DSU Scholarship Housing: Residence Beds, Costs and Rent Contributions (2026/27)

Updated 6 October 2026. Every bed rule, value and date below comes from each body's official 2026/27 DSU call, checked on 28 September 2026.

In short

• Most DSU bodies offer fuori sede (living away from home) winners a bed in a student residence, but beds are limited, ranked and almost always requested in the same application as the grant.
• A bed is rarely free money. EDISU Piemonte deducts 2,700 EUR from the cash, ERDIS Marche 2,821 EUR and ADISU Puglia 2,208 EUR. DSU Toscana is the exception that adds a bed worth 3,150 EUR on top.
• Some bodies keep beds out of the grant call: the University of Milan and the University of Padua leave housing to separate processes, and ADSU Chieti-Pescara runs a separate residence call.
• If no bed is available, some bodies pay a rent contribution or housing refund against a registered lease.

This guide is part of the complete DSU scholarship guide. Check your eligibility first. If you are eligible, you book a one-to-one consultation with one of our Italy experts, and from there we take care of everything.

Does the DSU scholarship include accommodation?

Often, but not automatically. For fuori sede students, most regional bodies run student residences and give beds to grant winners who asked for one, in order of ranking. The bed is part of the grant's value: in most calls its cost is deducted from the cash, so a student with a bed receives less money but pays no rent.

Applying for the grant is not a promise of a room. Some bodies run a separate housing ranking or call, and at most bodies the bed is requested in the same application as the grant, so the housing choice has to be made at the same time.

How does each DSU body handle residence beds in 2026/27?

The table compares the 16 bodies we track. Each name opens our full guide to that body.

Is it better to take a DSU bed or rent privately?

Compare the cash. At ERSU Cagliari a fuori sede student in the top band receives 7,515.76 EUR in cash with a private lease, or 5,292.25 EUR plus a bed. At ADiSU Umbria it is 6,646.78 EUR with a registered lease or 4,846.78 EUR plus a bed. If a private room in that city costs less than the difference, renting privately leaves more money; if not, the bed is the cheaper option.

A bed also removes risk in the first weeks: no deposit to a private landlord, no lease registration, and fuori sede status is usually proved by the bed itself. Our guide to fuori sede status and lease rules explains what a private lease must contain.

What if you are eligible but no bed is available?

Several bodies compensate. DSU Toscana pays a rent contribution of up to 3,150 EUR a year against a registered lease of at least six months, requested between 4 November and 15 December 2026. ERSU Catania pays a 1,700 EUR housing refund when no bed was available and a lease is declared. ALiSEO Liguria takes rent contribution requests until 30 December 2026. ERDIS Marche pays the housing share in cash to winners it cannot house by 19 October 2026, if they file a registered lease by 13 November 2026.

Eligible students left without cash for lack of funds still keep housing at some bodies: DSU Toscana, ADiSU Umbria and ADISU Puglia all give them a bed at no cost where available.

What do you need to keep a DSU bed?

• Accept on time. ERDIS Marche and ADISU Puglia give 5 days after the ranking, with a deposit (150 EUR and 130 EUR) and a medical certificate; ERSU Palermo 12 days to accept and move in.
• Arrive on the convocation day, or ask in advance. ADISU Puglia treats a missed convocation as a refusal; EDISU Piemonte lets international first-years ask to hold the bed until 31 December 2026, with the cost running from the arrival date in the assignment email.
• Complete enrolment and permit steps. DiSCo Lazio removes the bed if enrolment, residence permit documents and the ISEEUP are not in order by 10 December 2026.
• Earn the credits. If the grant is revoked, the value of the bed used is repaid. EDISU Piemonte charges 8.18 EUR a day for the bed in that case.

When should you request a DSU bed for 2027/28?

In the grant application itself, at the start of the window. In 2026/27 the bed requests closed with the application at most bodies, and some set earlier document dates for bed applicants: ADSU Chieti-Pescara's bed applicants had to deliver family originals by 1 September 2026 instead of 13 November. Our DSU 2027/28 preparation guide sets out the timeline.

The ApplyAZ DSU guide series

Each guide answers one part of the DSU scholarship in depth. Read them in order, or jump to the step you are on.

1. DSU scholarship in Italy: the complete guide
2. Every DSU regional body compared, with a guide to each
3. ISEE parificato: family documents for DSU
4. DSU deadlines and payment dates by region
5. Fuori sede status: the lease rules that decide your rate
6. DSU housing: residence beds, costs and rent contributions (you are here)
7. After you apply: rankings, appeals and first payments
8. DSU credits: how many you need to keep the grant
9. DSU 2027/28: when the calls open and how to prepare

How ApplyAZ helps

ApplyAZ has operations across all Italian regions, because each region sets its own regulations and deadlines. For eligible students we compare the bed and private-lease options for each body on the shortlist, request the bed in the application, and handle the acceptance, deposit and arrival steps with the student.

Check your eligibility first. If you are eligible, you book a private consultation with an Italy expert, and after it you receive your personal Italy Roadmap.

Frequently asked questions

Is accommodation free with the DSU scholarship?

Usually the bed has no rent, but its value is deducted from the cash grant: 2,700 EUR at EDISU Piemonte, 2,821 EUR at ERDIS Marche and 2,208 EUR at ADISU Puglia. DSU Toscana is the exception that adds the bed on top of the cash.

How do I apply for a DSU residence bed?

In most calls you request the bed in the same online application as the grant, inside the same window. Beds go to fuori sede winners in order of ranking, and you must accept and move in by the body's dates.

What if I do not get a DSU bed?

Rent privately with a registered lease to keep fuori sede status. Some bodies then pay extra: DSU Toscana up to 3,150 EUR a year as a rent contribution, and ERSU Catania a 1,700 EUR housing refund.

Can I take a DSU bed and keep the full cash grant?

Only at DSU Toscana among the 16 bodies we track, where the bed and two meals a day come on top of the cash. Elsewhere the bed's value is withheld from the grant or charged as rent.

Does the University of Milan DSU grant include a bed?

No. The University of Milan's 2026/27 grant call assigns no beds; university housing has its own call, and holding a university bed is compatible with the grant.

Sources

• EDISU Piemonte, 2026/27 call, checked 28 September 2026.
• University of Milan, 2026/27 call, checked 28 September 2026.
• Politecnico di Milano, 2026/27 call, checked 28 September 2026.
• University of Padua, 2026/27 call, checked 28 September 2026.
• ALiSEO Liguria, 2026/27 call, checked 28 September 2026.
• ER.GO Emilia-Romagna, 2026/27 call, checked 28 September 2026.
• DSU Toscana, 2026/27 call, checked 28 September 2026.
• ADiSU Umbria, 2026/27 call, checked 28 September 2026.
• ERDIS Marche, 2026/27 call, checked 28 September 2026.
• DiSCo Lazio, 2026/27 call, checked 28 September 2026.
• ADSU Chieti-Pescara, 2026/27 call, checked 28 September 2026.
• ADISURC Campania, 2026/27 call, checked 28 September 2026.
• ADISU Puglia, 2026/27 call, checked 28 September 2026.
• ERSU Palermo, 2026/27 call, checked 28 September 2026.
• ERSU Catania, 2026/27 call, checked 28 September 2026.
• ERSU Cagliari, 2026/27 call, checked 28 September 2026.