DSU deadlines and payment dates 2026/27, by region

• The 2026/27 windows ran 5 Jun to 30 Sep 2026; only the University of Milan and University of Padua calls remain open, to 30 Sep. Six steps, about 18 months per cycle.
• Most calls pay first years about half by December 2026, often 20% by 10 Nov and 30% by 31 Dec; the rest follows the credits.
• The 2027/28 calls usually come out in June to July.
• ApplyAZ, an Italy-based consultancy that works only with public universities, helps eligible students by preparing their ISEE parificato and DSU application.

How the DSU year works, step by step

Every DSU scholarship follows the same yearly cycle, set out in each body's bando (official call): publication, an online window, in many calls a separate deadline for the family documents, rankings, first-year instalments and a balance paid only after the credits. For 2026/27 the cycle runs from June 2026 to November 2027.

1. Call published. Each regional body, or the university that runs the call, publishes its bando once a year. In 2026 the calls with a printed opening date opened between 5 June (ERSU Palermo) and 22 July (EDISU Piemonte), and ADISURC Campania published its call on 24 July. For eligible students, ApplyAZ tracks every date in all 16 calls from the day each one comes out.
2. Application window. Applications are made online and close on a fixed day and hour, Italian time; ER.GO never accepts late applications (Sez. I art. 14.3). Several calls require the student's own credentials, such as SPID (Italy's digital identity) or the body's portal account, so the application goes out in the student's name. We prepare the application with the student and check it before it is sent.
3. Family documents and ISEE parificato. The ISEE parificato (the income statement for families outside Italy) often has its own deadline: 19 October 2026 at ALiSEO Liguria to avoid suspension (art. 11.1.2), 10 December 2026 at DiSCo Lazio (art. 12.2), 31 March 2027 at ADISURC Campania (art. 4.5.2). Depending on the call, a CAF (tax assistance centre) or the body itself calculates it. We prepare and check the family documents; our ISEE parificato guide compares the routes.
4. Provisional and final rankings. First years are ranked on family income. The 2026/27 provisional rankings run from late July (DiSCo Lazio, art. 14) to 31 October, and most final rankings fall between late September and December 2026, with short review windows (7 days after the provisional ranking at the University of Milan, art. 9). We check each ranking with the student and prepare any correction the call allows.
5. First-year instalments. Most calls pay about half the grant in November and December 2026, once the student is enrolled and the payment details are in place: a codice fiscale (Italian tax code), an Italian or SEPA IBAN in the student's name and, in some calls, the residence permit or the visa. Some calculate the first instalment at the pendolare (commuter) rate at first, even for students living away from home. We track each condition and prepare the documents for it.
6. Balance after the credits. The rest is paid only after the credit check on 10 August 2027, and 30 November 2027 is the last date to keep what was paid. The balance is paid between June and December 2027, depending on the call. Passing exams is the student's work; we track every credit deadline, as our guide to the credits that keep the grant explains.

Application windows and first-year payment dates, body by body

The table sets the 2026/27 application window of each of the 16 DSU bodies next to its first-year payment dates, condensed from each call with the article numbers. Bachelor's and Master's first years are often paid on different schedules. Grant amounts for every body are compared in our DSU scholarship guide.

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

Which DSU calls are still open for 2026/27?

On 28 September 2026 only two of the 16 calls still take new applications: the University of Milan, until 23:59 Italian time on 30 September (art. 3.1), and the University of Padua, until 30 September with no closing time printed (art. 3). The other 14 closed between 22 July and 10 September 2026.

At Padua three steps are all due by 30 September: the benefits request in Uniweb, the ISEE parificato request from the university's partner CAF, and the first tuition instalment (art. 3). At the University of Milan, students from countries like India send no family documents at this stage, because India is not on the call's Annex 1 list; the university may ask for them later (art. 5.4, 13.1).

For students who applied to calls now closed, some later steps are still open: the ISEE parificato at ALiSEO Liguria until 19 October 2026 to avoid suspension (art. 11.1.2), family documents at ADiSU Umbria until 30 October 2026 (art. 29), original documents at ADSU Chieti-Pescara until 13 November 2026 (art. 7), the ISEE parificato and residence permit at ERSU Palermo until 14:00 on 30 November 2026 (art. 4), regularisation at ERSU Catania until 14:00 on 30 November 2026 (art. 16), and the signed ISEE parificato (ISEEUP) at DiSCo Lazio until 10 December 2026 (art. 12.2). We track these dates for every student we work with.

Can students from countries like India apply for DSU before their admission is confirmed?

In most calls, yes: the DSU application can go in before enrolment, but the deadline does not move for students admitted later. Politecnico di Milano (art. 2, 7), DSU Toscana (art. 15.1.2) and ERSU Cagliari (art. 1.1) say so for students awaiting admission test results. ALiSEO Liguria first needs the University of Genoa pre-enrolment receipt and student number (art. 6.2).

Enrolment then has to be completed by the call's own date, for example 31 October or 30 November 2026 at EDISU Piemonte (art. 9), 10 February 2027 at DiSCo Lazio (art. 11), 31 March 2027 at ADSU Chieti-Pescara (art. 24) and ADISURC Campania (art. 2.2), and 15 April 2027 at ERSU Palermo (art. 13). We line up the university application, the pre-enrolment on Universitaly (the Italian pre-enrolment portal) and the DSU window for each student.

When is the first DSU payment made?

For most first-year winners the first money is paid in November or December 2026, after enrolment and once the payment details are in place. Seven calls pay Bachelor's first years 20% by 10 November and 30% by the end of December, and most calls pay Master's first years half the grant by the end of December 2026.

The exceptions matter. ALiSEO Liguria pays no cash in 2026 and pays the whole grant after 20 credits (art. 24.2). ERDIS Marche pays non-EU first years the first instalment only once the credits are reached, unless the student provides a surety bond or the family filed an Italian tax return for 2024 (art. 17.3). ADiSU Umbria pays 25% by 31 December 2026 (art. 35). ADISURC Campania and ERSU Catania pay 50% by 31 December with no November instalment (art. 10.2, art. 24), and ERSU Palermo and ERSU Catania calculate the first instalment at the pendolare rate for students who are not in sede (art. 24).

When will the 2027/28 DSU calls open?

The 2027/28 calls are not published yet on 28 September 2026. In 2026, the calls with a printed opening date opened between 5 June (ERSU Palermo) and 22 July (EDISU Piemonte), and ADISURC Campania published its call on 24 July, so the next round usually comes out in June to July 2027.

For a student who starts in 2026/27, the second-year application depends on credits: EDISU Piemonte says the credits for the 2027/28 application must be earned by 10 August 2027 (art. 11), and ADSU Chieti-Pescara asks for 25 credits for Bachelor's and 30 for Master's students by that date (art. 11). The exact figures come with each 2027/28 call, and we update each body page as its call comes out.

Reality check

What we handle: for eligible students we track every date in the 16 calls, prepare the DSU application with the student and check it before it is sent, prepare and check the family documents for the ISEE parificato, check each ranking and follow the payment conditions and credit deadlines through to November 2027.

What we do not control: the region's DSU body, or the university that runs the call, decides the scholarship, the rankings and when it pays; the university decides admission; the consulate decides the visa. We never promise a grant or a payment earlier than the call states.

What costs students the most:

• Missing a window. Deadlines are fixed to the hour and late applications are not taken: ER.GO says so outright (Sez. I art. 14.3) and ALiSEO Liguria's deadline is peremptory (art. 7). A missed window means no grant for the whole year.
• Treating the family document deadline as the application deadline, or the other way round. At Politecnico di Milano the documents had to reach the partner CAF by 5 August 2026 or the application was inadmissible (art. 3.2); at ADiSU Umbria, documents after 30 October 2026 mean exclusion (art. 29). A late ISEE parificato means exclusion from the ranking.
• Payments blocked by missing details: a codice fiscale for students resident abroad (DSU Toscana art. 21.5, ERDIS Marche art. 10.2), an Italian or SEPA IBAN in the student's name (ADiSU Umbria takes only an Italian one, art. 14), or the residence permit (ERDIS Marche suspends the cash until a copy arrives, art. 11.2). Each gap holds the money back for months, and Politecnico di Milano forfeits the cash if no valid SEPA IBAN is in by 31 December 2027 (art. 18.1).

Frequently asked questions

Do students from countries like India face the same DSU deadline everywhere in Italy?

No. Each regional body runs its own call, and some universities, such as the University of Milan, Politecnico di Milano and the University of Padua, run their own. In Milan alone, the University of Milan call closes on 30 September 2026 while Politecnico di Milano closed on 5 August, so two universities in one city can be almost two months apart.

At what time of day do DSU applications close?

Always in Italian time, and it depends on the call: 12:00 at eight calls, including EDISU Piemonte, Politecnico di Milano, ALiSEO Liguria and DiSCo Lazio; 13:00 at DSU Toscana and ERSU Cagliari; 14:00 at ERSU Palermo and ERSU Catania; 16:00 at ER.GO; and 23:59 at the University of Milan. ERDIS Marche and the University of Padua print no closing time.

Does a DSU grant for students from countries like India depend on the study visa?

In some calls, yes. EDISU Piemonte wants the type D visa (long-stay national visa) uploaded by set dates (art. 31), Politecnico di Milano pays only once the visa is issued (art. 18), and ALiSEO Liguria excludes a winner who does not obtain it (art. 25.2). The ministry circular closes 2026/27 Bachelor's and Master's visa applications on 30 November 2026, and the consulate decides the visa.

Which bank account does a DSU grant go to?

An account in the student's own name. DSU Toscana (art. 21.2) and DiSCo Lazio (art. 9) take an Italian or SEPA IBAN, ADiSU Umbria takes only an Italian one (art. 14), ER.GO refuses IBANs outside the SEPA area (Sez. I art. 3), and the University of Milan pays only to its Carta La Statale card (art. 10). We track each IBAN deadline with the student.

Can students from countries like India who missed a 2026/27 window apply for DSU in their second year?

Yes, the calls also cover later years, but later-year applicants need minimum credits by 10 August and are ranked largely on merit. In the 2026/27 calls most bodies asked second-year Bachelor's students for 25 credits and Master's students for 30. The 2027/28 figures will be set by next year's calls.

Can ApplyAZ handle my DSU deadlines for me?

For eligible students, yes for the work: we track every date and prepare the application and family documents with you. Calls that need your own credentials are sent from your account, 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 (you are here)
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
9. DSU 2027/28: when the calls open and how to prepare

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