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How to study in Italy as an international student: income-based tuition, English-taught degrees, Universitaly enrolment, scholarships, visas, costs and work.
Canonical: https://www.prezumi.com/blog/study-in-italy
Italy is one of the more affordable places in Europe to earn a recognised degree, and a growing number of programmes are taught entirely in English. Public universities charge tuition on a sliding scale tied to family income, so many international students pay a few hundred to a couple of thousand euros a year rather than the tens of thousands common in the UK or the US. This guide walks through the whole path: choosing a university, enrolling through Universitaly, finding funding, getting a study visa, settling in, and working during and after your studies.
It also points to four detailed guides that go deeper on each stage. Read this page first for the overview, then follow the links to the part you need next.
The headline reason is cost. At public universities, tuition is set against your declared family income and assets through a document called the ISEE (more on that below and in the Scholarships in Italy guide). Students from lower-income households often pay only the regional tax and stamp duty, while higher brackets still pay far less than private institutions elsewhere. As of 2024/2025, many public universities also exempt the lowest income bands from tuition entirely under national "no tax area" rules, confirmed annually by each university; check the official portal at studyinitaly.esteri.it and the university's own fee page.
English-taught degrees have expanded a lot. You will find full bachelor's and master's programmes in English in engineering, economics, design, computer science, medicine and the sciences, especially at the larger universities and technical schools. You do not need Italian to enrol in these, though learning some makes daily life much easier.
Beyond academics, Italy offers a high quality of life for the money: well-connected cities, good public transport, affordable food, and access to the rest of the Schengen Area for travel. Student healthcare is accessible once you register, and many cities have large international student communities.
Italy is not the only affordable European option. If you are comparing destinations, the public universities covered in our Study in Germany guide also charge low or no tuition, with a different funding and visa system.
The route from "interested" to "enrolled and living in Italy" has six stages. Each one has its own guide; this is the order they happen in.
| Stage | What you do | Read more |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Choose a university | Pick programmes and check entry tests | Universities in Italy |
| 2. Pre-enrol on Universitaly | Submit your application on the national portal | Universities in Italy |
| 3. Find funding | Apply for DSU, government and merit scholarships | Scholarships in Italy |
| 4. Get a study visa | Apply for the type D visa at your local consulate | Student visa for Italy |
| 5. Arrive and settle | Permesso di soggiorno, codice fiscale, health cover | Student visa for Italy |
| 6. Work and stay | Part-time work, then a study-to-work permit | Working in Italy |
Start with what you want to study and in which language. Italy has a mix of large general universities (Bologna, Sapienza in Rome, Padua, Milan Statale), technical universities (Politecnico di Milano, Politecnico di Torino), and specialised institutions (Bocconi for economics and management, Scuola Normale in Pisa for research). Each programme lists its own admission requirements, and some fields use national entry tests: the IMAT for English-taught medicine, and TOLC tests for many bachelor's degrees. Our Universities in Italy guide covers who is known for what and how the tests work.
Almost every non-EU applicant must complete a pre-enrolment application on the national portal universitaly.it before the consulate will process a study visa. You select your programme there, upload your documents, and the chosen university validates your application. This pre-enrolment is the document the consulate checks, so it has to be done before you book your visa appointment. Deadlines vary by university and usually fall in spring or summer for an autumn start, so confirm the date on your programme's page early.
Funding in Italy comes from a few distinct sources. Regional "right to study" (DSU) bodies award income-based scholarships and accommodation based on your ISEE, the Italian government offers MAECI scholarships to international students, and individual universities run merit scholarships. The Scholarships in Italy guide explains the ISEE and ISEE Parificato (the version you obtain when your income is earned abroad), which determines both your tuition band and your DSU eligibility.
Non-EU students staying longer than 90 days need a national type D study visa. You apply at the Italian embassy or consulate responsible for your country, with your Universitaly pre-enrolment, proof of accommodation, proof of sufficient funds, and health insurance. The official requirements are on vistoperitalia.esteri.it. The full document list and the proof-of-funds amount are in the Student visa for Italy guide.
You are not finished when you land. Within 8 working days of arriving, you must apply for a permesso di soggiorno (residence permit) using the kit available at designated post offices, then attend an appointment at the local questura (police headquarters). You will also need a codice fiscale (tax code) for almost everything, from a phone contract to a rental lease, and you should register for healthcare. The step-by-step process, plus a cost-of-living breakdown by city, is in the Student visa for Italy guide.
A study residence permit allows part-time work up to a capped number of hours, which helps with living costs. After graduating, you can convert your permit to a work permit, look for a job within the immigration quota system (Decreto Flussi), or apply for an EU Blue Card for higher-skilled roles. The Working in Italy guide covers the hour cap, the conversion process, in-demand sectors, and how much the Italian language matters.
Your total budget is tuition plus living costs. Tuition at a public university is income-based and often modest; private universities like Bocconi charge much more but offer their own scholarships. Living costs depend heavily on the city, with Milan and Rome far more expensive than Bologna, Pisa, or southern cities. A rough national range for a student, as of 2024/2025, is often cited at around €700 to €1,200 per month including rent, but this varies widely by city and lifestyle; the Student visa for Italy guide breaks rent down by city. Always treat any single figure as an estimate and confirm current costs locally.
A strong application package matters at every stage: the university wants a clear CV and motivation, scholarship bodies want evidence of your background, and Italian employers expect a specific CV format once you start looking for work. Italy leans heavily on the Europass CV standard, so it is worth getting yours into that format before you arrive. Prezumi offers a free Europass CV converter, a free ATS resume checker to test how applicant-tracking software reads your CV, and clean resume templates you can adapt for both university and job applications.
Not entirely free at most universities, but it can be very cheap. Public university tuition is based on your declared family income through the ISEE, and the lowest income bands are often exempt from tuition under "no tax area" rules. Combined with a DSU scholarship that covers living costs, some students pay little for tuition itself. See the Scholarships in Italy guide.
Not for English-taught programmes, which exist across many fields at the larger universities. You will still need to meet the programme's English requirement, usually IELTS or TOEFL. Learning some Italian is strongly recommended for daily life, paperwork, and part-time work.
Plan for the better part of a year. Pre-enrolment on Universitaly happens in spring or summer for an autumn start, then the visa appointment, then arrival and the 8-day permesso di soggiorno deadline. Start gathering documents months before the programme deadline.
The ISEE is an official measure of your household's income and assets that Italian universities use to set income-based tuition and that DSU bodies use to award scholarships. International students usually obtain an ISEE Parificato through an authorised body. It is explained in detail in the Scholarships in Italy guide.
Yes. A study residence permit allows part-time work up to a capped number of hours per week. After graduating you can convert to a work permit. The rules, hour cap, and post-study options are in the Working in Italy guide.
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