Can You Study in Italy for Free? An Honest Guide for Indian Students

Estimated reading time: 13 minutes

The short answer: not automatically, but for some Indian students the cost can come close to zero. At many Italian public universities, tuition depends on your family’s income and property, assessed through a system called ISEE. On top of that, regional grants can cover housing, meals and a cash award. Both depend on documentation prepared correctly and submitted on time, and the grant has to be earned again every year.

This guide explains how the system works for families in India. It covers what happens if you don’t submit ISEE, gives a worked example for a family of four, and helps you decide whether Italy is the right choice in the first place.

Is studying in Italy free for Indian students?

No Italian public university is free by default. That is the key difference from Germany, where public universities charge no tuition to anyone regardless of income.

Italy works differently:

1. Tuition is income-assessed. Each university publishes its own fee regulations, with bands linked to the family’s ISEE value. Lower values fall into lower bands.
2. Regional grants add support. DSU grants (Diritto allo Studio Universitario) are run by regional agencies. They can include a cash grant, meals, housing and a fee exemption.
3. Scholarships are competitive. Government and university scholarships sit on top of the first two, and they are awarded on merit.

Even when all three work in your favour, some costs remain. A regional right-to-study tax and stamp duty are usually payable, living costs are real, and the visa asks you to show funds of your own.

What is ISEE, and how does it work for families in India?

ISEE is Italy’s indicator of a household’s economic situation. For families whose income and property are outside Italy, universities and regional agencies use an equivalent assessment, usually called the ISEEU parificato, or a method they set out in their own call.

The main rules for families abroad are:

• Income: each family member’s income for the reference year, converted into euros.
• Property: only buildings count, not agricultural or vacant land. Buildings are valued at a conventional €500 per square metre, not at market value.
• Savings and investments: bank balances, fixed deposits, mutual funds and shares, as at the reference date.
• Family size: the total is divided by an equivalence scale. For a family of four the factor is 2.46, so larger families end up with a lower ISEE value.

Depending on the university, the calculation is done by a designated CAF (a tax assistance centre in Italy) or by the university itself. Either way, the source documents have to come from India. They must be issued by the competent authorities and translated and legalised in the way the call specifies. This takes weeks, so start as soon as you have a shortlist rather than after you receive an offer.

Documents to prepare in India

The exact list is set by your university’s or regional agency’s call, but the core set is the same across Italian universities:

• Family composition certificate listing every member of the household, with dates of birth and relationships.
• Income for the reference year for every family member, such as ITRs, Form 16 or salary records, plus any pensions or government benefits received.
• Property records showing the floor area, in square metres, of every building the family owns at 31 December of the reference year. If the family owns no buildings, a certificate stating that. If your sale deed or tax receipt gives the area in square feet, or not at all, you will need a document that states it.
• Bank and investment balances at 31 December of the reference year for savings accounts, fixed deposits, mutual funds, shares and insurance policies. Some universities also ask for the average balance across the year.
• Business records if a parent runs a business, or a declaration that there is none.

The reference years are set in each call and are not the same everywhere, so check yours before you collect anything.

Every document must be translated into Italian by a certified translator and legalised. India has been a party to the Hague Apostille Convention since 2005, so an apostille from the Ministry of External Affairs does the job, with no further consular legalisation. MEA does not accept documents directly. Applications go through its authorised outsourced service providers.

What happens if you don’t submit ISEE?

If you do not submit ISEE or its equivalent, two things usually follow:

• You are placed in the highest fee band for that academic year.
• You cannot apply for a DSU grant, because the grant depends on the economic assessment.

Missing the deadline usually has the same effect. Some universities use a different method for non-EU students living abroad, including fixed fees, so check your university’s fee regulations.

A worked example: a family of four

This is a simplified illustration to show how the assessment behaves. The real calculation applies allowances that usually lower the result, and each university or agency can use its own method.

Family A: two parents and two children. Annual income is ₹12 lakh, they own a 100 m² flat, and they have ₹5.5 lakh in savings. At roughly ₹110 to the euro:

Item	Value
Income	about €10,900
Flat, 100 m² at €500/m²	€50,000
Savings	about €5,000
Assets counted at 20%	€11,000
Income plus counted assets	€21,900
Divided by 2.46 (family of four)	ISEE about €8,900

Family B: also four people. Annual income is ₹25 lakh, they own buildings totalling 400 m², and they have savings of about €10,000. Their ISEE works out at about €26,300, which is under the 2026/27 national limit of €28,339.88.

However, grants also have a limit on wealth alone, the ISPE: property and savings divided by the family-size factor. Family B’s ISPE is about €85,000, well above the €61,608.48 limit. So Family B would not qualify for a DSU grant, even though its ISEE is under the limit.

Two lessons follow. The conventional €500 per square metre value often works in favour of Indian families. But families with several buildings can fail the wealth test even when their income is modest.

Regions can also set lower limits than the national ones. Always read your region’s call.

DSU grants: what they cover and what they ask in return

For 2026/27, the national minimum grant is:

Student’s situation	Minimum grant
Living away from home	€7,171.11
Commuting	€4,190.71
Living at home	€2,890.16

International students who move to Italy usually fall into the first group. Part of the grant can be paid as services, such as university housing and meals, rather than cash.

There are three things to know before counting on a DSU grant:

• The calls come early. Applications typically open in late June and close in August or September, often before you know your entrance test result. Your documents therefore need to be ready in India.
• Regions differ. Each regional agency sets its own call, deadlines and sometimes lower income limits. Examples are ER.GO in Emilia-Romagna, EDISU in Piedmont, DiSCo in Lazio and ESU in Veneto.
• The grant must be earned again every year. Renewal depends on earning a minimum number of credits by dates set in the call, often around 20 credits in the first year. In some regions, first-year students who fall short must repay part of the grant. If your programme is demanding, plan for that risk.

Scholarships Indian students can actually apply for

Scholarship	What it offers	Timing
Invest Your Talent in Italy (IYT)	For selected English-taught master’s programmes in engineering, architecture and design, and economics and management. Includes a monthly stipend, a tuition exemption (the regional tax and stamp duty still apply) and a compulsory internship at an Italian company. India is an eligible country. Cannot be combined with other Italian public funding such as DSU.	The call usually opens in spring. The 2026/27 deadline was 11 May 2026.
Italian Government (MAECI) scholarships	For master’s, PhD and other programmes. Includes a grant, insurance and a possible fee exemption depending on the university. Amounts and age limits are set in each call.	The 2026/27 call closed on 26 March 2026.
University scholarships	Merit awards set by individual universities, with their own calls and deadlines.	Check each university’s international admissions pages.

None of these is guaranteed. Merit scholarships are competitive, and IYT cannot be combined with other Italian public funding, so choose which to pursue carefully.

Do Italian universities accept an MOI certificate instead of IELTS?

Some do, many do not. A Medium of Instruction (MOI) certificate from your previous institution is accepted by some English-taught programmes in place of IELTS or TOEFL. There is no national rule. The programme’s own admission call decides, and it can differ from the university’s general guidance.

The consulate may also ask for evidence of your language level as part of the visa application. If you need a test, our IELTS and Duolingo programmes run online.

What about programmes taught in Italian?

Most bachelor’s programmes in Italy are taught in Italian. For these, non-EU applicants living abroad usually need Italian at B2 level, proven with a certificate from the CLIQ system recognised by the Italian ministry:

• CELI 3 (B2)
• CILS DUE (B2)
• CERT.IT (B2)
• PLIDA (B2)

Universities set the details. The University of Turin, for example, accepts certificates issued in the last three years, uploaded by the pre-enrolment deadline, and also accepts the CISIA ITA-L2 test. Some universities run their own language test.

Italian can matter even on an English-taught programme. Politecnico di Milano asks students on its English-taught master’s programmes to reach B1 Italian before their final exam, and offers free courses to get there. Some Italian also makes part-time work and daily life much easier.

Is there a “free study visa” for Italy?

No. Every student, scholarship holder or not, applies for the same long-stay (Type D) study visa.

Before the visa you must complete Universitaly pre-enrolment, which the university then validates. You also need to show adequate financial means through lawful, traceable resources, and the consulate’s current guidance sets what counts as evidence. That requirement is separate from your tuition, so a low fee band does not remove it. For the current requirements, see the information panel on our Study in Italy page.

Within 8 working days of arriving in Italy, you must apply for your residence permit (permesso di soggiorno).

Which universities use ISEE-based fees?

Most Italian public universities link fees to ISEE, including large universities such as Bologna, Padua and Sapienza. The fee bands, thresholds and rules for non-EU students differ from university to university, so compare the fee regulations of each university on your shortlist rather than relying on a single “Italy” figure.

For reference, here is where the leading public universities stand in the QS World University Rankings 2027:

University	QS 2027
Politecnico di Milano	87
Sapienza University of Rome	111
University of Bologna	123
University of Padua	204
Politecnico di Torino	206
University of Milan	270
University of Pisa	341

A ranking is one input among several, not the answer. Programme fit, language of instruction and your career plan matter more.

What living costs look like

A low fee band does not lower your rent. These are the universities’ own monthly estimates:

City	Room	Food	Local transport
Milan (Politecnico di Milano)	€400 to €700	€150 to €200	€20 to €30
Turin (Politecnico di Torino)	€400 to €600 single, about half for shared	€200 to €300	about €26
Bologna (University of Bologna)	about €400 single, €300 shared, plus utilities	about €60 a week	€27 student pass
Padua (University of Padua)	€300 to €600 single, €250 to €400 shared, plus expenses	about €60 a week	about €35 to €44

On top of these come utilities, a phone plan, study materials and the residence permit fees. A DSU grant that includes university housing or meals can bring the first two columns down considerably, which is one more reason to apply on time.

Are Italian degrees recognised in India?

Generally, yes. The Association of Indian Universities (AIU) grants equivalence to degrees awarded by universities that are recognised in their own country, when the student studied full-time, on campus, for the prescribed duration. Italian public universities meet the first condition.

AIU does not grant equivalence for:

• online, distance or open study;
• programmes entered through a pathway or diploma-level institution;
• degrees completed in less than the prescribed duration;
• professional degrees such as medicine, law, architecture, nursing and pharmacy. Recognition for practising in India runs through the relevant council, such as the National Medical Commission for medicine.

Within Europe, Italian degrees follow the Bologna Process structure of bachelor’s (laurea), master’s (laurea magistrale) and doctorate, which other European systems read against their own.

Should you choose Italy at all?

Affordability alone is not a good reason to pick a country. Italy tends to suit:

• students in fields where Italy is strong, such as engineering, architecture, design and some sciences, who want to build a career in Europe;
• families whose documents are likely to produce a low ISEE and who can meet early deadlines;
• students organised enough to manage pre-enrolment, ISEE, DSU renewal and the residence permit, each with its own clock.

Italy may be a weaker fit for:

• students whose main career goal is the US, Canada or Australia, where most Italian universities are less well known;
• families with substantial property, who may fail the wealth test and would pay the higher fees;
• students who want the simplest possible process. For them, Germany charges no tuition at public universities regardless of income.

After graduation, eligible graduates may apply for a job-search residence permit of 9 to 12 months, and a study permit can be converted into a work permit if the requirements are met. During study, part-time work is allowed up to 20 hours a week. Neither should be built into your budget as guaranteed income.

A realistic timeline for 2027/28 entry

• Now: shortlist programmes, and start gathering income, property and savings documents for the reference years.
• Winter to spring 2027: apply to universities, which often admit in rounds. Watch for the MAECI and IYT calls.
• After admission: complete Universitaly pre-enrolment and have it validated.
• June to September 2027: apply for your DSU grant, with documents already translated and legalised.
• By 31 October 2027 at the latest: lodge your visa application. This is the national final date for ordinary degree enrolment, and universities may set earlier dates.
• On arrival: apply for your residence permit within 8 working days.

How we help

We are an independent, commission-free advisory. We do not take money from universities, so our only job is to work out whether Italy fits your profile. We have helped hundreds of students plan their studies abroad. For Italy, that work covers:

• estimating your likely fee band and grant eligibility from your family’s documents before you apply;
• building a shortlist around programmes where the numbers work;
• preparing the ISEE and DSU paperwork, Universitaly pre-enrolment and your visa file.

We can’t guarantee a fee band, a grant or a visa, and nobody honestly can.

Frequently asked questions

Want to know whether Italy works for your family’s numbers? Our chat support team is available 24/7. Message us on WhatsApp or send us an enquiry.

Related reading: Study in Italy · Study in Italy After 12th