Countries
Costs, visa process, work rights, scholarships and university options for studying in Italy.
Italy combines a large public university system with a small number of private institutions. Degrees follow the laurea (bachelor), laurea magistrale (master) and single-cycle structure, and English-taught programmes are concentrated at master level. Access is governed nationally by Ministry of University and Research (MUR) rules, while each university sets its own admission criteria, language thresholds and deadlines.
Applicants who need a visa first pre-enrol on the Universitaly portal; the university validates the pre-enrolment, and the applicant then books a consular appointment for a national type D study visa. The MUR circular for 2026/27 and 2027/28 sets the financial-means reference at 10,179.85 EUR per year, requires accommodation and health-insurance evidence, and sets visa-application cut-offs of 30 November 2026 (for 2026/27) and 31 October 2027 (for 2027/28) for degree courses.
Public tuition is income-based and varies widely. In the 2026/27 pages checked, non-EU students with family income abroad pay roughly 300 EUR (Sapienza, lowest country band) to 3,943.04 EUR (Politecnico di Milano, master's with a foreign first-level degree) per year, while a private university (Bocconi) quotes about 18,500 EUR. Regional right-to-study agencies (for example ER.GO, DiSCo Lazio, EDISU Piemonte) offer scholarships and housing on application, and the Italian government offers MAECI and Invest Your Talent in Italy scholarships through separate calls.
This dataset reflects official pages read on 23 October 2026. Several 2027/28 calls were not yet published, some university sites blocked automated access, and some values are explicitly null. Admission, scholarship and visa outcomes are individual decisions made by the universities, agencies and consulates.
University and regional-agency residences are assigned by competition on income and merit (ER.GO, DiSCo Lazio, EDISU Piemonte, ESU Padova); students not ranked use private rentals or university housing services. A visa applicant must show accommodation (booking for at least 30 days/one month, rental contract, hospitality declaration, or an assigned university residence place; merely applying to a residence does not count). A MAECI scholarship is compatible with university accommodation if no money is received from public right-to-study bodies. Example rents: ER.GO Bologna 239-322 EUR/month utilities included (from 16 Sept 2026).
When planning the total budget, separate one-off and monthly items. Budget planning guide
National type D study visa ('Studio - Immatricolazione Universita'). Steps: (1) pick a course and check the university's own admission rules; (2) complete a pre-enrolment application on Universitaly (the only official free portal per the MUR circular), which the university must validate; (3) book an appointment via the consulate (Prenot@mi where used, or a visa-centre provider such as VFS in Kazakhstan) and submit the national visa application with the validated pre-enrolment summary, passport, photo, qualification documents, proof of means, accommodation, insurance, language certificate and fee; fingerprints are mandatory for national visas since 11 January 2025; (4) after arrival, apply for the permesso di soggiorno for study within 8 working days at a post office (Sportello Amico) kit; the Questura later takes fingerprints. Pre-enrolment is not required for some categories (ITS courses, certain private/Pontifical institutions, EUI) per the Jerusalem consulate notice cited in the first pass. Visa applications for degree courses (laurea, laurea magistrale, single-cycle, AFAM) must be lodged no later than 30 November 2026 for 2026/27 and 31 October 2027 for 2027/28; universities may set earlier course-specific dates. Master (university), PhD, Erasmus, single-course and foundation applications have no fixed cut-off but cannot follow the start of classes. Visa validity is set by consulates (Tirana: 365 days, or up to 31 Jan 2027 where admission/language tests remain). Possession of a validated pre-enrolment does not guarantee a visa or an appointment.
A student permit (permesso di soggiorno per motivi di studio) allows subordinate employment for up to 20 hours per week, which may be averaged over 52 weeks, subject to an annual limit of 1,040 hours (art. 14, paragraph 4, DPR 394/1999). Longer work requires converting the permit to a work permit under art. 14 paragraph 6 (before expiry, within entry quotas, with a work contract via the Sportello Unico; for training or internships only after completing the course). Self-employment rules were not checked. After graduating in Italy, a student with a doctorate, university master's, bachelor's, master's or equivalent academic diploma can request a 9-12 month permit to look for work or start a business (art. 39-bis.1 TU 286/1998), subject to the income and insurance requirements cited there.
After graduation: Art. 39-bis.1 of D.Lgs. 286/1998 allows a foreigner who obtained a doctorate, university master, bachelor's, master's or an academic diploma in Italy to request, at the expiry of the study permit, a permit of not less than nine and not more than twelve months to look for work or start a business consistent with the completed course, with conversion to a work permit possible if requirements are met. The applicant must show the income requirements of art. 29(3)(b), the health-cover obligation of art. 34(3), and proof of the title (which may be supplied within 60 days).
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI)
MAECI with Italian Trade Agency, MUR and Uni-Italia
ER.GO (regional agency), for Bologna, Modena, Parma, Ferrara etc.
Lazio DiSCo (regional agency)
EDISU Piemonte (regional agency)
University of Padua
University of Padua
Politecnico di Torino
Politecnico di Milano (Lombardy right to study)
University of Bologna
Milan
Politecnico di Milano (campuses Milano Leonardo and Bovisa, plus Lecco, Cremona, Como and Piacenza), Bocconi University; University of Milan site was blocked to automated access. Polimi runs university residences in Milan, Lecco, Como and Cremona.
Bologna
University of Bologna has five campuses (Bologna, Cesena, Forli, Ravenna, Rimini); ER.GO residences in Bologna charge about 239-322 EUR per month for ranked students in 2026/27.
Rome
Sapienza University of Rome (founded 1303); regional agency DiSCo Lazio runs scholarships and housing; Tor Vergata also in Rome (not fetched in detail).
Padua
University of Padua (foundation 1222) offers ESU residences by competition and an International Housing Service since 2020.
Turin
Politecnico di Torino (since 1859) with over 8,000 foreign students from 120+ countries per its own figures page; regional agency EDISU Piemonte.
Pisa
University of Pisa (Studio Generale recognised in 1343); set 4,500 places for non-EU visa applicants for 2026/27.
Politecnico di Milano
Milan · Public
Maximum 3,943.04 EUR/year for 46-74 ECTS plan for non-EU master's students with a foreign first-level degree and no scholarship; first instalment 880.04 EUR; reduction possible with ISEE 2026 below 27,740 EUR only for categories not forced to the maximum
University of Bologna
Bologna (campuses: Bologna, Cesena, Forli, Ravenna, Rimini) · Public
Ordinary maximum 2,550 EUR (second cycle) plus 157.04 EUR first instalment; reduced flat fee 1,200 EUR + 157.04 EUR for freshman citizens of non-EU, non-OECD countries (Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Russia, Ukraine listed; Turkey not listed)
Sapienza University of Rome
Rome · Public
Country-band fixed contribution when income is abroad: 300 EUR (band A: includes Azerbaijan, Ukraine), 700 EUR (band B: includes Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkey), 1,500 EUR (band C: richer countries), plus regional tax and stamp; the ordinary all-inclusive maximum (ISEE-based) for the second contribution bracket (engineering, sciences, medicine, architecture) is 2,924 EUR (877 + 1,023 + 1,024 EUR); pre-selection fee 30 EUR per application
University of Padua
Padua · Public
Extra-EU citizens not resident in Italy pay a fixed, non-recalculable all-inclusive fee since 2023/24: 2,790 EUR (Group A humanities) or 2,990 EUR (Group B scientific incl. primary teacher education); 930 / 996.66 EUR for students from particularly poor countries. Plus first instalment 208 EUR (192 regional tax + 16 stamp) in the first year
Politecnico di Torino
Turin · Public
Country-based all-inclusive fee between 600 and 3,600 EUR (2026/27): Turkey 1,709, Russia 1,656, Kazakhstan 1,397, Azerbaijan 770, Ukraine 761 EUR; reduction via ISEE parificato possible
University of Pisa
Pisa · Public
Maximum annual comprehensive fee 2,900 EUR for students progressing regularly; ISEE up to 26,000 EUR pays only 16 EUR stamp + 140 EUR first instalment; fees paid in five instalments; ISEE for university due by 2 Nov 2026 (late fee 75 EUR to 31 Dec). Non-EU foreign-income rules not extracted.
Bocconi University
Milan · Private
About 18,500 EUR per year for first-year MSc students (2026/27 page); 19,300 EUR per year for those enrolling in 2027/28; can be modulated by family economic situation and merit aid
University of Milan (Universita degli Studi di Milano)
Milan · Public
University of Trento
Trento · Public
Information on this page is compiled from official sources and was verified on the date shown. Fees, dates and visa rules change often; check official sources before applying. Empty fields have not been verified yet; ask our advisor for the current information.
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