Affordable education
in Italy for an international career

Higher education in Italy is divided into three cycles.

• The 1st cycle is the Italian Bachelor's — Laurea (L), which lasts for 3 years and gives you the right to continue your academic career by moving up to Laurea Magistrale
• The second cycle is Laurea Magistrale (LM) — a 2-year Italian Master's degree with an academic focus, and a degree that gives you the right to continue your academic career up to Dottorato di Ricerca or Scuola di Specializzazione
• The single cycle (Laurea Magistrale a Ciclo Unico) is a program in order to be able to work in medicine, engineering, law, and architecture, and lasts for 5-6 years
• The third cycle — Dottorato di Ricerca — is equivalent to a PhD and lasts at least 3 years. Scuola di Specializzazione is a professionally oriented postgraduate degree, lasting 2-6 years. You need a Laurea Magistrale or Laurea Magistrale a Ciclo Unico (or equivalent) to be accepted into this program.

Italian courses also offer 1-year courses for professional education, but receiving a degree in this case does not allow you to continue your academic career.

• Master Universitario I livello — available when you receive a Laurea, Laurea Magistrale, or Laurea, Laurea Magistrale a Ciclo Unico (or equivalent) degree
• Master Universitario II livello — you only need to have a Laurea Magistrale or Laurea Magistrale a Ciclo Unico (or equivalent) degree to be accepted into this program.

You can't be accepted into a Bachelor's program after 11 years of school, you'll need to study for a year in a college or university in a course equivalent to a 12th year of school, or do a Foundation program in an Italian university.

We're looking for candidates for March and September 2022, and March 2023.
Applications for September 2022 are open until April 15, 2022.
The minimum period for preparing for admission is 3 months, but the ideal period is 12-18 months. If you want to be admitted this year, then start preparing as soon as possible.
Applications can be submitted to universities up until between mid-April and the end of May. For example, the University of Bologna allows you to submit applications until May 28

Italy is considered the perfect country for studying fashion and design. Schools of design offer both first and second higher education courses, short-term professional development courses, and summer training programs in various fields.

• design and fashion
• stage and set design
• fashion management
• interior design
• graphic design
• interactive design
• image consulting
• advertising design
• automobile design
• media design
• accessory design
• brand management
• landscape design
• architecture

Economics, culture, international relations, and business administration are also popular.

You can study for free in Italy, and students also have access to various scholarships given based on academic and professional merit or high financial needs. Examples of Scholarships:

• Bocconi Undergraduate Merit Awards — a Bachelor's for all subjects at the University of Bocconi. It lasts for a year and can be renewed. It covers tuition and sometimes cost of living
• EDISU Piemonte Scholarships — a college for all levels of education in one of the universities in Piedmont (The Politecnico of Torino, the University of Torino, the University of Eastern Piedmont, etc). Candidates should meet academic requirements and demonstrate financial need. The size of the scholarship depends on multiple factors and may go as far as total coverage for tuition and living
• Bologna University Study Grants for International Students — a scholarship for all stages of education at the University of Bologna. It lasts for one year and can be renewed. It can go as far as covering tuition and also provide a grant of €11,059.
• Politecnico di Milano Merit-Based Scholarships for International Students — a scholarship for Master of Science programs, fully covers tuition and may also provide a yearly stipend of €5000 to €10,000
• Universita Cattolica International Scholarships — a scholarship for all levels of education, it pays €5750
• Scuola Normale Superiore PhD Scholarships — a scholarship at PhD level at this university, fully covers tuition and living expenses

The Italian government provides grants for foreign students. Grants are given out for Master's programs, higher education programs in art, music, dance (AFAM), and PhD programs. The grant can cover tuition costs, medical insurance, and a 900 euro/month payment. Minimum level of English — B2.

The average cost of living for a student in Italy is €700-1000/month. This includes living expenses, food, public transport, traveling within Italy, and entertainment.

Average monthly expenses for students in cities:

• Bologna: €750-1100
• Florence: €850-1300
• Milan and Rome: €850-1450

Average cost of living per month:

• Average cost: €300-600
• If you rent yourself: €400-700
• If you live in university accommodation: €250-300
• If you rent a flat with others: €250-500

Food expenses: €150-200 per month
Transport expenses: €25-46 per month

Ratings of Italian universities according to USNews' Best Global Universities in Italy:

1. University of Bologna
2. Sapienza University of Rome
3. University of Padua
4. International School for Advanced Studies
5. University of Milan
6. University of Pisa
7. University of Naples Federico II
8. University of Turin
9. Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa
10. University of Trento
11. University of Florence
12. Tor Vergata University of Rome
13. University of Pavia
14. University of Genoa
15. University of Milan — Bicocca

Universities carry out teaching both in Italian (requires B2 in accordance with the Europass Language Passport classification, you can take a CILS or CELI test), and in English. You can study in Italy without knowing Italian. It's worth noting that the majority of English-language programs are Master's programs in economics, business, and creative subjects.

Italy has a rich tradition in terms of universities. It respects the right of everyone to receive higher education, and strives to make it affordable to everyone, no matter their income or citizenship. State universities in Italy set the cost of tuition based on the ISEE — a criterion to evaluate students' families' economic situation. The lower the ISEE, the less a student pays for tuition (to the point that it can be free). For example, in the north of the country where the family income threshold is 23,000 euros, students receive discounts if their family's ISEE is lower.

However, some universities set a fixed rate for foreign students even if the ISEE doesn't apply (from 700 to 1000 euros).

Students also have the right to apply for a regional scholarship, which can be as high as 5,400 euros per year (University of Bologna), based on their ISEE.

Moreover, the ISEE gives students the right to live in student accommodation and eat for free, work at the university, and also various other fee reductions from universities and regional organizations.

To evaluate your chances for a scholarship and exemption from payment, we're ready to help you roughly calculate your ISEE, suggest what information about family income you need to provide when applying, and give you advice on the document preparation process.

Receiving a visa to study at a state or private university that issues state-approved degrees in Italy, you need to have your certificate or degree legalized to confirm the standard of education (dichiarazione di valore "in loco"). This confirmation is provided by the Department of Legalization at the Consulate or Embassy of Italy.

Once you have a student visa and a student residence permit, you can work for 20 hours a week. After you finish your studies, you have a year to look for a job (residence permit for pending employment), in this case you can work for 40 hours or more.

You shouldn't defer your admission because of the pandemic, you can travel abroad with a student visa without any issues.

The pandemic actually makes it easier to be admitted and receive grants. Students are afraid of entering university and are deferring their education, meaning there's less competition for places.

Universities in Italy opened in September 2020 to conduct classes with new rules set by the Italian government's Scientific Technical Committee. The maximum number of people in a class is 50, everyone should follow social distancing regulations, and all rooms are disinfected every day. Usually tuition is done in hybrid form, with some lectures given online and some in person.