Cost of Studying in Italy 2027/28: Tuition, Living Costs and a Yearly Budget

Written by İrem Yılmaz, Student Experience Lead. Reviewed by Reeya Sharma, Student Success and Partnerships. Published 28 September 2026. Updated 28 September 2026.

In short

• For a first year in Italy, living costs and health insurance come to about €8,900 to €14,500 before any grant. Those are 2026/27 figures from our Milan, Bologna and Rome budgets. In rupees, that is about ₹9.71 lakh to ₹15.87 lakh at the ECB rate of 25 September 2026 (1 EUR = 109.2605 INR).
• Tuition follows family income and each university’s rule for income earned abroad. Public universities can be tuition-free for eligible students who qualify for a regional DSU grant.
• Universities publish living costs from about €580 a month in Padua to €1,152 in Milan. An off-site DSU grant of €6,571.11 to €7,419 brings the same yearly budget down to about €1,500 to €7,100.
• The consulate still asks for proof of funds of €10,179.85 a year (about ₹11.12 lakh) before it issues the visa, whatever the grant.
• ApplyAZ, an Italy-based consultancy that works only with public universities, helps eligible students by handling the applications, Universitaly pre-enrolment, the DSU scholarship application and the visa file.

Check your eligibility first. If you are eligible, you book a one-to-one consultation with one of our Italy experts. From there we take care of everything, from your fee band to the visa file.

What does a year in Italy cost, apart from tuition?

Living costs and health insurance come to about €8,900 to €14,500 for a first year on 2026/27 figures, if you win no grant. That is our sum of the living costs that Politecnico di Milano, the University of Bologna and Sapienza publish, plus health insurance. In rupees, it comes to about ₹9.71 lakh to ₹15.87 lakh. Tuition follows family income, and public universities can be tuition-free for eligible students.

Two things move the total most: the city you live in and whether a regional DSU grant comes through. Rent is the largest line in every city. Tuition depends on each university’s rule for income earned abroad: it is less than one month’s Milan rent at some universities and several months’ rent at others.

The sections below take each part in turn, with the year and source of every figure. If you are weighing a two-year science or engineering master’s, our guide to what an MS in Italy really costs works through a full degree budget.

How tuition works in Italy for a family with income abroad

It depends on each university’s rule for income earned abroad. The University of Milan sets a fixed amount by country group, with India in its lowest group, and Politecnico di Milano puts non-EU master’s students in its top band. Every rule below comes from each university’s fee regulation or fee page.

Italian public universities set fees on family income, measured by the ISEE. When the family’s income is abroad, each university applies its own rule. Some charge a fixed fee by country, some use a band set by the country’s income level, and some calculate an ISEE parificato from your family’s documents.

Sources: the fee regulations and fee pages linked in the table, all for 2026/27 except Sapienza (2025/26). The rules shown apply to a first-year student.

The 2027/28 amounts are pending, and each university publishes its own. We check your likely fee band early, against the regulation for your year, so you plan with the right figure. For the full path to paying no tuition at all, read our guide on who pays nothing in tuition and why.

What is an ISEE parificato, and does it lower the fee?

An ISEE parificato is Italy’s family-income indicator, calculated by an authorised tax centre (CAF) from your family’s documents from abroad. It lowers fees at some universities only. At Bologna, an ISEE of €27,000 or less falls in the no-tax area, while Padua uses it only for the regional fee.

Sapienza does not accept it for income earned outside Italy, and the University of Turin grants students resident abroad its GDP-band reduction on request instead. At Politecnico di Milano it places a bachelor’s student in an income-based band, but Article 8 of the regulation rules out any exemption with it.

Its bigger use is the DSU grant, because most regions assess your family through it. The family obtains the income, property and bank documents in India, and our ISEE parificato guide explains them. We tell you exactly which documents to get, in which order, and check every page before they are filed.

How much does it cost to live in Milan, Rome, Bologna, Padua or Turin?

Between about €580 and €1,152 a month, going by what the universities themselves publish. Padua is lowest if you find a single room at €300, and Milan highest at the top of Politecnico di Milano’s €400 to €700 rent range. Sapienza puts Rome at a minimum of €800 to €900 a month.

Our totals add up the items each university lists; only Sapienza gives its own total. Bologna and Padua do not price utilities, so add those. We list only cities whose universities publish figures, rather than fill gaps from blogs.

Rooms are the swing factor everywhere. For how students find them and what contracts look like, see student accommodation in Italy and our city guides for Milan, Bologna and Rome.

What does a yearly budget look like in Milan, Bologna and Rome?

Living costs and health insurance come to about €8,880 to €14,520 in Milan, €8,940 plus utilities in Bologna, and €10,300 to €11,500 in Rome, for a first year without a grant. Each total adds 12 months of the living costs the university publishes and a year of health insurance. Tuition is not included: it follows family income, and public universities can be tuition-free for eligible students.

Health insurance means registering with the national health service (SSN), explained below. Registration runs by calendar year, so a student who registers on arrival in the autumn pays another €700 of health insurance in January, about ₹76,500 more than these totals.

All figures are 2026/27. Tuition, flights, the visa and the residence permit are not included, and INR is at the ECB rate of 25 September 2026.

A worked example: a master’s student in Bologna. A single room at €400, groceries at €60 a week and the €27 bus pass come to €687 a month, or €8,244 a year. Add €700 for health insurance, and the year costs €8,944, about ₹9.77 lakh, plus utilities.

Tuition depends on the university too. Politecnico di Milano puts non-EU master’s students in its top band, while the University of Milan sets a low fixed amount for India’s country group. The choice of university matters as much as the city.

Want these numbers for your own profile? Check your eligibility first; if you are eligible, one of our Italy experts checks your likely fee band with you in the consultation.

How much does a DSU scholarship take off the yearly total?

An off-site DSU grant takes €6,571.11 to €7,419 off the year in these three cities, bringing the yearly budget to about €1,500 to €7,100. That holds only if your family’s ISEE is under the region’s limit and, in most regions, you rent under a lease of at least 10 months. ER.GO pays €7,171.11 up to an ISEE of €16,666.67.

Sources: ER.GO amounts 2026/27, Lazio DiSCo call 2026/27, University of Milan regional grants call 2026/27, Art. 6.3.1. Net total is the yearly budget minus the grant. Grant winners are usually exempt from tuition contributions, though Sapienza does not refund its fixed fee to DiSCo winners.

The grant falls as the ISEE rises. ER.GO’s grant is €8,246.78 at an ISEE of €12,500 or less, but only €3,585.56 between €20,818.47 and €25,000. Milan’s figure is the cash part only; its meal service lowers food costs further.

Three conditions decide whether the full amount arrives. First, most regions pay the off-site rate only with a paid lease of at least 10 months or a residence bed; Lazio DiSCo asks for the lease only when less than half the family lives abroad, and without it pays the commuter rate of €3,590.71. Second, first-year students must earn credits, usually 20 by 10 August 2027, or give money back; third, the grant comes in instalments, usually from November, so the first months come out of your own funds.

The region decides the grant, and we prepare and file the DSU application for eligible students. Each region’s limits and dates are on our DSU scholarship hub, with pages for the University of Padua and Piedmont. The MAECI scholarship is a separate, national route.

Which one-off costs come before and after you arrive?

Four costs come with the move itself: the study visa, the residence permit, health cover and a rent deposit. Sapienza’s guide adds that landlords ask for 1 to 3 months’ rent as a deposit when you sign.

Before you travel, the visa is paid for when the file is lodged; the Embassy of Italy in New Delhi lists the charge for national study visas. We build the visa file for eligible students, and the family obtains the bank and income papers it needs.

Soon after you arrive, you request the residence permit at a post office. Poste Italiane collects a revenue stamp, a post-office fee and the payment slip for the permit.

Health cover is needed for the permit: registering with the national health service (SSN), which serves as your health insurance, costs €700 and runs for the calendar year, 1 January to 31 December, according to Politecnico di Milano. The University of Padua puts private health insurance valid for the permit at about €120 to €150. More on the options in our student health insurance guide.

Keep cash for the first days too: Politecnico di Milano suggests about €200 to €250. On a €400 room, three months’ rent comes to €1,200 (about ₹1.31 lakh), and the deposit is usually returned when you leave. We leave flights out of every total, because fares change daily and no airline publishes a dated range we could cite.

How much money must I show for the Italian study visa?

At least €10,179.85 a year in funds, about ₹11.12 lakh, for courses starting in 2026/27 or 2027/28. The ministry’s procedures set this figure, and Italian consulates publish it; the funds must be lawful and traceable. A DSU grant does not lower it, because the visa comes before any grant is paid.

Some older pages still show €6,947.33, the 2025/26 figure; a file built on it falls €3,232.52 short of the funds required. The family obtains the bank statements and income tax returns in India. We tell you exactly which documents to get, in which order, and check every page before the visa appointment.

For what counts as proof, read financial proof for the Italian student visa, and for the full process, our Italy student visa guide.

Which Italian public universities cost least for families in countries like India?

Among the seven we checked, the University of Milan is lowest for 2026/27, because India sits in its lowest country group. The University of Pavia follows, with India in its lowest flat-rate bracket, then Sapienza (2025/26 rules) and the University of Turin, where India falls in the lowest GDP band.

Low tuition is only one line of the budget. A month’s rent in Milan can cost more than the University of Milan charges in a year. The course you want may also not be taught in English there.

Our shortlist starts from programmes that fit your profile. To compare options, see public universities in Italy, the best universities in Italy, and our masters and bachelor’s guides.

Can part-time work cover living costs in Italy?

Only in part. A study permit allows up to 20 hours of work a week and 1,040 hours a year, as Sapienza explains to its students. Pay depends on the job, and the first weeks go on the permit, a tax code and a bank account, so the visa budget cannot count on wages, and neither should yours.

Politecnico di Milano notes that a bank account needs a valid residence permit and a tax code (codice fiscale). Where students find work, and how hours are counted, is in our guide to part-time work in Italy.

When will the 2027/28 fees and grants be published?

They are pending. Going by 2026, universities published their fee rules from May onwards and regions opened DSU calls from June: ER.GO updated its 2026/27 amounts on 22 June 2026, and Padua’s fee call came out in July 2026. Sapienza’s 2026/27 amounts are due only after 30 September 2026.

The 2027/28 visa deadline is already set: 31 October 2027 for bachelor’s and master’s courses, according to Universitaly. We update this page as each 2027/28 regulation appears. For application windows, see intakes in Italy.

Reality check

The university sets your fee, the region decides the DSU grant and the consulate decides the visa. We never promise an outcome.

For eligible students, we handle the work around those decisions. We check your likely fee band early, prepare the ISEE and DSU documents with you, file the DSU application and build the visa file.

The usual pitfalls, and what each one costs:

• Missing Bologna’s foreign-income deadline: you pay the full fee for your programme. The late window, to 16 November 2026, adds a late charge.
• Registering with the SSN in September: the €700 of health insurance covers you only to 31 December, because registration runs by calendar year.
• Assuming every region treats the lease the same way: most regions pay the full off-site grant only with a lease of at least 10 months or a residence bed, while Lazio DiSCo asks for the lease only when less than half the family lives abroad. There, a student without one gets a grant of €3,590.71 instead of €6,571.11.
• Showing the old €6,947.33 in funds: the file is €3,232.52 short of the €10,179.85 rule.
• Missing first-year credits: most regions want 20 credits by 10 August 2027 for the full grant, and by 30 November 2027 at the latest to avoid repaying it.
• Choosing Politecnico di Milano for a master’s without a grant: non-EU master’s students go to its top fee band, while the University of Milan sets a low fixed amount for India’s country group.

Check your eligibility before you commit to a city or a university. 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.

Frequently asked questions

Is Italy expensive for students from countries like India?

Not at public universities. They can be tuition-free for eligible students, and published living costs run from about €580 to €1,152 a month. Rent is the biggest cost, so the city you choose matters more than the university.

Do international students pay tuition at Italian public universities?

Yes, but the amount depends on family income and each university’s rule for income abroad. Public universities can be tuition-free for eligible students, including students found eligible for an ER.GO grant at Bologna. We check your likely fee band early.

Is there a scholarship in Italy that covers everything?

No single award covers everything. The regional DSU grant comes closest: €6,571.11 to €7,419 for off-site students in Lazio, Emilia-Romagna and at the University of Milan in 2026/27, usually with a tuition exemption. You still show visa funds of €10,179.85 before you travel.

How much should a family budget in rupees for the first year?

Plan on about ₹9.71 lakh to ₹15.87 lakh for living costs and health insurance without a grant. That comes from our Milan, Bologna and Rome budgets, on 2026/27 figures at the ECB rate of 25 September 2026. With a full DSU grant, the same year’s budget comes to about ₹1.60 lakh to ₹7.76 lakh, but the visa still needs proof of funds of about ₹11.12 lakh. Public universities can be tuition-free for eligible students.

Does the DSU grant arrive before I travel?

No: the region pays in instalments after you enrol, usually from November for first-year students, and the rest depends on the credits you earn. Your family therefore funds the first months, the rent deposit and the visa proof. We plan your budget around the payment dates of your region.

Why does this page leave out private universities?

Because ApplyAZ works only with public universities and takes no commission from any university. Private universities set their own fees, outside the regional rules under which public universities can be tuition-free for eligible students. Every figure here comes from a public university or an Italian public body.

Are flights included in these totals?

No: airline fares change daily and no airline publishes a dated range we could cite, so every total on this page leaves the flight out. Add the fare you are quoted when you book. We tell you when to book, so the dates fit your visa appointment and your arrival.

Can ApplyAZ tell me which university fits my budget?

Yes. Check your eligibility first; if you are eligible, you book a 30-minute consultation with one of our Italy experts. We check your likely fee band and the DSU rules for each university on your shortlist, then handle the applications, Universitaly pre-enrolment, the DSU application and the visa file.

Sources

• University of Milan, Regolamento tasse, contributi, esoneri e borse di studio 2026/2027 (Art. 3, 6, 7, 15), verified 28 September 2026.
• University of Milan, Annex 2, country groups 2026/2027, verified 28 September 2026.
• University of Milan, Bando borse di studio regionali 2026/2027, Art. 6.3.1 (grant amounts), verified 28 September 2026.
• University of Milan, regional scholarships page 2026/2027 (application window), verified 28 September 2026.
• Sapienza University of Rome, standard fee amounts and fixed contributions for income abroad, 2025/26, verified 28 September 2026.
• Sapienza, contributi e agevolazioni (2026/27 amounts due after 30 September 2026), verified 28 September 2026.
• Sapienza, International Student Guide, 2024 file, pp. 21 to 23, verified 28 September 2026.
• Sapienza, residence permit for study purposes (work limits), verified 28 September 2026.
• University of Turin, tuition fees for international students, 2026/27, verified 28 September 2026.
• University of Bologna, tuition fees and exemptions, 2026/27, verified 28 September 2026.
• University of Bologna, reduced fixed fee for non-EU, non-OECD countries, 2026/27, verified 28 September 2026.
• University of Bologna, ISEE and foreign-income documents, 2026/27 deadlines, verified 28 September 2026.
• University of Bologna, maximum all-inclusive contribution table, 2026/27, verified 28 September 2026.
• University of Bologna, living costs in Bologna (undated page), verified 28 September 2026.
• University of Pavia, fees for non-EU students, 2026/27, verified 28 September 2026.
• University of Padua, Call for Student Fees and Exemptions 2026/27 (sections 1, 5.B and 6.A), verified 28 September 2026.
• University of Padua, cost of living in Padua (undated page), verified 28 September 2026.
• Politecnico di Milano, student contribution regulation 2026/27 (Art. 8, 9, Table 2), verified 28 September 2026.
• Politecnico di Milano, students with income and property abroad, 2026/27, verified 28 September 2026.
• Politecnico di Milano, useful information and cost of living (undated page), verified 28 September 2026.
• Politecnico di Milano, health insurance (SSN registration by calendar year), verified 28 September 2026.
• Politecnico di Torino, cost of living (updated 3 June 2024), verified 28 September 2026.
• ER.GO Emilia-Romagna, scholarship amounts 2026/2027 (updated 22 June 2026), verified 28 September 2026.
• Lazio DiSCo, Bando diritto allo studio 2026/2027, status sede FAQ, verified 28 September 2026.
• Embassy of Italy in New Delhi, visas and visa fees, verified 28 September 2026.
• Poste Italiane, residence permit guide, verified 28 September 2026.
• Regione Toscana PAeSI, residence permit payment slip amounts (updated June 2017, still in force), verified 28 September 2026.
• MUR circular on international students, 2026/27 and 2027/28 (means of subsistence), verified 28 September 2026.
• Consulate General of Italy in Buenos Aires, visa and enrolment rules for 2026/27 and 2027/28, verified 28 September 2026.
• Universitaly, foreign students (visa deadlines 2026/27 and 2027/28), verified 28 September 2026.
• European Central Bank, euro reference rate for INR, 25 September 2026, verified 28 September 2026.

Exchange rate: all INR amounts use the ECB euro reference rate of 25 September 2026, 1 EUR = 109.2605 INR, rounded.

Ready to turn this into your own budget? Check your eligibility, and if you are eligible, one of our Italy experts takes it from there in a one-to-one consultation.

Further reading

• DSU scholarship in Italy 2026/27: limits, amounts and deadlines by region
• Study in Italy: the whole journey in five steps
• What an MS in Italy costs after scholarships
• Paying no tuition in Italy: what eligible students get
• ISEE parificato: the documents your family needs
• Financial proof for the Italian student visa