Can You Combine Scholarships in Italy? DSU, MAECI, Invest Your Talent and University Awards
What the 2026/27 calls say about holding two awards, what stays compatible, and how to choose when you are offered more than one.
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Usually not at the same time. The 2026/27 MAECI and Invest Your Talent calls both bar holding their scholarship together with any other Italian public scholarship, regional DSU grants included, and most DSU calls bar grants with the same purpose, including university merit awards. What does combine with DSU: mobility grants such as Erasmus, 150-hour student jobs and, in most cases, the tuition exemption. You can apply for several awards and choose when you are offered more than one.
Where things stand: 8 October 2026
The 2026/27 calls are closed: MAECI on 26 March 2026, Invest Your Talent on 11 May 2026 and most DSU calls between July and September 2026. No 2027/28 MAECI or Invest Your Talent call has been published yet.
Clauses below are quoted or summarised from each 2026/27 call. Rules can change in the next calls; we recheck them when they appear.
In short
- MAECI and DSU: not together. MAECI's article 12 names regional DSU grants as incompatible.
- Invest Your Talent and DSU: not together. Article 14 of the IYT call covers grants from Italian regions.
- DSU and a university merit award: usually not. DiSCo Lazio names awards such as Wanted the Best; Padua's International Excellence Scholarship requires recipients to hold no other scholarship.
- What combines with DSU: Erasmus and other mobility grants, 150-hour collaboration jobs, and the fee exemption that comes with DSU eligibility.
- When offered two: you choose, usually by renouncing one within a deadline, such as 15 days at DiSCo Lazio or 30 days at the University of Milan.
This guide is part of our Study in Italy guide; funding is Step 3 of studying in Italy.
Want the right mix of funding for your profile? Check your eligibility first; for eligible students, we map every award you can apply for.
Check your eligibilityWhat does each scholarship pay in 2026/27?
| Scholarship | Amount 2026/27 | Tuition fees | Who can apply | Combine with DSU? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MAECI (Italian Government Scholarships) | EUR 10,800 in three instalments over 9 months (1 November 2026 to 31 July 2027) | The call says some universities grant an exemption | Master's, PhD, AFAM and research; not university bachelor's or single-cycle degrees | No (article 12) |
| Invest Your Talent in Italy | EUR 10,800 over 9 months from 1 October 2026 | Exempt from enrolment fees and university contributions | Citizens permanently resident in one of 23 countries, such as Bangladesh, Brazil, Egypt, India, Indonesia and Vietnam, for master's and postgraduate courses with an internship | No (article 14) |
| Regional DSU scholarship | Set by each region and scaled by family ISEE; the 2026/27 national reference amount is EUR 7,171.11 a year away from home, EUR 4,190.71 for commuters and EUR 2,890.16 at home | Full exemption by law for every eligible student | Students who meet the income and merit rules of the region's call | Not applicable |
| Padua International Excellence Scholarship | EUR 8,000 a year, gross, plus fee exemption | Exempt, apart from the regional tax and stamp duty | Competitive, up to 76 awards: non-Italian citizens with a foreign qualification, not living in Italy, applying to an English-taught bachelor's or master's | No: recipients must hold no other scholarship |
Our guides to MAECI, Invest Your Talent and the DSU scholarship cover eligibility and applications for each.
Can you hold DSU and MAECI together?
No. Article 12 of the 2026/27 MAECI call states that the scholarship is "incompatibile con ogni altra borsa di studio erogata dal Governo italiano o da enti pubblici italiani, incluse quelle del diritto allo studio regionale": incompatible with any other scholarship from the Italian Government or Italian public bodies, regional DSU grants included. It is compatible with internships abroad and with Erasmus and Erasmus+, but MAECI is not paid for periods spent outside Italy. The DSU side says the same: ER.GO (Emilia-Romagna), DiSCo Lazio and the University of Milan all name MAECI grants as incompatible.
Can you hold DSU and Invest Your Talent together?
No. Article 14 of the 2026/27 Invest Your Talent call states that the scholarship "is incompatible with any other scholarship and/or financial benefit provided by the Italian Government or any public institution (e.g. Erasmus+), including scholarships offered by Italian regions as part of their regional education programmes". Unlike DSU and MAECI, it names Erasmus+ as incompatible. Invest Your Talent already includes the fee exemption, so winners do not need DSU for that.
What do the regional DSU calls say about other scholarships?
| DSU call 2026/27 | Not compatible with | Compatible with | If you win both |
|---|---|---|---|
| ER.GO, Emilia-Romagna (article 10) | Other public or private grants for living costs based on income or merit, MAECI grants included | Mobility grants (Erasmus+, Overseas), ER.GO mobility contributions, judicial traineeship grants | Choose ER.GO by renouncing the other grant; if you keep the other, you keep the full fee exemption unless that grant already covers fees |
| DiSCo Lazio (article 5) | Other right-to-study benefits, MAECI grants and university merit awards such as Wanted the Best, Don't Miss Your Chance and Technopole | 150-hour collaborations, grants with a different purpose, Erasmus | Upload proof of renouncing the other grant within 15 days |
| University of Milan (article 12) | Similar benefits from the university or other bodies, MAECI grants, free or reduced college places | Study-abroad contributions, student collaboration jobs | Choose within 30 days of the second award |
| University of Padua (article 2) | Grants with a similar maintenance purpose | Grants without a maintenance purpose, mobility grants | MAECI and Invest Your Talent still bar DSU from their side |
| EDISU Piemonte (article 3) | Similar grants based on income and merit from public or private bodies | Mobility grants | You must opt for one; otherwise you are excluded |
The pattern across regions: the DSU grant pays for living costs, so it cannot sit alongside another living-costs grant, but grants for a different purpose, especially study abroad, are allowed. The exact list differs by region, which is why we read the call for the region of each university on your shortlist.
Do you keep the tuition fee exemption if you choose another scholarship?
Often yes. By national law (Legislative Decree 68/2012, article 9, paragraph 2), universities fully exempt every student who meets the DSU eligibility requirements, whether or not the grant is funded. ER.GO states that a student who gives up its grant for another scholarship keeps the full fee exemption and the regional tax refund, unless the other scholarship already covers fees. Invest Your Talent includes its own exemption. For MAECI scholars, the same decree (article 9, paragraph 3) provides a full exemption for foreign students holding an annual Italian Government scholarship under development-cooperation programmes or intergovernmental cultural and scientific agreements, while the MAECI call itself says only that some universities grant it, so practice varies and we confirm it for each university.
Which scholarship should you choose if you win more than one?
Compare the whole value over the whole degree, not the headline amount. MAECI and Invest Your Talent each pay EUR 10,800 for the year. A DSU grant for a student living away from home has a 2026/27 national reference amount of up to EUR 7,171.11, scaled by family ISEE; many regions provide a residence place or meals, usually paid for out of the grant, and you can apply again each year you meet the credit requirements. Things to weigh:
- Total cash for the year, and when it is paid.
- Fees: whether each option keeps the tuition exemption.
- Housing: whether a residence bed comes with it.
- Later years: how renewal works, and the credits you must earn.
- Deadlines to renounce, which can be as short as 15 days.
Applying to several schemes is normal. MAECI closes in March, Invest Your Talent in May and most DSU calls in summer, so the offers usually arrive at different times.
How ApplyAZ helps
ApplyAZ is an Italy-based consultancy that works only with public universities, with offices in Milan and India. We have operations across all Italian regions, because each region sets its own regulations and deadlines and they change every year. For eligible students, we map every scholarship your profile and university can open, prepare the applications in the right order, help you declare your family income at the right time and in the right format, and compare the offers when more than one arrives, so you keep the best combination the rules allow.
Check your eligibility first. If you are eligible, you book a one-to-one consultation with one of our Italy experts, and after it you receive your personal Italy Roadmap, with every step ahead of you and when to do it. ApplyAZ never promises an admission, a scholarship or a visa: those decisions belong to the university, the regional body and the consulate. Our milestone payments and refund policies mean every service you pay for is either delivered or its service fee is refunded (terms apply).
Plan your funding with an Italy expert. Check your eligibility to start.
Check your eligibilityThe ApplyAZ Study in Italy guide series
Each guide answers one step of studying in Italy in depth. Start with the complete guide, or jump to the step you are on.
- Study in Italy: the complete step-by-step guide
- How to choose a public university in Italy
- A master's in Italy with a three-year bachelor's degree
- IMAT syllabus: official topics and a study checklist
- Official IMAT past papers and how to review them
- IMAT registration, step by step
- Combining scholarships: DSU, MAECI, Invest Your Talent (you are here)
- Universitaly pre-enrolment: steps and common errors
- Italy student visa checklist
Frequently asked questions
Can I get DSU and MAECI scholarships together?
No. Article 12 of the 2026/27 MAECI call makes it incompatible with any other Italian Government or public scholarship, regional DSU grants included, and DSU calls such as ER.GO, DiSCo Lazio and Milan name MAECI as incompatible too.
Can I combine Invest Your Talent with the DSU scholarship?
No. Article 14 of the 2026/27 Invest Your Talent call bars any other scholarship or financial benefit from the Italian Government or a public institution, including regional scholarships.
Can I hold a DSU scholarship and Erasmus together?
Yes. DSU calls such as ER.GO, DiSCo Lazio, Padua and EDISU Piemonte allow mobility grants such as Erasmus alongside the DSU grant.
Can I combine a university merit scholarship with DSU?
Usually not. DiSCo Lazio names university merit awards as incompatible, and Padua's International Excellence Scholarship requires recipients to hold no other scholarship. You choose the one worth more to you.
Do I lose the tuition exemption if I refuse the DSU grant?
Not necessarily. National law exempts every DSU-eligible student, and ER.GO confirms that students who choose another scholarship keep the full fee exemption unless the other grant already covers fees.
Sources
- MAECI Italian Government Scholarships 2026/27: call in Italian (articles 1, 9, 11 and 12), call in English, MAECI page
- Invest Your Talent in Italy 2026/27: call (articles 2, 4, 9, 11 and 14), MAECI page
- DSU calls 2026/27: ER.GO, DiSCo Lazio, University of Milan, University of Padua, EDISU Piemonte
- Padua International Excellence Scholarship; Politecnico di Milano merit scholarships, 2024/25 call (the latest we could read; also incompatible with other scholarships except mobility)
- Legislative Decree 68/2012, article 9, paragraphs 2 and 3
- MUR Directorial Decree 175 of 10 February 2026: national DSU amounts for 2026/27
Written by İrem Yılmaz, Student Experience Lead, and reviewed by Reeya Sharma, Student Success and Partnerships, at ApplyAZ. Published on 8 October 2026. Clauses checked against each 2026/27 call on 8 October 2026.
Where they're studying now
Students who started exactly where you are
English-taught programmes that can be tuition-free for eligible students, and the DSU grant landing in their account every year. The funding mechanics are identical at every Italian public university: the same ISEE Parificato, the same regional bando, the same ranking. Only the authority and the dates change.
They began right where you are
Now they're studying at Italian public universities, where a degree can be tuition-free for eligible students, with DSU scholarships of up to about €8,250 a year for students living away from home, depending on the region.
