Fees depend on family income
Italian public universities calculate most students' fees from family income and assets, using an indicator called the ISEE (for families abroad, an equivalent calculated from home-country documents). Students from lower-income families pay little or nothing, and some universities offer reduced flat fees to students from developing countries.
Regional grants (DSU)
Each Italian region funds a student-aid agency that awards the diritto allo studio (DSU) scholarship. In Emilia-Romagna, where the University of Bologna is, the agency is ER.GO. For 2026–27 it offered a full fee exemption plus a grant of up to €7,171.11 a year for students living away from home, with access to student housing, for families with an ISEE of up to €25,000 and an ISPE of up to €50,000. Applications ran from late June to 24 August 2026.
Merit scholarships
Some universities reward strong international applicants directly. Politecnico di Milano waives tuition for top applicants to its English-taught master's programmes, and adds up to €10,000 a year for the highest-ranked — but only for applicants who apply in its Early Bird window (1 October to 1 December).
Paperwork is the hard part
Income-based aid needs official documents about your family's income and property from your home country, usually translated and legalised. Start collecting them in spring: DSU windows close in late summer, often before international students arrive.