Study in Italy: Degrees, Fees and Scholarship Conditions

An Italian scholarship can reduce tuition, provide cash or include specific services. Its coverage and payment timetable are set by the award conditions. For applicants in Nigeria, those conditions sit alongside university admission, assessment of school qualifications and the language of the course.

This article explains the academic and financial terms used by Italian institutions. It does not rank universities or treat a scholarship application as evidence of admission.

Sources checked on 26 October 2026. The university fee example concerns the 2026/27 academic year.

Scholarships in Italy: what the award actually covers

Scholarships in Italy for international students are administered through different calls. ER.GO, Emilia-Romagna’s support body, assesses both household-income and asset indicators, ISEE and ISPE. Both must meet the call’s thresholds. For income or assets held abroad, its FAQ requires the prescribed official documentation, translation and legalisation. This regional example is not a national scholarship application system. [1]

Funding can take several forms; the call specifies what is included.

• Fee waiver: reduces a university charge.
• Cash award: provides money under the award’s conditions.
• Accommodation or meals: may form a separate part of support.

Fully funded scholarships in Italy: the limits of the label

“Fully funded” needs a defined scope: tuition, mandatory charges, accommodation, living expenses and travel are separate categories. The phrase alone does not specify coverage or payment dates. An award can also cover a different period from the full degree, so the duration of funding and the duration of the course are separate facts.

Study in Italy for free: tuition and other payments

At the University of Bologna, the published 2026/27 fee structure includes a fixed €157.04 payment and a variable contribution linked to the programme and household circumstances. Reductions depend on the applicable conditions and supporting information. This is an institutional example, not a nationwide tuition quotation. [3]

The question of whether someone can study in Italy for free also leaves everyday expenses unresolved. Course fees and living costs have different recipients and payment schedules. For a household funding expenses from Nigeria, a euro-denominated charge and its naira equivalent are different amounts: the latter depends on the exchange rate and payment conditions at the time. No fixed naira conversion is used here.

Qualification assessment and course selection

For study in Italy for international students, Universitaly identifies institution-specific entry conditions: prior qualifications and grades, possible tests or interviews, and language skills. Universities evaluate the foreign qualifications submitted for enrolment. [6]

The degree behind the course name

The first-cycle Laurea normally comprises three years and 180 CFU. The Laurea Magistrale has 120 CFU; single-cycle programmes combine the relevant levels over five or six years. CFU and ECTS correspond one to one. These official categories explain more than a loose English use of “master” in a course advertisement. [7]

Bologna explicitly distinguishes the master universitario, or Professional Master, normally one year and 60 CFU, from the two-year Laurea Magistrale. These are not equivalent awards simply because an English description uses the word “master”. [8]

English-taught study and the surrounding academic setting

Universitaly distinguishes predominantly Italian-taught undergraduate provision from the English-taught programmes available at graduate level. The relevant programme determines the language evidence it accepts. English as a previous teaching language does not create a blanket IELTS exemption across Italy. [6]

For Economics and Finance at Bologna, the programme description specifies B2 English or equivalent, mathematics and logical reasoning. International Studies used different 2026/27 selection rounds: Italian-language TOLC-E with B2 evidence, or SAT. For the TOLC-E route, accepted English evidence included certification of an English-medium qualification under the published conditions. These are past-cycle examples, not a claim that applications remain open. [9] [10]

Admission and funding leave entry and residence requirements to be considered under their own rules: Italy overview and explanation of student visas and study migration describe that part of the process.