites saying that students can study in Italy for free or that a scholarship “covers everything”. That is too broad.
Different scholarships provide different benefits. Depending on the scheme, support may relate to:
- Tuition fees
- Accommodation
- Meals
- Financial assistance
- Other student benefits
But you should never assume that receiving a scholarship means you will have zero expenses. You may still need money for your flight, visa-related expenses, initial accommodation, deposits, insurance, local transport and everyday personal spending.
So when we help a student calculate the budget, we don’t stop at the scholarship amount. We look at the cost left after the scholarship or financial benefit. That number is much more useful to a student planning their move.
Can you study in Italy without paying tuition fees?
In some circumstances, students may receive tuition reductions, exemptions or other financial benefits. But “Italy has free education” is not a good way to plan your finances. University fees can depend on the institution, programme and the student’s circumstances. Financial benefits may also be subject to their own eligibility and application requirements.
Universitaly specifically lists scholarships, benefits and the No Tax Area among the financial-support mechanisms available within the Italian higher-education system.
So rather than assuming that tuition will be zero, check what your chosen university actually charges and which reductions or benefits you may qualify for.
Do you need admission before applying for a scholarship?
There isn’t one answer for every scholarship. Some scholarship applications have their own procedure and deadline. Others are connected to university admission or enrolment.
MAECI, for example, has a separate scholarship application through the Study in Italy portal, while admission to an Italian university is a separate process. This is why students need to keep track of both timelines. If you’re applying for university admission and a scholarship, don’t assume that completing one automatically completes the other.
Documents required for an Italy scholarship
The exact documents depend on the scholarship. You may be asked for some combination of:
- Passport
- Academic certificates
- Academic transcripts
- Degree or school-leaving documents
- Admission-related documents
- CV
- Language certificate, where required
- Financial documents
- Other supporting documents mentioned in the scholarship call
Financial documentation can be particularly important for need-based benefits. This is one area where leaving everything until the deadline can create unnecessary stress. Some documents may need additional preparation, translation, legalisation or other formalities depending on what the scholarship authority or university asks for.
When should you start applying for scholarships?
As early as you start shortlisting universities. Not because every scholarship opens extremely early, but because the deadlines do not necessarily follow your university admission timeline.
The MAECI deadline, for example, came much earlier in 2026 than many students would expect. Applications for the 2026–27 cycle closed on 26 March 2026.
University and regional scholarship deadlines can be different. So our usual advice is: Don’t wait for admission to finish before you start thinking about scholarships.
At the same time, don’t let the scholarship search push you into choosing a university that isn’t right for your course or career plans.
Common mistakes students make
We’ve seen students approach scholarships almost like a lottery. They find a list of ten scholarships, check the amounts and start applying. That’s not really how you should approach it. A few things are worth avoiding.
Choosing a university only because of a scholarship
If you don’t actually like the course or university, a scholarship isn’t going to make the decision better.
Looking at old scholarship information
Scholarship calls change. Deadlines change. Eligible programmes can change. Always check the current academic year’s information.
Assuming high marks guarantee funding
They may help for a merit-based scholarship, but they are not the only factor for every form of financial support.
Ignoring financial documents
If financial need is part of the assessment, the supporting documents matter.
Missing the deadline
This sounds obvious, but it happens. And once the deadline has passed, a good academic profile usually doesn’t help.
Assuming one scholarship covers every expense
Work out the remaining cost yourself. That is the safer way to plan.
How Anigdha helps with scholarships in Italy
Italy Scholarship guidance is not really about handing a student a list of scholarship names. The useful part is understanding which ones make sense for that particular student.
At Anigdha, our study abroad consultants start with your course, academic profile, university preferences and budget. Then we look at the financial-support options connected to the universities you are considering.
We can help you understand:
- Which scholarship categories may be relevant
- What the eligibility conditions mean
- Which documents you need to prepare
- Whether the scholarship application is separate from admission
- What deadlines you need to keep track of
- How scholarship support fits into your overall study budget
We also believe in being realistic. If a particular scholarship doesn’t look suitable for your profile, we’d rather tell you that before you spend time preparing an application.
Sometimes the better solution is to change the university shortlist. Sometimes it is to look at a different financial-support option. And sometimes you simply need to plan for a certain amount of self-funding. That’s part of proper counselling too.
