Italian Government Scholarships for Foreign Students

Italian Government scholarships are offered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI), Government of Italy in partnership with the governments of various other countries, including India. Introduced with an objective of fostering cultural, technological and scientific cooperation internationally, the Italian Government scholarships are promoting Italian culture and language worldwide, thereby, supporting its economic system. Students pursuing a training, study or research programme at any of the legal or public recognised higher education institutions of Italy can apply to avail benefits under this scholarship.

What are the eligibility conditions to be fulfilled to avail Italian Government scholarships? How and when can you apply for this scholarship? What amount of financial aid is given to students? Which levels of study are applicable for this scholarship? Find answers to all these questions in detail in this article. It arms you with substantial information related to scholarship including its eligibility, application process, rewards, selection process and more. Before heading on to know its detailed information, here is a brief overview of the scholarship for your assistance.

Italian Government Scholarships An Overview

*The timeline mentioned above is tentative and subject to change on discretion of the scholarship provider.

Italian Government Scholarships Key Eligibility

The Italian government has specified certain conditions that need to be fulfilled by students to avail benefits under Italian government scholarships. These conditions are broadly based on a students academic qualification, age requirements and language proficiency. All students who perfectly fit in the eligibility requirements of this scholarship can apply for it as specified. A detailed description of eligibility criteria is given hereunder

Courses Applicable

• Masters degree (Grant available for 6 or 9 months)
• Courses of higher education in Arts, Music, and Dance (AFAM) (Grant available for 6 or 9 months)
• PhD programme (Grant available for 6 or 9 months)
• Research training under academic supervision (Grant available for 6 or 9 months)
• Italian language and culture courses (Grant available for 3 months)

Academic Qualifications

• For masters degree course, you must have a bachelors degree in a relevant field.
• For other courses, the students need to fulfil their respective entry requirements. (Note: We will be updating the academic qualifications for all courses soon).

Age Requirements

• The maximum age requirement for the masters degree, Italian Language and Culture courses, and Higher Education in Arts, Music, and Dance (AFAM) programmes is 28 years.
• The maximum age requirement for PhD degree is 30 years.
• The maximum age requirement for research training under academic supervision is 40 years.

Language Proficiency

• If a student wishes to enrol in an Italian-taught course, he/she needs to provide proof showing their proficiency in the Italian language. The minimum qualifying level is B2 within CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).
• For students enrolling in English-taught courses, they have to provide proof of proficiency in the English language. The minimum qualifying level, in this case, is B2 within CEFR.
• For students enrolling in Italian language and culture courses, they should provide proof of proficiency in the Italian language. The minimum qualifying level, in this case, is A2 within CEFR.

Italian Government Scholarships Application Process

All eligible candidates can apply for Italian government scholarships online. You need to apply both at the Sakshat portal of MHRD and the official portal of Study in Italy. It is advised to all the students to make sure that they have understood the application process in detail before starting it. Also, it is mandatory to apply to both websites. To make the process easier and convenient, here is a step-by-step description of the application process

Step 1: Visit the official website of Sakshat, a dedicated online portal of MHRD for external scholarships.

Step 2: Select Italian Government Scholarship and click on apply button.

Step 3: Fill in your personal details, academic qualification and other required information.

Step 4: Upload all supporting documents and submit.

Step 5: After successful submission of application at the Sakshat portal, visit the official website of MAECI (Government of Italy).

Step 6: Provide all required credentials and register.

Step 7: Once registered successfully, log in to start the scholarship application.

Step 8: Fill in the application form and upload supporting documents.

Step 9: Submit the form.

Italian Government Scholarships Documents Required

The key documents that a student must provide in support of their application include

• Mark sheets, degree or diploma of the qualifying examination
• Class 10 certificate or birth certificate
• Students photograph and signature
• Letter of reference
• No Objection Certificate (NOC) (applicable for employed candidates)

Italian Government Scholarships Award Details

What kind of financial assistance does Italian Government scholarships offer? Does it cover the overall expenses incurred by the students? If not, what are the expenses covered under this scholarship? The answers to all these questions are covered in this section. The students selected for this scholarship receive variable awards that involve tuition fees, medical/health insurance and additional grants. A detailed description of everything covered under this scholarship is given below

• Tuition fees Depending on the policies of different universities, each selected scholar gets an exemption from paying the tuition and enrolment fees of the course. However, this exemption is not applicable to Italian language and culture courses.
• Medical & health insurance Each scholar receiving financial aid under this scholarship is also covered by a medical/accident and health insurance during the tenure of the grant. The facility of insurance is contracted by MAECI. However, as an exception, the insurance coverage is not applicable if an event arises due to existing physical or pathological conditions of students.
• Additional grant Adding to the benefits mentioned above, students also receive a monthly allowance of EUR 900 into their Italian bank account. This additional grant is disbursed on a quarterly basis. Once the students complete the enrolment process of University and submit all relevant documents, the first instalment is released. Furthermore, the payment of last instalment is done after verifying if the student has shown satisfactory performance in academics. (Note: Additional grants are given only to those students who attend courses in Italy).

Italian Government Scholarships Selection Procedure

The Italian Diplomatic Mission accredited in India has set up a Committee to evaluate all the applications received. The shortlisting of students for Italian Government scholarships is done by this Committee only. In India, the MHRD does the initial level of screening of all applications which are further evaluated by the Committee for final selection. A comparative analysis of all applications is done on the basis of entry requirements and the criteria set by the provider.

Italian Government Scholarships Renewal Process

Candidates, who are already a recipient of Italian Government scholarship in the academic year 2017-18, can apply for its renewal in order to complete or continue a multi-year degree course. The primary condition for scholarship renewal is that the students should prove a satisfactory performance on the academic front.