Deadlines, Exams, and Scholarships: Your Guide to Studying in the USA, Europe, and Asia
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Unlike merit scholarships (which are awarded for outstanding results and require a competitive process), the DSU primarily evaluates the family’s financial situation. This opens it up to a wide range of students, including international students who may not have the opportunity to compete with top graduates for a limited number of “award” places.
The DSU support package is quite substantial: it can include a full tuition waiver, an annual cash payment of up to €6,000–€8,000, a place in university dorms, and free meals in the student canteen.
The DSU is implemented through regional agencies: DSU Toscana, DiSCo Lazio, EDISU Piemonte, ER.GO (Emilia-Romagna), and others. They publish the official competitions (bando) annually, setting deadlines, requirements, and payment amounts. It’s important to understand this from the outset: there are no uniform federal rules; each region has its own program with its own conditions and deadlines.
The DSU is available to both Italian and international students. Application requirements:
If the family income is below the ISEE threshold of €13,560–€14,000, the student is eligible for a full support package: cash payment, dormitory accommodation, meals, and a full waiver of tuition fees. Partial benefits and reduced tuition fees are available for those with an income of up to €25,000–€30,000.
In the first year of a bachelor’s degree, academic requirements are not applied; rankings are determined solely by financial indicators. In the second year and beyond, a mandatory academic achievement criterion is added: students must earn a minimum number of credit units (CFU) by specified dates. There is no age limit for participation in the competition.
The DSU support package is one of the most comprehensive student programs in Europe. It consists of three main components, which can be provided either together or separately, depending on the region and the applicant’s financial profile.
The cash payment is an annual stipend paid directly to the student and is non-refundable. The amount depends on three factors: the university’s region, the student’s residence status (whether they live with a host family or rent), and their income level according to the ISEE.
The estimated payment range for 2025–2026 is €2,500 to €7,900 per year for non-resident students (those who relocated for their studies and do not live with a host family). Students with the lowest verified income receive the maximum amount. Payments are made in two tranches, typically in December and May–June.
A place in student dormitory is provided through the DSU program on a competitive basis. Spaces are limited—in large cities (Milan, Rome, Florence), there are significantly fewer available places than applicants. If a place in the dormitory is not secured, students may receive a monetary compensation for rent—a “borsa alloggio” (housing stipend). The amount and terms of this stipend are determined by the regional agency and depend on average market rent in the specific city.
It is important to understand that a place in the dormitory and the monetary compensation are two separate components of the package. Receiving one does not automatically guarantee the other. It is important to carefully review the terms and conditions of your specific region and the current year’s bando.
Students included on the DSU (beneficiari) list are generally entitled to one free or reduced-price meal per day in the university canteen. This represents a significant savings: lunch at the student mensa costs 5-8 euros for a “regular” student, while for a DSU recipient it’s practically free or even nominal.
Some regions offer additional benefits, including discounts on public transportation, partial reimbursement of study materials, and discounted access to university sports facilities. The specific list depends on the regional agency and the current year’s bando.
The DSU conditions in Tuscany, Lazio, Lombardy, and Emilia-Romagna differ in several key parameters:
Official websites of regional agencies where current bando are published: dsu.toscana.it (Tuscany – Florence, Pisa, Siena), discostudenti.it (Lazio – Rome), er-go.it (Emilia-Romagna – Bologna, Modena), edisu.piemonte.it (Piedmont – Turin). Look for the “Bando borse di studio” section; this year’s official competition with all requirements is posted there.
ISEE (Indicatore della Situazione Economica Equivalente) is an Italian indicator of a family’s financial situation. It is calculated based on the combined income of all family members for the previous year and their assets, including real estate, bank accounts, and securities. The lower the ISEE value, the more government support a student can receive.
For Italian citizens and students whose income is solely in Italy, the ISEE can be obtained through CAF (Centro di Assistenza Fiscale) tax assistance centers or online through the INPS portal. The procedure is free and standard. Form DSU (Dichiarazione Sostitutiva Unica) is submitted—a declaration of the property and family status of all family members.
International students whose family income and assets are wholly or partially located outside of Italy cannot obtain a standard ISEE. They require an ISEE Parificato (or ISEEU Parificato)—an equivalent document calculated based on foreign financial documentation.
The standard ISEE Parificato package includes:
All documents must be translated into Italian by a translator approved by the Italian embassy and apostilled (or legalized through the Italian consulate in the country of origin). This step takes the longest and is the main source of delays in application.
Common complications include unofficial or partial income of one parent, incorrectly formatted certificates, outdated bank statements, and missing apostilles on required documents. Any of these issues can result in an inflated ISEE Parificato, which directly reduces the payment amount or disqualifies the student from the selection threshold.
The first step is to determine the region in which your university is located and visit the website of the relevant regional DSU agency. Find the “Bando borse di studio” section for the current academic year. The Bando is the official competition document, which details everything: who can apply, what documents are required, the ISEE thresholds, the deadline, and how the ranking is calculated.
Read the Bando in its entirety if anything is unclear; regional agencies have email support and FAQ sections. Check directly: errors due to unverified information can be costly. At the same time, make sure your pre-admission to the university is confirmed through the Universitaly portal. Many regional DSU portals require Universitaly data when registering an application.
Start collecting documents at least 3-4 months before the application deadline. Apostilles in some countries take 2 to 6 weeks, and translation by a certified translator takes another 1-2 weeks.
Sample list of documents:
Confirmation of enrollment or pre-enrollment at an Italian university
All documents must be apostilled and have a notarized translation into Italian. For specific exceptions and additions, please contact your regional bando.
The DSU application is submitted online through your personal account on the regional agency website or on the university portal (depending on the university and region). When filling out the application, pay particular attention to the following fields:
Any inaccuracy in the application, whether an error in residence status or discrepancies in data and documents, may result in a decrease in the final score in the ranking or rejection of the application.
After submitting your application, please keep the receipt (ricevuta/receipt). It confirms your application has been accepted and may be required for subsequent inquiries from the agency or for appeals.
Next steps:
The annual bando for most regions is published in June–July. The application deadline is August–mid-September. This means that if you start collecting documents in August, you’re already late.
Optimal preparation calendar:
A delay at any stage is critical. Apostilles in some countries can take up to 4–6 weeks. A translation with a certified translator takes 7 to 14 days. The bank may issue an official statement within 3 to 10 business days. Please allow extra time for each step.
In the first year of an undergraduate program, the DSU scholarship is awarded based solely on financial criteria; there are no academic requirements. However, to confirm eligibility for the second year and beyond, students must demonstrate minimum academic progress.
CFU (credit unit) requirements vary by region and program, but there are some common points:
Monitor your progress from the first semester and don’t put off exams.
Most denials and lost payments are the result of typical, recurring errors. The most common are:
Tuscany’s DSU regulations do not apply to Lazio. Always consult the regulations for your regional agency—no exceptions.
Incomplete income information (such as undeclared rent), outdated bank statements, and incorrectly reported family composition can all inflate the ISEE score and reduce the award amount or disqualify a student from the selection threshold.
A simple notarized translation without an apostille is not accepted. Documents from CIS countries require an apostille or consular legalization at the Italian embassy, depending on the country of origin.
The translation must be done by a certified translator approved by the Italian Embassy. Uncertified or uncertified translations will be rejected.
Bando’s deadline is very strict. No applications will be accepted after it closes. No exceptions or extensions.
A student renting accommodation in their hometown is entitled to a higher support amount than someone living with a family. An error in this field will result in an underestimation of the calculated benefit amount.
Students who fail to keep track of loan deadlines risk not only losing future scholarships but also having to repay those they’ve already received.
The application must be submitted while still in the country of origin; by the time of arrival, the deadline is often already closed.
The best chance of getting a DSU is the result of proper preparation. What influences the result?
Documents:
Strategy:
Academic:
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