DSU Scholarship to Study in Italy

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:

• A certificate of family composition listing all relatives living together;
• Income certificates for all employed family members for the previous financial year (similar to a 2-NDFL form);
• A certificate of no income for non-employed family members (from the employment service or tax office);
• Real estate documents—proof of ownership and cadastral value;
• Bank statements for all family members as of December 31 of the reporting year.

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Common complications include unofficial or partial income of one parent, incorrectly formatted certificates, outdated bank statements, and missing apostilles on required documents.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:

• Student passport (copy);
• Certificate of family composition;
• Income certificates for all employed family members;
• Certificates of no income for unemployed/non-employed family members;
• Real estate documents indicating the cadastral value;
• Bank statements as of December 31 of the reporting year;
• Marriage/divorce certificates (if necessary).

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:

• Residence status (residente / non-residente / fuori sede) — directly affects the amount of the benefit. A student from another city or country who rents accommodation is considered “fuori sede” and generally receives maximum support.
• Family composition — must be entered strictly according to the certificate, without rounding or assumptions.
• ISEE Parificato data — the document must be ready at the time of submission and have a current registration number.

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:

• Monitor your email; the agency may request additional documents within 2-4 weeks after the application deadline.
• Watch for the publication of the preliminary ranking (graduatoria provvisoria), which is usually released in October-November.
  If you disagree with your ranking, you can file an appeal within a strictly defined deadline (usually 10-15 days).
• The final ranking (graduatoria definitiva) and first payment tranche are usually released in December.

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.