Italy

Italian Government Scholarship (MAECI)

Italy's foreign-ministry scholarship for masters, PhD research and arts (AFAM) study. Less famous than DAAD or Campus France, which keeps competition moderate — and it stacks with Italy's income-based DSU system that can zero out fees entirely (see the self-funded guide).

No application feeAge limit

Fact sheet

Funding: ≈ €900/month + tuition exemption + health insurance
Typical deadline window: ~Apr – Jun (one annual call on the Study in Italy portal)
Application fee: None
Language test: Per programme (English-taught courses accept IELTS/TOEFL; B2 Italian for Italian-taught)
Where you study: Italy

What it covers

✓Monthly grant (≈ €900, paid quarterly)
✓Tuition/enrolment fee exemption at most institutions
✓Health and accident insurance
✓Grants of 6 or 9 months, renewable for multi-year courses

Can you apply?

▸Citizen of an eligible country (the call lists them each year)
▸Under 28 for Masters, under 30 for PhD applicants
▸Admission (or pending admission) to the Italian institution is your responsibility

Insider tips

From the winning side

01Apply to the university and to MAECI in parallel — waiting for admission first usually means missing the call.
02Even without MAECI, run the DSU regional-grant numbers: low family income can mean free tuition plus a grant at public universities.
03Italian-taught programmes with B2 Italian have far fewer international applicants per seat.

Official page ↗Track this application Document checklist

Useful services for this route

How we fund this site

Magoosh IELTS Prep ↗

Self-paced IELTS prep — far cheaper than coaching centres.

Wise ↗

Pay application/deposit fees abroad at the real exchange rate.

StudentUniverse ↗

Student-only fares for your first one-way flight.

Independent services we'd recommend anyway — using them never costs you extra.

Stipend amounts and deadlines shown are recent figures and change between intakes — always confirm on the official page above before planning.