Credits needed to keep a DSU grant 2026/27

• First years need no credits to apply; most calls then ask for 20 credits by 10 Aug 2027 for the full grant and by 30 Nov 2027 to avoid repaying: two checks in about a year.
• Exceptions: University of Milan 35 (Bachelor's), Politecnico di Milano 35 or 40, ER.GO 25 or 30, Palermo and Catania 15 by 10 Aug.
• Missing 30 Nov 2027 means revocation and repayment.
• ApplyAZ, an Italy-based consultancy that works only with public universities, helps eligible students by preparing their ISEE parificato and DSU application.

How merit works in the first year, step by step

For first-year students the DSU scholarship works the other way round from later years: the grant is awarded on family income, and merit is checked afterwards, on the credits the university registers during 2026/27. The checks fall on 10 August and 30 November 2027, and each body's bando (official call) sets its own target.

1. No credits to apply. First years apply and are ranked on family income; DSU Toscana says merit is assessed after the award (art. 5.3.1), and the University of Milan awards the grant on income and confirms it on the credits held at 10 August 2027 (art. 4.2.2). We prepare the application with each eligible student, including the family file behind the ISEE parificato, and check it before it is sent.
2. Exams and credit registration. Credits count only once the university has recorded them by the check date; DiSCo Lazio, for example, counts credits recorded at the university's student office (art. 41.4). Several calls exclude credits recognised from earlier or foreign studies. Passing exams is the student's work and we cannot earn credits for them; we track each student's exam and registration dates and flag risks early.
3. Early checkpoints in some calls. A few calls pay sooner for earlier credits: ER.GO pays 10% from March 2027 for 9 credits by 28 February (Sez. II art. 13), ADiSU Umbria brings the balance forward to 30 June 2027 for 20 credits by 30 April (art. 35), and EDISU Piemonte and DSU Toscana do the same for 20 credits by 31 May 2027 (art. 13; art. 21.1.1). We track these optional dates with the student; every body's payment dates are in our DSU deadlines table.
4. The 10 August 2027 check. This is the date for the full grant: the credits registered by then release the balance, in most calls 20. Missing it costs the balance, or half the grant at ALiSEO Liguria, DiSCo Lazio, ADISURC Campania and ADISU Puglia. We review each student's credit count well ahead of this date.
5. The 30 November 2027 check. This is the last date to keep what was paid. A student below the target by then loses the grant and repays what was received, often including the value of the bed and meals used. Some calls allow a short extension for serious documented reasons, decided by the body. We flag any shortfall early enough to plan the exams still to take.
6. Later years. From the second year the grant needs a new application each year (Politecnico di Milano, art. 15) and minimum credits by 10 August; in the 2026/27 calls most bodies asked second-year Bachelor's students for 25 credits and Master's students for 30, with bonus credits available from the second year. We prepare the next year's application with the student.

Credit targets and penalties at each DSU body

The table compares what each of the 16 DSU calls asks from 2026/27 first years: how many credits, by which date, and what happens if they are missed. Part-time rules and course exceptions are shown where the call sets them. Grant amounts are compared in our DSU scholarship guide.

Source: each body's 2026/27 call (bando), articles as shown. Verified on 28 September 2026.

Do first-year students from countries like India need credits to apply for DSU?

No. First-year applicants from countries like India are ranked on family income and assets, and no credits are needed to apply. Merit is checked only afterwards, on the credits earned during 2026/27: DSU Toscana assesses merit after the award (art. 5.3.1), and ER.GO ranks first years by their ISEE, the family income indicator (Sez. I art. 15.5).

That makes the credits the real condition of the grant. A first year who wins in autumn 2026 still has to reach the call's target in 2027, and money already received can be taken back if the target is missed. We set out each call's target with the student at the start of the year, not in July.

How many credits do students from countries like India need by 10 August 2027?

In 11 of the 16 calls the standard target is 20 credits registered by 10 August 2027 for the full grant. The others ask more or split it: University of Milan 35 for Bachelor's, Politecnico di Milano 35 or 40, ER.GO 25 for Bachelor's and 30 for Master's, and ERSU Palermo and ERSU Catania 15 by 10 August.

Within the calls asking 20, some courses and profiles differ. DSU Toscana asks 15 for Master's, 18 for Medicine and 16 for Building Engineering and Architecture at Pisa (art. 5.3.3); ADiSU Umbria lists courses at 12 to 19 (art. 21); ERDIS Marche asks 10 for courses with a single teaching period (art. 7.16). Part-time students need 11 at EDISU Piemonte (art. 13) and 10 at ERDIS Marche (art. 7.16), the University of Padua (art. 6) and ADISU Puglia (art. 15).

Among the exceptions, University of Milan Master's students need 20, or 23 on restricted-access courses (art. 4.2.2), and Politecnico di Milano Master's students starting in the second semester need 17 (art. 4.1). At ERSU Palermo and ERSU Catania the 20 by 30 November is a running total, so 15 by August plus 5 more is enough (art. 24).

What happens if you miss the DSU credit target?

It depends on which date is missed. Reaching the target after 10 August but by 30 November 2027 costs the balance: most calls let the student keep what was already paid, while ALiSEO Liguria, DiSCo Lazio, ADISURC Campania and ADISU Puglia pay half the grant. Missing 30 November 2027 means revocation and repaying what was received.

What has to be repaid differs. DSU Toscana takes back only the cash, not the meals or bed (art. 5.3.4); ALiSEO Liguria, which pays no cash before the credits, charges for the bed and meals used (art. 8, 25.2); most others take back the cash and the value of the services. ADSU Chieti-Pescara wants repayment within 30 days of the notice (art. 26), while ERSU Cagliari allows until 31 December 2028, in up to 10 monthly instalments on request (art. 30).

Some calls let the body extend the 30 November deadline for exceptional documented events, such as a bereavement or a hospital stay: by up to three months at EDISU Piemonte (art. 13), ALiSEO Liguria (art. 8), the University of Padua (art. 13), DiSCo Lazio (art. 41) and ERSU Cagliari (art. 30), and by four months at ERDIS Marche (art. 7.16). The body decides each request.

Do credits from a previous degree in a country like India count towards the DSU target?

Not in the calls that address it. EDISU Piemonte (art. 9, 13), ER.GO (Sez. I art. 11.6), the University of Padua (art. 6) and ERSU Palermo (Tab. 2) exclude credits recognised from earlier or foreign studies, and ALiSEO Liguria excludes credits from a foreign bachelor's validated for a master's (art. 8). There, the target is earned in the new course.

Other calls set narrower rules: the University of Milan does not count activities from before enrolment (art. 4.2.2), ADISURC Campania does not count credits from foundation or preparatory courses later validated (art. 3.1), and ADISU Puglia does not let Master's students use credits validated from their first degree (art. 28). We flag this for each student before the year starts.

Reality check

What we handle: for eligible students we track each credit deadline in their call (the early checkpoints, 10 August and 30 November 2027), flag risks early and prepare the next year's application. Passing exams is the student's work; we cannot earn credits for them.

What we do not control: the region's DSU body, or the university that runs the call, decides the scholarship, any revocation and any extension; the university sets the exam sessions and records the credits.

What costs students the most:

• Missing 30 November 2027, or dropping out. Both mean repaying the grant, and withdrawal can cost it even with the credits reached: ADiSU Umbria revokes on withdrawal by 31 July 2027 whatever the credits (art. 59), and ERSU Catania on withdrawal before 23 April 2027 (art. 13).
• Credits recorded late. Only credits the university has registered by the check date count, so an exam passed in time but recorded afterwards can cost the balance; at the University of Padua an integrated exam counts only once every module is passed (art. 13).
• Counting on bonus credits. Most calls bar the bonus in the first year (for example ALiSEO Liguria art. 9.1.1, DSU Toscana art. 5.3.3, DiSCo Lazio art. 41.4). The exceptions are the University of Milan, which applies 5 bonus credits for Bachelor's students if needed (art. 4.2.2), and ER.GO, which allows a bonus for the August target but not for 30 November (Sez. I art. 8, 9). A missing bonus can mean a lost balance or a repaid grant.

Frequently asked questions

Do part-time students from countries like India need fewer DSU credits?

Where the call allows part-time study, yes: 11 credits at EDISU Piemonte and 10 at ERDIS Marche, the University of Padua and ADISU Puglia. Other calls rule it out: the University of Milan excludes part-time students from the grant (art. 2), and ALiSEO Liguria revokes benefits for part-time enrolment (art. 25.2).

Do students have to report their credits to the DSU body?

It depends on the call. DiSCo Lazio (art. 41.4), ALiSEO Liguria (art. 24.2) and DSU Toscana (art. 21.1.1) check registered credits themselves. ADISU Puglia needs them reported online by 28 February 2028 (art. 28), and ERSU Cagliari needs a self-certification on its portal by 30 June or 12 October 2027 for the balance (art. 18.2.2). We track each reporting date.

Do credits still count if a student from a country like India changes course after the first year?

For the 30 November 2027 check, several calls also count credits from the course taken in 2027/28, even if different: DSU Toscana (art. 5.3.4), ERDIS Marche (art. 7.16), the University of Padua (art. 13) and ERSU Cagliari (art. 18.2.2). A transfer to another university during the year can end the grant, as at EDISU Piemonte before 1 June 2027 (art. 3).

Does a DSU grant count as proof of funds for the Italy student visa?

Only with an explicit scholarship certificate. The ministry's circular for 2026/27 and 2027/28 says that without one, simply applying for a regional DSU scholarship or meeting its requirements cannot be taken into account for the visa funds. The consulate decides the visa, and our financial proof guide explains what the funds must show.

Can ApplyAZ handle my DSU credit deadlines for me?

We handle the tracking, not the exams: for eligible students we follow every credit date in your call, flag risks early and prepare the next year's application. Passing the exams is your work, and the region decides the grant. 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.

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.

Sources

• EDISU Piemonte, bando 2026/27 (official call)
• University of Milan, bando 2026/27 (official call)
• Politecnico di Milano, bando 2026/27 (official call)
• ALiSEO Liguria, bando 2026/27 (official call)
• ER.GO Emilia-Romagna, bando 2026/27 (official call)
• DSU Toscana, bando 2026/27 (official call)
• ADiSU Umbria, bando 2026/27 (official call)
• ERDIS Marche, bando 2026/27 (official call)
• University of Padua, bando 2026/27 (official call)
• DiSCo Lazio, bando 2026/27 (official call)
• ADSU Chieti-Pescara, bando 2026/27 (official call)
• ADISURC Campania, bando 2026/27 (official call)
• ADISU Puglia, bando 2026/27 (official call)
• ERSU Palermo, bando 2026/27 (official call)
• ERSU Catania, bando 2026/27 (official call)
• ERSU Cagliari, bando 2026/27 (official call)
• Ministry of University and Research circular for international students, 2026/27 and 2027/28, Part II, Section 2(a)
• Verified on 28 September 2026
• Written by İrem Yılmaz, Student Experience Lead. Reviewed by Reeya Sharma.

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
7. After you apply: rankings, appeals and first payments
8. DSU credits: how many you need to keep the grant (you are here)
9. DSU 2027/28: when the calls open and how to prepare

Related: why DSU eligibility is not visa funds without a scholarship certificate.