Invest Your Talent in Italy Scholarship Explained

The IYT scholarship, short for Invest Your Talent in Italy, is a government-backed award that pays international students a monthly stipend plus a tuition waiver to study an English-taught Master's in Italy, on the condition that they complete a paid internship with an Italian company. It's run jointly by Italy's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Italian Trade Agency (ICE), and Uni-Italia, and it's one of the few fully structured scholarship-plus-internship pipelines in Europe.

Here's what you actually need to know before you apply: what it pays, who qualifies, whether it's open right now, and what happens after you submit.

What Is Invest Your Talent in Italy, Exactly?

Invest Your Talent in Italy links three things together: a Master's degree at a participating Italian university, a monthly living allowance, and a mandatory internship at an Italian company or professional association. The program's stated goal is to bring skilled international graduates into Italy's industrial and business sectors, not just fund a degree in isolation. That's why the internship isn't optional, and why your course choice has to fall inside a defined list of fields.

Eligible fields are grouped into three tracks:

• Engineering and Advanced Technologies (mechanical, civil, ICT, automation)
• Architecture and Design
• Economics, Management, and Business Administration

If your intended Master's doesn't sit inside one of these tracks, you're not eligible, no matter how strong your profile is.

Is the Program Open Right Now?

This is the part most guides skip, and it's the first thing you should check. IYT runs in yearly "editions," each tied to one academic year, with its own application window, usually opening in the winter and closing in spring for a September/October intake. The 2026–2027 edition (its 11th) closed applications on 11 May 2026, so as of now that window is shut and results for admitted candidates are being processed.

If you're reading this outside the open window, don't wait passively. The next edition typically opens for announcements a few months ahead of its deadline, so bookmark the official IYT application portal and check it directly rather than relying on a third-party page's cached dates, since stipend amounts and deadlines change from one edition to the next.

How Much Does It Actually Pay?

You'll find different numbers floating around for this: €900, €1,000, €1,200 a month. That's not inconsistency, it's editions changing over time. The 2026–2027 edition raised the monthly stipend to €1,200, paid quarterly over a 9-month academic term, up from the roughly €1,000/month that earlier editions offered. On top of the stipend, recipients get:

• A full or partial university tuition fee waiver (exact terms vary by university)
• Health insurance coverage for the duration of studies
• A guaranteed internship placement with an Italian company

If your course runs two years, you can apply to renew the IYT scholarship for year two, but renewal isn't automatic. Based on the official program rules, renewal requires completing a minimum of 30 university credits (CFUs) by a set July deadline each year. Note that since the 9th edition, completing the internship is no longer a condition of renewal. It's still mandatory, but it won't block your second-year funding the way falling short on credits will.

Is It Really "Fully Funded"?

Not entirely, and this is where a lot of applicants get caught off guard. The stipend and tuition waiver cover the core costs, but you're still responsible for:

• The regional "tassa per il diritto allo studio" (regional study tax), which most universities don't waive
• Stamp duty and administrative fees
• Accommodation and day-to-day living costs beyond what the stipend covers, especially in cities like Milan
• Any additional insurance your university requires beyond the base health cover

As a rough planning figure, budget somewhere in the €3,000–5,000 range for upfront costs before your first stipend payment lands: enrollment fees, deposits, and initial living expenses, though this varies significantly by city and your personal lifestyle. Don't assume the stipend is your entire cost of living; in expensive cities it typically isn't.

Who Is Eligible?

You need to meet all of the following:

• Nationality: You must be a citizen of one of the countries on that edition's eligible-country list (this list is revised yearly, so confirm your country is included for the current cycle before applying).
• Academic background: A completed Bachelor's degree, or one you'll finish before enrollment, in a field relevant to your chosen Master's.
• Not already an Italian graduate: Students currently enrolled at an Italian university, or who already hold an Italian degree, are excluded.
• English proficiency: IELTS/TOEFL scores or equivalent, unless your undergraduate degree was taught fully in English.
• Age: Most editions set an upper age limit around 28, though this varies, so check the current call for exact cutoffs.
• Willingness to intern: You must be able to commit to the mandatory internship component.

How Do You Apply?

The process runs through two separate systems, the university and the IYT portal, and the order matters:

1. Pick an eligible course. Cross-check the university's own admissions page against the current IYT-approved course list; not every Master's at a partner university qualifies.
2. Apply to the university first. You need either an admission offer or proof of a submitted pre-application before you can register on the IYT portal.
3. Register on the IYT application portal. Create your profile once your university-side application is in progress.
4. Prepare your documents. You'll typically need: your Bachelor's degree certificate (or a university attestation if not yet issued) with a full academic transcript, a valid passport copy, your CV, a statement of purpose, an English proficiency certificate (IELTS/TOEFL or equivalent), and, for several editions, a short motivation video, usually capped at around one minute. If any document isn't in English, Italian, French, or Spanish, you'll need an official translation before you can submit it.
5. Submit before the deadline. Late submissions aren't accepted; there's no grace period.
6. Wait for the selection outcome. A selection committee reviews academic merit, SOP quality, and course-internship fit.

When Are Winners Announced, and What Happens Next?

Results are typically released in the May–June window following the application deadline, through the same IYT portal account you registered with. Check your portal dashboard and registered email rather than waiting on university communications, since notification timing between the two can differ.

Being selected as an IYT scholarship winner isn't the final step. You still need to:

• Confirm your seat with the university and complete standard enrollment
• Apply for your Italian student visa (the scholarship award doesn't guarantee visa approval; that's a separate process with its own documentation)
• Arrange the mandatory internship placement, often coordinated with the university's IYT liaison office
• Complete an Italian language or gender-equality awareness module, which several recent editions have added as a mandatory part of the program

IYT vs. DSU: Which One Fits You?

These get confused because both fund study in Italy, but they're structured differently. DSU (Diritto allo Studio Universitario) scholarships are regional, cover a broader range of degree levels and fields, and are largely need-based on family income. IYT is narrower: postgraduate only, limited to engineering, design, and economics/management tracks, but it adds a guaranteed internship, which DSU doesn't offer. You generally can't hold both simultaneously; if you qualify for either, compare the total value (DSU can include free housing and meals in some regions) against IYT's internship-plus-career angle before committing to one application track.

Quick Answers

Is IYT fully funded?
‍No. It covers the stipend, tuition waiver, and health insurance, but not the regional study tax or full living costs.

Can I apply if I'm already studying in Italy?
‍No. Students currently enrolled at, or already graduated from, an Italian university are not eligible.

Is the internship paid separately from the stipend?
‍The mandatory internship is part of the program structure; some host companies offer additional compensation, but this isn't standardized across placements, so confirm with your specific host company.

How many students win the scholarship each year?
‍This varies by edition and is published on the official portal's statistics page once each cycle closes; treat any fixed number you see elsewhere as outdated.

What documents do I need to apply?
‍Bachelor's degree certificate and transcript, valid passport, CV, statement of purpose, English proficiency certificate, and typically a short motivation video. Non-English/Italian/French/Spanish documents need official translation.

Bottom Line

If you're eligible and your course fits one of the three tracks, IYT is worth applying for. It's not free money, and it's not the whole picture financially, but a €1,200 monthly stipend plus tuition waiver plus a guaranteed internship is a real deal, not a marketing line. Just don't treat the application as an afterthought. Get your university pre-application in early, have every document translated and ready before the portal opens, and don't wait for a "perfect" motivation video, a solid, honest one beats a polished but generic one. Check the official portal directly for the current edition's dates and country list before you plan around anything you read here or anywhere else.