DSU Toscana Scholarship 2026/27: Amounts, Deadlines and Documents

Who can apply for DSU Toscana from countries like India?

Students from countries like India can apply under the DSU Toscana bando (official call) if they enrol at the universities of Florence, Pisa or Siena, with a family ISEE (the Italian family income indicator) up to 27,000 EUR and ISPE (the family assets indicator) up to 60,000 EUR (Bando 2026/27, art. 1.3 and 7.1.1).

The University for Foreigners of Siena is covered too, and the call also covers other institutions in the region (art. 1.3). Foreign students count as fuori sede (living away from home) whatever their address in Italy, unless the family lives in Italy or the student meets the call's independence test (art. 2.2.10; art. 8.3.4).

Students who already hold a degree at the same or a higher level, Italian or foreign and declared equivalent, are excluded (art. 3.1; art. 3.7). First-year Bachelor's students are ranked by ascending ISEE, and not every eligible student is funded (art. 16.9; art. 17.1.4.1).

How much is the DSU Toscana grant?

A fuori sede student in the top band, with ISEE up to 13,500 EUR, gets 3,338 EUR a year in cash (about INR 3,67,000). On top come a residence bed, valued at 3,150 EUR, and two meals a day, valued at 1,760 EUR, which are not deducted from the cash (art. 19.1.1, Tabella B1; Tabella B5).

• Fuori sede cash: 3,338 EUR (ISEE up to 13,500 EUR), 2,262 EUR (13,500.01 to 18,000 EUR) or 1,060 EUR (18,000.01 to 27,000 EUR), each with the bed and two meals a day (art. 19.1.1, Tabella B1).
• Pendolare (commuter): 3,880, 3,251 or 2,413 EUR, plus one meal a day (Tabella B1).
• In sede (living at home): 2,385, 1,951 or 1,690 EUR, plus one meal a day (Tabella B1).
• Women on STEM courses: fuori sede 3,696 EUR with ISEE up to 18,000 EUR, or 2,060 EUR above that (art. 19.1.2, Tabella B2).

The call prints no combined total. If no bed is available, a rent contribution of up to 3,150 EUR a year, in proportion to the period without a bed, replaces it against a registered lease of at least six months (art. 20.11). For a region where the bed is paid from the grant, see ER.GO Emilia-Romagna.

Which documents does the family need from abroad for DSU Toscana?

DSU Toscana wants original documents on the family's 2025 income and its assets at 31 December 2025, issued in 2026, legalised or apostilled and translated into Italian. They had to be posted by 7 September 2026. No ISEE parificato (the income statement for families outside Italy) is used; DSU Toscana assesses the documents itself (art. 7.2.1.3; art. 8.3.2; art. 15.2.6).

No self-declaration, self-certification or affidavit of any kind is accepted from non-EU students (art. 8.3.2.6). Buildings abroad are valued at a flat 500 EUR per square metre, and foreign amounts are converted at the 2025 average exchange rate (art. 8.4.1). The full list is in the documents section below.

India is not on the particularly poor countries list, so families from countries like India send the full set (art. 8.3.3; Appendice C).

When are the DSU Toscana deadlines for 2026/27?

The online application ran from 20 July to 13:00 (Italian time) on 7 September 2026, and the foreign family documents had to be posted by 7 September 2026, with the postmark counting (art. 15.1.1; art. 15.2.6). For students who applied, provisional rankings are due by 30 September 2026 and appeals close on 10 October 2026 (art. 18).

• Status revision request (in sede, pendolare or fuori sede): by 10 October 2026 (art. 2.2.5).
• Definitive rankings: 4 November 2026 for first-year Bachelor's and single-cycle grants; 30 November 2026 for the other lists, including first-year Master's (art. 18.1.1).
• Rent contribution request, if no bed is available: from 4 November to 13:00 on 15 December 2026 (art. 20.11.3.1).
• Fixing non-conforming foreign documents: within 30 days of the notice in the student's reserved area; DSU Toscana completes these checks by 31 March 2027 (art. 8.7).

Every region's dates are on our DSU deadlines page. For students we work with, we track each date and follow the results with them, since DSU Toscana publishes them online and sends no personal notice (art. 18.1; art. 18.6.4).

How and when is the DSU Toscana grant paid?

Bachelor's and single-cycle first-years who win in the definitive ranking of 4 November 2026 get 20% of the cash by 10 November 2026 and 30% within December 2026 (art. 21.1.1.1). Master's first-years get 50% within December 2026. The other half follows only once the credits are reached (art. 21.1.1).

• Balance: by 30 June 2027 if the credits are reached by 31 May 2027, or by 31 October 2027 if reached by 10 August 2027 (art. 21.1.1.3).
• Account: an Italian or SEPA-area IBAN, on a current account or prepaid card in the student's own name (art. 21.2).
• Students resident abroad also need a codice fiscale (Italian tax code) from the Agenzia delle Entrate and an Italian address and phone number in their reserved area (art. 21.5).

How many credits do you need to keep the DSU Toscana grant?

First-year Bachelor's and single-cycle students need 20 CFU (university credits) by 10 August 2027, and Master's students need 15. Medicine and Surgery at Florence, Pisa and Siena needs 18, and Building Engineering and Architecture at Pisa needs 16. Bonus credits cannot be used (art. 5.3.3).

DSU Toscana reads the credits registered by the university automatically (art. 21.1.1.2). For a Master's, credits from an Italian Bachelor's recognised in the Master's also count (art. 5.3.5). Our guide to credits to keep your grant sets the Tuscan rule beside other regions.

What happens if you miss the DSU Toscana credits?

Missing the credits on 10 August 2027 means losing the second half of the cash, and meals and bed stop from 1 September 2027 (art. 5.3.3; art. 22.1.4.1). Still short on 30 November 2027, the student repays the cash already received, but not the value of meals and bed (art. 5.3.4; art. 22.2.1).

The bed must then be vacated by 10 September 2027, after which 26 EUR a day is charged (art. 22.1.4.2 and 22.1.4.3). Reaching the minimum by 30 November 2027, even on the 2027/28 course, keeps the 50% already paid (art. 5.3.4). The 140 EUR regional tax exemption is kept either way (art. 19.2.2).

Can you get a DSU Toscana residence bed?

Fuori sede students who asked for housing in the application by 7 September 2026 and are eligible for the grant are declared housing winners whatever the number of places, then called as places become available. For grant winners the bed comes at no cost; a 262.50 EUR deposit is paid on assignment (art. 19.4.1; art. 20.2; art. 20.10.9).

• First-year Bachelor's and single-cycle students get 20% of the beds, and 20% of that share is reserved for students from non-EU countries (art. 20.5.2 and 20.5.3).
• Beds offered at publication: Florence 1,917, Pisa 1,705 and Siena 1,200 (art. 20.4).
• The first call-up is on 1 October 2026; each notice in the reserved area sets the date to show up, and missing it means losing the bed (art. 20.10). Suspended students, for example with documents to fix, are called only after the suspension is lifted (art. 20.9.1.8).
• Winners who refuse or miss an offered bed cannot get the rent contribution for 2027/28 (art. 20.11.1.3).

Documents from abroad for the DSU Toscana 2026/27 call

DSU Toscana asked for original family documents on 2025 income and on assets at 31 December 2025, issued in 2026, legalised or apostilled and translated into Italian. They had to be posted by 7 September 2026 with the printed application receipt; missing documents make the application inadmissible (art. 8.3.2; art. 8.6.1; art. 15.2.6).

• Application receipt and ID: the printed receipt of the online application and a copy of a valid identity document, sent with the documents (art. 15.2.6 B).
• 1. Family certificate (stato di famiglia), plus papers for special cases such as divorce, a deceased parent, a guardian or married adult siblings (Appendice B, point 1).
• 2. 2025 income: gross income of each adult from the tax authority; if unavailable, an employer's certificate, the December 2025 payslip showing the year's total, or all 12 payslips; for adults without income, proof such as an enrolment or unemployment certificate (Appendice B, point 2).
• 3. Buildings owned by each member at 31 December 2025, with floor area in square metres; for the family home, proof of ownership, use at no charge, a lease, or a certificate of non-ownership (Appendice B, point 3).
• 4. Bank balances and other financial assets of each member at 31 December 2025: accounts, deposits, prepaid and credit cards, shares and bonds (Appendice B, point 4).
• Italian income or assets of the household, if any (art. 8.5.1).
• Issue and form: issued in 2026 by the authorities of the country where the 2025 income was earned; originals only, not returned (art. 8.3.2.1; art. 15.2.6 B).
• Legalisation: by the Italian diplomatic authority in the home country, or by apostille for countries in the 1961 Hague Convention (art. 8.3.2.2; art. 8.3.2.4).
• Italian translation, itself legalised (art. 8.3.2.2).
• Where they go: by registered post with return receipt or express courier to ARDSU Toscana, Servizio Benefici e Interventi Monetari, Viale Antonio Gramsci 36, 50132 Firenze, with the student's name and "DB 2026/2027" on the envelope (art. 15.2.6 C).

For eligible students, we work with the family to gather, check, translate and legalise this file. DSU Toscana states that it has not authorised any agency or intermediary to collect or submit applications (note after art. 8.7), so we never file for the student: we prepare and check every document, explain each step, and are there while the student submits the form and sends the envelope.

Frequently asked questions about DSU Toscana

Does DSU Toscana cover tuition at Florence, Pisa or Siena?

The 2026/27 call exempts winners and eligible students from the 140 EUR regional DSU tax (art. 19.2.1). It does not deal with university tuition fees at all, so fee rules are set separately by each university, and we work them out with the university for each student we support.

Do I need a rental contract to count as fuori sede in Tuscany?

No. Foreign students count as fuori sede whatever their address in Italy, unless the family lives in Italy or the student meets the call's independence test (art. 2.2.10). A registered lease of at least six months matters only for the rent contribution when no residence bed is available (art. 20.11.2).

Can I combine DSU Toscana with another scholarship?

Generally no. The grant cannot be combined with other 2026/27 grants or benefits from public or private bodies, except study-abroad grants, compatible Tuscany Region measures and housing-only aid; the student may choose one (art. 22.1.1.1). Otherwise the cash and the value of the services used must be repaid (art. 22.2.2).

I already have a degree from abroad. Can I get DSU Toscana for a Master's?

It can be possible if the Master's is at a higher level than the degree you hold. Students are excluded if they already hold an Italian degree, or a foreign degree declared equivalent by an Italian university, at the same or a higher level than the new course (art. 3.1; art. 3.7.1 and 3.7.2).

What bank account do I need for the DSU Toscana payment?

An Italian or SEPA-area IBAN, on a current account or prepaid card in the student's own name (art. 21.2). Students resident abroad also need a codice fiscale from the Agenzia delle Entrate and an Italian address and phone number in their reserved area (art. 21.5). Amounts not collected by 31 December 2028 are lost (art. 21.3 and 21.4).

What does 'particularly poor countries' mean for DSU Toscana?

Appendice C of the call lists 46 countries from a ministerial decree. Students from those countries may send a 2026 certificate that the family is not notoriously high income and high status instead of the full file, and count as ISEE and ISPE of 0 EUR (art. 8.3.3). India is not on the list, so families from countries like India send the full documents.

What happens if DSU Toscana finds a problem with my documents?

The student is suspended and ranked with a conventional ISEE of 27,000 EUR, and has 30 days from the notice in the reserved area to send what is missing; DSU Toscana completes these checks by 31 March 2027 (art. 8.7; art. 17.3.8). Meals and the bed start only after the suspension is lifted (art. 17.3.3 and 17.3.4).

Can ApplyAZ prepare my DSU Toscana application?

DSU Toscana states that it has authorised no agencies or intermediaries to collect or submit applications, so the student submits. For eligible students we prepare and check every document, explain each step and are there while the student submits. Check your eligibility first; if eligible, you book a one to one consultation with one of our Italy experts, and from there we take care of everything.

Your next step: check your eligibility first. It takes about two minutes. 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.