DSU Scholarship 2022-2023 is now open for international students to submit their applications for admission to Italian Universities.
“Diritto allo studio universitario” (DSU) is a fully funded Italian regional scholarship that can grant a sum of up to 6000 euros. (Depending upon student’s ranking)
DSU scholarships are regional and need-based scholarships in Italy. It is awarded strictly on two bases.
1. Income of the applicant
2. Merit of the applicant
If you are interested to study in Italy for free, this detailed guide will explain the “DSU Scholarship” step-by-step process.
Remember DSU process is a little different than EDISU.
The rules are the same but the method of document submission, universities & deadlines are different.
Check step by step process of Italy study visa.
Table of content
1. What are the benefits of DSU?
2. Who can apply for DSU scholarship?
3. Who Cant apply for DSU Scholarship?
4. Which documents are required for the DSU scholarship?
5. How to apply for DSU scholarship?
6. What are the deadlines for DSU scholarship?
7. Which universities in Italy come under DSU?
8. Some important questions about DSU
9. Summary of the Blog
The list of 37 English-taught Universities in Italy.
1. What are the benefits of DSU scholarship?
DSU mainly provides 4 benefits to its scholarship holders.
1. One free Meal per day for a whole year.
2. The tuition Fee is fully covered.
3. Hostel accommodation or coverage of living (renting) expenses, if you are living outside the DSU residence.
4. A total sum of up to 6000 euros will be given. (if the hostel & one-time meal is given then up to 3000 euros will be granted.
Remember the scholarship grant can lie in between too, depending on your Student’s ISEE)
Note: The DSU grant strictly depends on the student’s income status & merit.
In the first year it’s mostly “Income Need base”, but in 2nd year it mostly gets merit base.
Check our detailed guide about Italy study visa for Pakistan.
2. Who can apply for the DSU scholarship?
Eligibility criteria of DSU:
1. National & International students of bachelor’s, Masters & Ph.D. students from all areas, disciplines & nationalities can apply for DSU.
2. There are no age restrictions for the DSU scholarship. Anyone who got admission to an Italian university can apply for DSU, in that specific region.
3. Students should be enrolled or at least finish the Pre-enrollment process before applying for the DSU scholarship.
3. There are NO IELTS, or “Experience letter” or any kind of “Entry test” required for DSU.
These documents could be required for the specific universities & disciplines, but not for the DSU application.
4. The income of the applicant must be less than 23,000 euros per annum to be eligible.
The applicant can get all the privileges of hostel & canteen etc if the income is less than 12,000 euro per annum.
The less the income is, the more benefits they will get.
The merit may change every year. It depends upon how many students applied per year.
5. Ph.D. students are only eligible if they aren’t beneficiaries or taking other research funds.
Remember one can be eligible for DSU scholarship but still fail to get the scholarship, because of not fulfilling the income or merit criteria.
3. Who cant apply for DSU scholarship?
Not ELIGIBLE for DSU scholarship:
- Applicants who are already getting benefits from another scholarship or fund from any public or private institution are not eligible for DSU.
- Students who are repeating the year or enrolled on a part-time basis.
- Applicants who didn’t submit their documents before the deadline.
- Applicants who submitted wrong or untruthful documents.
- Applicants who are already holding a degree (awarded in Italy ) that is equal to or higher than the program for which the grant is requested.
Remember Applicant can only apply once a year.
4. Which documents are required for the DSU scholarship?
1. Family income certificate
2. Bank certificate
3. Property certificate
4. FRC (Family registration certificate)
5. Codice fiscale
6. ISEE Parificato
7. Passport/ID
8. Italian Translation of the documents
9. University admission/Pre-Enrollment letter ( Additional document)
10. DOV (Declaration of value)/CIMEA/Self declaration (Additional document)
11. Academic transcripts ( Additional document)
12. CV ( Additional document)
13. Course description ( Additional document)
14. IELTS/ English Proficiency ( Additional documents )
Note: The additional documents are not required for the DSU scholarship (per se).
It’s good to have these documents because it’s essential for the university Enrollment process, and could be asked later in additional documents.
The essential documents are explained below.
4.1. Family income certificate:
This certificate must have your family members’ full names,
occupations, Age & their income individually.
If you are from Pakistan then the income certificate must be made & verified by the FBR (Federal Board of Revenue) office.
If you are from India you have to verify it from the Revenue officer.
Applicants from other countries must verify their income certificate from their respective local authorities & then from Italian embassy.
Remember the income certificate must be from last calendar year, Means (From Jan-dec).
The income certificate must be translated in to Italian language.
4.2. Bank certificate:
Bank certificate of each family member. but If they are unemployed or students or retired etc then you should provide evidence to those documents. ie Retirement letter, etc.
Applicants don’t need to legalize the bank statement.
4.3. Property certificate:
This certificate contains all the property details of your family. if you are living in a rented home, then you should mention that.
if you are from Pakistan this document should be legalized & made by Tehsildar or in DC (deputy commissioner) office.
4.4. FRC (Family registration certificate)
It is only required in the case of Pakistani applicants.
The NADRA office in Pakistan issues it, (you can even apply for it online)
other countries like India need a family composition certificate.
International students should look into their respective specific authorities.
4.5. Codice fiscale:
It’s a tax code. The Italian Fiscal code known as “Codice Fiscale” is an alphanumeric code made up of 16 characters.
If you haven’t created your Codice fiscale yet, click here. & create it in two minutes.
4.6. ISEE Parificato:
In easy language, ISEE Parificato is a certificate that summarizes the income and property information from abroad.
This document will evaluate whether you are eligible for a scholarship or not.
Who will issue ISEE Parificato?
The applicant will get this certificate in Italy from The CAAF office ( Authorized Center for Fiscal Assistance).
In case of a DSU scholarship Students need to send these documents to the addresses mentioned in ” 4.step#5 “ in the blog.
How to make ISEE Parificato for EDISU scholarship?
4.7. Passport:
The passport must be valid for at least one year.
4.8. Italian translation:
The following documents must be stamped, verified & translated by the Italian embassy.
Income certificate,
property certificate,
Family details certificate (FRC)
4.9. University admission letter (Pre-Enrollment letter):
It’s proof that you are already pre-enrolled as an international student in the university.
Remember Pre-Enrolment is before Enrollment.
DSU is independent & has a separate deadline from university enrollment.
So those Students can still apply for the DSU scholarship, who are not yet fully registered or got the admission.
4.10. DOV (Declaration of value)/CIMEA/Self declaration:
DOV is a descriptive document detailing the qualification awarded to a given person by any institution other than the Italian education system.
In other words
It is a measure of assessing the given qualification by the competent University for the prospect of admission to a degree program or recognition of the foreign qualification.
If DOV & CIMEA isn’t available at the moment you can upload it in the form of a self-declaration that you are eligible for this course.
It is usually issued by the Italian Embassy in the country where the qualification was awarded.
this document will be given at the time
The Regional Authentication Centre or Department of Education of the country must authenticate the highest degree by which the degree has been obtained.
All These documents must be from last year & legalized by their respective authorities. (according to your country)
These documents should also be translated.
Remember in most cases FRC & Family income certificate is enough.
In the family income certificate the property is mentioned too.
5. How to apply for DSU scholarships?
It’s 6 Step process.
1. Check Regional scholarship
2. Prepare the set of documents
3. Fill & submit the application
4. Print & verification
5. Send it to the registered addresses
6. ISEE parificato & final ranking
Step #1: Check regional scholarship:
First Check out which regional scholarship your university is offering.
whether your university is offering “DSU” or other Italian regional scholarships, like EDISU, LAZIODISU, ERSU, ERGO, ALISEO ETC.
To check this go to your university’s official website, in the top menu, there would be a “scholarship option for international students”.
For example in the case of “UNIPI” (university of PISA)
Go to the “UNIPI OFFICIAL WEBSITE” > Study > Fees and grants > DSU scholarship
You can see the DSU Scholarship is mentioned on UNIPI website.
See the screenshot ↓.

The applicant can do the same method for every university to find out which regional scholarships is applicable in their Italian host university.
Step#2: Prepare the set of documents:
Gather all the documents discussed in this blog, above.
Carefully read the criteria of documents.
Applicants only need the essential documents.
Which is
Income certificate,
property certificate,
Bank statement,
Family details certificate (FRC)
Passport copy
Additional documents may be needed if the DSU asked for them.
Step#3: Fill & submit the application:
Go to the “DSU Toscana website” > “Borse e contributi” > “Borsa di studio” > “Sportello studente”> “Registrazione”
If you translate the website into English then
“DSU Toscana website” > “Grant and grants ” > “Scholarships” > “Student desk” > “Register create new user”
See the screenshot↓.

Step#4: Print & verification
After filling out the application, the applicant should print out the receipt, (which is at the end of the application).
Attach the required documents in original form & send them to the their country consulates in Italy, for Italian language translation & verification.
They will paste a “Revenue stamp” (Marca da bollo) on the document.
Pakistani applicants should send it to the Pakistani embassy in MILAN for verification.
(Other applicants should send it to their respective embassies in Italy, but the whole process is just the same)
(Applicants can request other students to do this for them)
Step#5: Send it to the registered addresses
After verification applicants need to send these documents to one of these addresses, according to their universities.
FLORENCE:
ARDSU Toscana – Servizio Interventi Monetari
Viale Gramsci, 36 – 50132 FIRENZE
PISA:
ARDSU Toscana – Servizio Interventi Monetari
Piazza Cavalieri, 6 – 56126 PISA
SIENA:
ARDSU Toscana – Servizio Interventi Monetari
Via Paolo Mascagni, 53 – 53100 SIENA
Step#6: ISEE parificato & final ranking:
The above-mentioned offices will make ISEE Parificato according to the applicant’s income & documentation provided.
The applicants should now wait for the final ranking.
Unlike EDISU, applicants don’t need to send to look for the CAAF offices on the website.
they should just send it to the above-mentioned addresses.
6. What are the deadlines for the DSU scholarship?
The deadline for submitting DSU scholarship for 2022 is 6 September 2022 for students enrolled or intending to enroll in the three-year, master’s, and single-cycle degree courses;
Starting from 19 September and until 13.00 on 15 November 2022 for students enrolled in doctoral and specialization courses.
Generally speaking, This scholarship opens every year in May-June, & the deadline is mostly in August or September.
7. Universities under DSU Scholarship
3. University of FLORENCE (UNIFI)
4. Polytechnic University of Milan (POLIMI)
5. University of MILAN (UNIMI)
8. Some frequently asked questions: FAQS
8.1. When does DSU publish the final ranking list?
In December. The final ranking list of scholarship holders is mostly published at the end of December every year.
8.2. Can I get DSU & any other scholarship at the same time?
NO. Students can only get benefit from one scholarship at a time.
The DSU beneficiaries will be considered incompatible if the student tries to get funds from other scholarships.
9. Summary of the whole process:
- Get admission to a university in Toscana region, in Italy.
- Prepare the list of documents discussed above.
- Submit the scholarship application form online.
- Send the receipt & original documents to the Addresses mentioned in the blog.
- Wait for the final ranking.
For more details, please visit the following official sites of DSU
If you have any more questions in your mind, please don’t hesitate to ask us in the comments. we will try to answer as much as we can.
Hello, the bank certificate should be for how many years? If I want to apply for 2023-24 then bank certificate as on 31 Dec 2022 will do or I would require bank certificate for Dec 2021 as well?? Please help.
Hi Ishi, THe bank certificate is usually required for last year which means, if you are applying for 2023-24 you will provide a bank certificate for 2022.
however, I would suggest you also staple the bank certificate for 2021 (if you can), but I don’t think that is compulsory.
Thank you very much for providing clarity.
I have one more query. In my family it’s me and my mother. Mother is a house wife. Is it OK if I put my bank certificate for scholarship or it should be of my mother’s??
If it is possible that I can use my bank certificate then will there be any change in the process and in the scholarship benefits?
When you show FRC (Family registration certificate), there you mention your whole biological family. (brother, sister, father etc ) So technically you should provide their bank certificates.
Now if they are unemployed or retired or jobless or underage etc, you should provide some proof of your claim. (Retirement letter etc).
If your father is no more with you, provide some proof (Death certificate or any other legal document for your specific personal case).
If my father is not with me any more will this waive the bank account for the dsu scholarship?
And does this apply for the bank account of visa?
How much amount cover in DSU?
Please check “Benefits of DSU scholarship” in the blog above, & you will get all the details.
Can Students from private academies apply for any scholarship in Italy?
Can you be specific, Which private academy? your home country one?
Hey! I want to apply for year 2024/25 do I have to fill the documents a year before the admission which is now? As u said “all these documents must be from last year”.
NO. you will fill out the documents after securing your admission to an Italian university for the year 2024/25. You can only apply for the scholarship after getting admission.
I sent an email as I wanna know more information about the DSU scholarship. Will someone respond to the email and when please?
I sent it yesterday
we received your email Laiba, it’s in the Queue & will respond according.
We also want to let you know that for us it’s impossible to facilitate every reader through email personally. Mind that, DRSCHOLARS is a self-funded platform that shares free authentic information with fully researched data, which is a very hard job to do in the first place.
Also we respond to comments more than emails because it’s public & helps many students.
Thank you for your patience.
Thank you Falaksar for your response! I still sadly don’t get it, does that mean that someone will answer my email soon?? Thanks
Why don’t you ask your questions here, & I will answer them in a few days when I get free.
Thanks.
Okay Falaksar thank you for giving me this option for quick response!First of all, After doing all the steps of the financial aid papers and transferring it to the ISEE. Do I get the confirmation that my scholarship is accepted after I arrive to Italy and visit the CAF office to complete the papers? In my opinion, it’s a bit risky, what if the scholarship wasn’t accepted and I already arrived to Italy to complete the papers?
Yes, but this is how the application process works. Also, you may not get the full scholarship, but you may still get the partial scholarship, depending on your ISEE & merit.
Honestly, A lot of international students get it this way. (Also check our EDISU Blog )
We regularly update our blogs, if they change the rules in the coming months.
Secondly, I read that the scholarship must be re-made every year. Are other years gonna be based on my collage grades so, if I didn’t get high grades I won’t get the scholarship the next year?
Yes. For the next year, they will recheck your ISEE plus the merit or grades (the paper you passed). it’s a kinda yearly-based scholarship, not a once-degree thing.
how do I prevent not getting the scholarship! Like does it have a minimum number of acceptance? Im searching for all the details a year before applying because I really want to complete my studying in Italy and prevent facing any problems. Thank you for giving me from your time!
It’s actually comparatively easy to get. Don’t worry, follow all the rules, read the blog carefully & apply on time.
best of luck.
Hey is there anyone who’s gonna help me out?😊
All your above questions are answered. Best of luck.
Thank you Falaksar!
I came from Bangladesh but i lives in italy with my family. I have resident. I just apply for University of pisa. I just wanted to know that the documents mention above about scholarship, Where i can get them verify or legalized or authorized?
Can i still apply if i got accepted in Trento University?
HI Next year ı will be studying at IULM University in Milan, ı was wondering if DSU is available for IULM University if so from where ı can apply.