Italian Government Grants for International Students 2024: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) offers grants in favor of foreign citizens* and Italian citizens living abroad (IRE)** for the academic year 2024-23 in order to foster international cooperation in cultural, scientific and technological fields, to promote Italian language and culture and to support Italy’s economic system in the world (according to Law 288/55 and its subsequent changes and additions).
GRANTS FOR FOREIGN AND ITALIAN CITIZENS LIVING ABROAD AWARDED BY THE ITALIAN GOVERNMENT. CALL FOR APPLICATIONS FOR THE ACADEMIC YEAR 2024-23.
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Italian Government Grants for International Students 2024.
Grants are offered to complete study courses and research/training programs in public or legally recognized Italian educational institutions.
Scholarships are available to attend academic courses on the Italian territory only.
The list of eligible foreign countries can be found on the website “Study in Italy”: https://studyinitaly.esteri.it/en/call-for-procedure.
MAECI Grants for foreign citizens* and Italian citizens living abroad (IRE) 2024-2025
1.1 Master’s Degree (Laurea Magistrale 2° ciclo)
Grants for Master’s Degree courses are awarded for a period of study of 6 (six) or 9 (nine) months.
Admission to the first year of a Master’s Degree course in Italy requires the completion of a Bachelor’s degree; admission to the second year is granted to applicants who can prove satisfactory academic progress with their first year exams.
Nota bene: For some Master’s Degree (Laurea Magistrale) courses, enrollment is possible only after passing admission tests. Applicants are urged to verify this or other requirements with the University of their choice. Pre-enrollment through the portal https://www.universitaly.it/ might also be mandatory.
1.2 Courses of Higher Education in Arts, Music and Dance (AFAM)
Grants for Courses of Higher Education in Arts, Music and Dance (AFAM) are awarded for a period of study of 6 (six) or 9 (nine) months.
To be admitted to an Italian AFAM Institute, applicants need to meet the entry requirements and academic qualifications established by the relevant Institute.
Nota bene: For some AFAM courses, enrollment is possible only after passing admission tests. Applicants are urged to verify this or other requirements with the AFAM Institute of their choice. Pre-enrollment through the portal https://www.universitaly.it/ might also be mandatory.
1.3 PhD program
Grants for a PhD program are awarded for a period of study of 6 (six) or 9 (nine) months.
To be admitted to a PhD in Italy, applicants need to meet the entry requirements and academic qualifications established by the University; they are also required to provide the admission letter to the PhD from the relevant Italian University.
1.4 Research projects under academic supervision (Progetti in co-tutela)
Grants for a research under academic supervision are awarded for a period of study of 6 (six) or 9 (nine) months.
This type of grants can be awarded to research projects carried out at Italian Research Institutions (i.e. Italian Research Council – CNR, Italian National Institute of Health – ISS, Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics – INFN, Italian National Institute for Astrophysics – INAF, The Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research – ISPRA, and others), public or recognized Universities, Museums and Archives.
Applicants must submit a research project, with the name and contacts (e-mail address) of their supervisor, and provide the invitation/acceptance letter from the host University/Institute.
1.5 Italian language and culture advanced courses
Grants for Italian language and culture courses are awarded for a period of 3 (three) months exclusively to students attending an Italian course at a University or at an Italian Cultural Institute.
Applicants must provide a certification regarding their proficiency in Italian language. The minimum level required is A2 within the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR):
https://europa.eu/europass/en/common-european-framework-reference
Italian Government Grants for International Students 2024 ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
Applications must be sent exclusively through the STUDY IN ITALY portal. Applicants must be in possession of a valid passport or identity card. They must upload a legible photocopy of the document at the time of registration, under penalty of exclusion.
Applicants must also be in possession of the following requirements by the deadline date of the call (June 9th 2024, 2.00 pm CET):
2.1 Academic qualifications
Applications must only be submitted by foreign and Italian students living abroad (IRE)* holding an appropriate academic qualification required to enroll to the Italian University/Institute (more information on: https://studyinitaly.esteri.it/en/Recognition-of-qualification).
2.2 Age requirements
Applicants for Master’s Degree/Higher Education in Arts, Music, and Dance (AFAM) Programmes/ Italian Language and Culture advanced Courses should have attained the age of majority and shall not exceed the age of 28 years and 364 days by the deadline of this call (June 9th 2024), with the sole exception of renewals.
Applicants for PhD Programmes should have attained the age of majority and shall not exceed the age of 30 years and 364 days by the deadline of this call (June 9th 2024), with the sole exception of renewals.
Applicants for Research Projects under academic supervision should have attained the age of majority and shall not exceed the age of 40 years and 364 days by the deadline of this call (June 9th 2024).
2.3 Language proficiency
2.3.1 Italian-taught courses
In order to enroll in an Italian-taught course, applicants must provide a certification regarding their proficiency in Italian language. The minimum level required is B2 within the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
Candidates who were enrolled in an Italian-taught course or in an Italian language course at University may submit a language certification, issued by the person in charge of the above mentioned courses, certifying the Italian language level required.
2.3.2 English-taught courses
In order to enroll in an English-taught course, applicants must provide a language certification regarding their proficiency in English Language. The minimum level required is B2 within the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
A self-certification may be accepted for candidates from countries where English is an official language. Candidates in possession of an English-taught Bachelor’s degree may submit a document certifying that the study program of their Bachelor’s degree was entirely held in English.
No proof of proficiency in Italian is required for courses entirely taught in English.
2.3.3 Italian language and culture advanced courses
For Italian language and culture courses, applicants must provide a certification of their proficiency in Italian language. The minimum level required is A2 within the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
Candidates who were enrolled in an Italian language or Italian-taught course at the University or Italian Cultural Institute may submit a language certification issued by the person in charge of the above mentioned courses, certifying the Italian language level required.
2.3.4 PhD programs and Research projects under academic supervision
No proof of language proficiency is required for PhD programs and Research under academic supervision.
RENEWALS OF MAECI Grants for foreign citizens* and Italian citizens living abroad (IRE)
Applicants who have received a MAECI grant in the Academic Year 2024-2025 may apply through ordinary procedures to continue or complete a multi-year degree course (Master’s Degrees and PhD programs) according to the legal duration of the course. Any renewal of the scholarship is granted only to regularly enrolled applicants who can prove satisfactory academic progress. For Phd programs it will be necessary to provide a positive evaluation letter from the tutor.
In order to receive the grant, regular enrollment (“iscrizione in corso”) to the Academic Year 2024-23 is mandatory.
FUNDING PERIOD | MAECI Grants for foreign citizens* and Italian citizens living abroad (IRE)
Grantees can benefit of the grant in a period of study starting November 1st, 2024 and ending by October 31st 2024.
The number of months assigned to the winners and the exact starting date of the grant will be notified by sending the “Dichiarazione di assegnazione di borsa di studio” (Awarding Letter) by the competent Italian diplomatic mission. This document represents the official act awarding the grant. The grantee will have to initiate the university enrollment procedures before the starting date of the grant.
INELIGIBILITY | MAECI Grants for foreign citizens* and Italian citizens living abroad (IRE)
Italian Public Administration employees and their first-degree descendants cannot apply for grants.
Grants cannot be awarded to attend Single Cycle Degree Programs, Bachelor’s Degree courses (first cycle) or a First-level/Second-level Master, single courses or one-year university and specialization courses. First cycle (“lauree triennali”) courses in AFAM institutions are allowed.
Grants cannot be awarded to attend courses in foreign Institutions based in Italy or abroad, nor in private Institutes, Research Centres or Labs not recognized by the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR).
Grants cannot be awarded to candidates that are being enrolled beyond the prescribed legal duration of the course (it: “fuori corso”)
Applications that do not meet the eligibility criteria will not be considered.
ATTANASIO GRANTS
In memory of Ambassador Attanasio and his team members (Vittorio Iacovacci and Mustapha Milambo), also for the adademic year 2024-23, a reserve of three scholarships will be provided for candidates coming from Morocco, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo, who aim to start or pursue their course of studies in the fields of international relationships, cooperation for development, international humanitarian law and human rights, with a preference for Master’s Degrees classified LM-38 (Modern Languages for communication and cooperation), LM-52 (International relations), LM-62 (Political Sciences), LM-81 (Cooperation for development Sciences), LM-87 (Social services and social policies).
WIKIAFRICA EDUCATION – HIGHER EDUCATION INITIATIVE
In collaboration with the Aurora Foundation, MAECI grantees from the African continent, speakers of African languages, are offered the opportunity to take part in the WikiAfrica Higher Education Initiative. The program promotes the active participation of students with the aim of making specialized information on Africa available online. The initiative is developed by the Moleskine Foundation in partnership with the Wikimedia Foundation and the Aurora Foundation.
How to Apply Italian Government Grants for International Students 2024
SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS
Applicants must submit the application online, available upon registration on Study in Italy platform at the following link: https://studyinitaly.esteri.it
We recommend to register through a frequently used email address, as further communications will be sent to the chosen email address.
Applications must be submitted by June 9th 2024, 2 pm CET.
Applications submitted after the deadline will be rejected.
SELECTION AND AWARDING OF GRANTS
9.1 Selection of the candidates
Applications will be evaluated by a Committee set up by the competent Italian Diplomatic Mission.
9.2 Awarding procedures
Grants will be awarded on the basis of a comparative assessment of applications according to the entry requirements and other criteria of merit related to applicant’s cv.
9.3 Publication of the Ranking List
The competent Diplomatic Mission will publish on its website the list of grantees and any reserve candidates. The ranking list is final. Only the successful candidates will be notified of the assignment of the scholarship through the Study in Italy portal. Exclusion of the name of a candidate in the list of winners and reserves published by the diplomatic mission implies that the candidate has not been awarded the grant.
TUITION FEES
Grantees may be exempted from the payment of enrollment and tuition fees depending on the policy of each University in line with the regulations on the autonomy of academic institutions. Regional Fees are due anyway.
The exemption is not applied for Italian language and culture advanced courses, for which the payment of registration and tuition fees is required.
HEALTH AND MEDICAL INSURANCE
Grantees will be covered by a health and medical insurance, contracted by MAECI, in case of illness or accident. The insurance is valid exclusively for the duration of the grant.
Illnesses depending on pre-existing physical or pathological conditions and dental care are excluded from the insurance coverage. Grantees coming from EU countries are advised to get the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).
TERMS OF Italian Government Grants for International Students 2024
The winner of a MAECI scholarship, based on the starting date of the grant and the number of months indicated in the “Dichiarazione di assegnazione di borsa di studio” (Awarding Letter), will receive a monthly amount of 900 euros paid quarterly to the personal current account, opened in his/her name, with an Italian banking Institution.
The installment of the grant can be received, in conformity with the administrative procedures required, only after the completion of enrollment in the University/Institute and the submission of all the documents requested (Italian Tax code and IBAN).
The MAECI will begin the disbursement procedures at the end of each quarter. Individual payments will therefore commence after that period.
The last monthly installment will be paid only upon verification of a satisfactory academic progress.
INCOMPATIBILITY
The grant is incompatible with any other grant offered by the Italian Government or any other Italian public institution, including the scholarships provided by educational regional authorities and agencies.
The Grant is compatible with other European programs, such as Erasmus and Erasmus+, and other scholarships offered by international institutions, but it will not be paid for the periods of study outside Italy.
NOTES
* Indian citizens should also register their application on the website of the Ministry of Human Resource Development (https://www.proposal.sakshat.ac.in/scholarship/)
** IRE grants are offered for the following countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ethiopia, Lebanon, Peru, South Africa, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
DEADLINE JUNE 9TH 2024