FAQ

The Call for applications is published in the Grant section, on the page Call.

No, there are no costs associated with submitting the Application. Participation is free.

The List of Eligible Countries for MAECI Grants is published in the Grant section, on the page Call.
If your country is not included in the list, you will not be able to apply for the grants.

No. No. Applying for a MAECI grant and enrolling at the university or institution of choice are two separate and different procedures.

You can submit your application exclusively through the Study in Italy website, after completing the sign-up procedure.

It is recommended that you consult the Website guidelines before signing up and submitting your Application.

Applications and documents submitted through any other means of transmission will not be accepted.

The Renewal is the awarding of a new MAECI Scholarship to the beneficiaries of the previous Call who submit a regular application to continue the study programme of their choice in accordance with Article 3 of the 2026-2027 Call.

In this case, when applying, under: Have you already benefited from a MAECI scholarship in the previous academic year? You must tick the Yes box. If you were not a MAECI Grantee in the previous academic year you must tick the No box.

You must select “Yes” if, when submitting your application, you do not yet possess the qualifications required by the Call for Applications but expect to obtain them no later than 2:00 p.m. on July 1st, 2026 (see Articles 2.1 and 2.3 of the Call for Applications).

Please note: uploading supplementary documents is not possible for applications referred to in paragraphs 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, and 3. Therefore, applicants for Research Projects (1.4) and Intensive Italian Language and Culture Courses (1.5) must in any case mark “No,” under penalty of inadmissibility.

For applicants requesting renewal of the MAECI scholarship (1.6, 3), the question “Will you need to submit supplementary documents as per Article 7.2 of the Call for Applications?” will not appear in their application form.

In the Course Selection section of the Application, it is necessary to select the course in Italy for which you wish to apply for to receive a scholarship by choosing the Type of study programme you are applying for from the drop-down menu.

You can choose one of the following:
  • Master's Degree
  • Higher Education for Fine Arts, Music and Dance
  • PhD
  • Research project
  • Intensive course in Italian language and culture
  • Bachelor's degree/Single-cycle Master's degree, exclusively for students who have already benefited from the “Costruiamo il futuro” scholarship according to Articles 1.6 and 3 of the 2026-2027 Call for Applications.

You must enter the name of the Institution in Italy you want to enroll in, the name of the Course you have chosen or the title of your Research Project and the Italian City where the academic activity will take place.
You can indicate a maximum of three Course options, even in different Institutions or Universities, by clicking on + Add a New Course.

Please note: the three Course options must all be of the same type. For a list of available Courses, you can visit the Universitaly portal.

It is not possible to apply for online study programmes, as the scholarship only covers the onsite attendance of academic courses on the Italian territory. See Article 2.4.2 for other cases of ineligibility

No, it is not necessary to upload translated and/or legalized documents. However, it is always necessary to upload a scan of the original documents in PDF format.

In the Documents section of the Application, depending on the Type of study programme you are applying for, it is necessary to submit the required documents.

Please note: documents must be uploaded exclusively in PDF format;
For each field only one file can be uploaded, but it is possible to merge, if necessary, multiple documents into a single file;
the size of each file must not exceed 2 MB.
See the list below for the Documents required for each Type of study programme.

Master's Degree:
  1. Curriculum Vitae
  2. Academic qualification that is valid for admission to the chosen programme: Bachelor’s Degree Diploma or equivalent qualification, with achieved mark or expected mark.
    “Achieved mark” refers to the mark of the academic qualification obtained. “Expected mark” refers to the mark you anticipate obtaining upon completion of the academic qualification that is valid for admission to the chosen programme. Please refer to art. 7.2 of the Call for applications”.
    If you have not yet obtained your qualification, upload your transcript of records in this field too. Please remember to tick the “Yes” box under “Will you need to submit supplementary documents as per Article 7.2 of the Call for Applications?”.
  3. Transcript of Records: the list of exams taken in the Bachelor’s Degree Course or equivalent course, with marks
    If you ask for a renewal of the scholarship, in accordance with Article 3 of the Call for Applications, you must upload here a certificate or an updated self-declaration, downloadable from the university website with your hand-written signature, certifying the number of university credits (CFU) obtained with marks.
  4. Language certificate: see the FAQ What language certificates are accepted? and I don’t have the requested language certificate yet. Can I upload it later??
  5. Motivation letter: see the FAQ What should I write in the Motivation letter?
  6. Other documents: any useful element that can be positively evaluated.
    If you have received an admission letter for the study programme of your choice or a Letter of Recommendation, you can upload them here.
Higher Education for Fine Arts, Music and Dance (AFAM)
  1. Curriculum Vitae
  2. Academic qualification that is valid for admission to the chosen programme: Upper Secondary School Diploma or equivalent qualification for access to a three-year First Level AFAM Course, with achieved mark or expected mark; three-year First Level AFAM diploma or equivalent qualification for access to a two-year Second Level AFAM Course, with achieved mark or expected mark. .
    ““Achieved mark” refers to the mark of the academic qualification obtained. “Expected mark” refers to the mark you anticipate obtaining upon completion of the academic qualification that is valid for admission to the chosen programme. Please refer to art. 7.2 of the Call for applications. If you have not yet obtained your qualification, upload your transcript of records in this field too. Please remember to tick the “Yes” box under “Will you need to submit supplementary documents as per Article 7.2 of the Call for Applications?”.
  3. Transcript of Records: the Records of the Upper Secondary School Course or the list of exams taken in the three-year First AFAM Course Level, with marks..
    If you ask for a renewal of the scholarship, in accordance with Article 3 of the Call for Applications, you must upload here a certificate or an updated self-declaration, downloadable from the university website with your hand-written signature, certifying the number of university credits (CFU) obtained with marks.
  4. Language certificate: see the FAQ What language certificates are accepted? and I don’t have the requested language certificate yet. Can I upload it later??
  5. Motivation letter: see the FAQ What should I write in the Motivation letter?
  6. Other documents: any useful element that can be positively evaluated.
    If you have received an admission letter for the study programme of your choice or a Letter of Recommendation, you can upload them here.
PhD
  1. Curriculum Vitae
  2. Academic qualification that is valid for admission to the chosen programme.
  3. Admission letter for the PhD: you must upload here the admission letter. If you have not yet received your admission letter, upload the invitation letter from your supervisor in this field as well. Under no circumstances will pre-admission letters be considered valid.
    Please remember to tick the “Yes” box under “Will you need to submit supplementary documents as per Article 7.2 of the Call for Applications?”.
  4. Invitation letter from the supervisor: a declaration in which the Supervisor of the doctoral thesis declares to be aware of the candidate’s application and gives his/her availability, in case the scholarship is awarded, to send reports on the academic progress of the candidate upon request. .
    The declaration must be printed on the headed paper of the relevant university or Institution and signed by the Supervisor.
  5. Motivation letter: see the FAQ What should I write in the Motivation letter?
  6. Other documents: any useful element that can be positively evaluated.
Research project
  1. Curriculum Vitae
  2. Research Project: a short description of the project for which the application is submitted. It can be written on plain paper and must not exceed 1000 words.
  3. Research Project: a short description of the project for which the application is submitted. It can be written on plain paper and must not exceed 1000 words.
  4. Invitation Letter: a Letter of Invitation from the university or institution that will host the research activity. The Letter must indicate the name of the Supervisor, who gives his/her availability, in case the scholarship is awarded, to send reports on the academic progress of the candidate upon request. The letter must be printed on the headed paper of the relevant university or Institution and signed by the Supervisor.
  5. Motivation letter: see the FAQ What should I write in the Motivation letter?
  6. Other documents: any useful element that can be positively evaluated.
Intensive Italian language and culture course
  1. Curriculum Vitae
  2. Language certificate: see the FAQ What language certificates are accepted? and I don’t have the requested language certificate yet. Can I upload it later??
  3. Motivation letter: see the FAQ What should I write in the Motivation letter?
  4. Other documents: any useful element that can be positively evaluated.
Bachelor’s Degree/Single-cycle Master’s Degree (exclusively for renewal purposes, in accordance with Articles 1.6 and 3)
  1. Curriculum Vitae
  2. Language certificate certification: see the FAQ What language certificates are accepted?
  3. Transcript of Records: if you ask for a renewal of the scholarship in accordance with Article 3 of the Call for Applications, you must upload here a certificate or an updated self-declaration, downloadable from the university website with your hand-written signature, certifying the number of university credits (CFU) obtained with marks
  4. Motivation letter: see the FAQ What should I write in the Motivation letter?
  5. Other documents: any useful element that can be positively evaluated.

If you meet the requirements (see FAQ What does Renewal mean?), you can submit a regular application for the renewal of your MAECI scholarship.

Renewal of the scholarship is only possible for the following types of study programmes: Master's Degree, AFAM, PhD and Bachelor’s Degree/Single-cycle Master’s Degree.

The documents required are the same as for a standard application (see FAQ What documents do I need to submit in order to apply for the scholarship?). Moreover, you must upload a certificate or an updated self-declaration, downloadable from the university website with your hand-written signature, certifying the number of university credits (CFU) obtained with marks.

Please Note: When applying, under: Have you already benefited from a MAECI Scholarship in the previous academic year? You must tick the Yes box.

You must upload a certificate issued by an official certification body or other documents certifying your language proficiency level with specific reference to the levels of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR).

Please note: Duolingo certificates are accepted exclusively for the English language.

Refer to Article 2.3 of the Call for Applications if the study programme of your choice requires a language certificate of Italian or English proficiency. If required, upload it in the “Required Documents” section.

If you have not yet obtained the required language certificate, upload in this field any other documentation relating to your language proficiency. If you have no documentation at all, upload in this field a self-declaration in which you commit to providing the certificate or proof of language proficiency as per art. 7.2 of the Call for applications. Please remember to tick the “Yes” box under “Will you need to submit supplementary documents as per Article 7.2 of the Call for Applications?”. In accordance with Article 7.2, if you are listed in the merit ranking you will be notified to upload this document on the portal strictly by 14:00 (Italian time) on 1st July 2026.

Please note: in accordance with Articles 2.3 and 7.2 of the Call for Applications, the submission of supplementary documents, including language certificates, is not possible for applications for intensive Italian language and culture courses, and for renewals of the MAECI scholarship.

In the Motivation Letter, it is possible to describe your personal story, education background, academic interests and explain the reasons for choosing to study in Italy, as well as the purpose and goals of your study project.

It can be written on plain paper and must not exceed 500 words.

At the end of the evaluation procedures, the relevant Italian Diplomatic representation will publish the ranking of winners and any reserves on its website. The merit ranking is unquestionable.

Only winners will be notified of the award of a MAECI scholarship via the Study in Italy portal.

The absence of an applicant’s name from the list of winners and reserves published by the Diplomatic representation implies that the applicant has not been awarded the scholarship.

If the ranking cannot be published for privacy and/or security reasons, winners will be notified individually.

A MAECI scholarship can be awarded for a period of three (3) or nine (9) months based on the type of study programme for which an application is submitted. In particular, a three-month scholarship can be awarded only for an Intensive Italian language and culture course, and a nine-month scholarship for the other types of study programmes.

A nine-month scholarship starts on November 1st of the year of publication of the Call and ends on July 31st of the following year. A three-month scholarship can be benefited in a period of study starting on January 1st and ending by September 30th of the year of publication of the Call.

For further information, see Article 4 of the Call for Applications.

A MAECI scholarship aims to help cover the costs of living and studying in Italy, and will therefore only be paid for the periods that the grantee actually spends in Italy. The scholarship cannot be paid during periods of study research and internship outside of Italy.

The grantee will receive the scholarship only if he/she is regularly enrolled (not “fuori corso” or part-time) both at the institution and in the course indicated in the Dichiarazione di Assegnazione (Awarding Letter). The grantee shall also prove satisfactory academic progress.

For further information, see Articles 11 and 12 of the Call for Applications.

The scholarship is paid as per Articles 11 and 12 of the Call for Applications.