Every university here is public, so tuition follows your family income and you can apply for a regional DSU scholarship. Explore them region by region. When you’re ready, we’ll shortlist the programmes where you have the best real chance.
Straight answers to what students ask us most, from rankings and tuition to DSU scholarships and deadlines.
Every university on this page is public. That’s a choice. Public universities in Italy charge tuition based on your family income, and their students can apply for a regional DSU scholarship. ApplyAZ has no tie-ups with private colleges and takes no commission from any university, so this list has nothing to sell you.
Italy has more than 60 state universities, plus a small group of special-status schools such as the Scuola Normale in Pisa and SISSA in Trieste. Together that makes 68 public institutions in all 20 regions, and every one of them is listed here. Most teach at least some degrees fully in English.
Tuition at a public university in Italy is set by your family’s income and assets, not by a price tag. Many international students pay a few hundred to a few thousand euros a year. With a DSU scholarship, tuition is usually waived and you can also get a grant of up to about €8,000 a year.
Bologna, Padua, Sapienza, Milan and the Politecnicos lead the rankings. But the best choice for you depends on your subject, your grades, your English, the DSU rules in that region and what the city costs. We compare all of these before we put a university on your shortlist.
Five things matter most. Is the degree fully taught in English? Do you meet the entry requirements? How generous is the region’s DSU scholarship? What does the city cost to live in? How strong is the university in your subject, not just overall? A lower-ranked university can be the smarter choice.
QS, THE and ARWU rank whole universities, mostly on research. They’re a good signal, but a weak guide to one particular programme. Look at subject rankings, class sizes and graduate outcomes too. On each university’s page we show its rankings with the year, so you know how current they are.
DSU is run by each region, not by the university. ER.GO covers Emilia-Romagna, DiSCo covers Lazio, DSU Toscana covers Tuscany, EDISU covers Piedmont and the ESU offices cover Veneto. Each has its own call, deadlines and amounts. The region you choose can make a real difference to your funding.
For a bachelor’s degree you need 12 years of schooling, and a bachelor’s degree in a related field for a master’s. English-taught degrees usually ask for IELTS 6.0 to 6.5 or similar. Some add an entrance test, a portfolio or an interview. You also pre-enrol on Universitaly before your visa.
Most English-taught degrees start in September. Many public universities open applications for non-EU students between October and April, often in more than one round, and places for non-EU students are limited. Apply early, especially to Bologna, Padua, Milan and the Politecnicos.
Politecnico di Milano is Italy’s engineering, architecture and design leader. The University of Milan is a broad research university, strong in science, medicine and law. Milano-Bicocca is younger, with a modern campus. Milan is Italy’s most expensive city, so plan your budget with care.
Sapienza is one of Europe’s largest universities, known for classics, engineering and medicine. Tor Vergata and Roma Tre are smaller, and both teach degrees in English. Turin pairs a broad university with the Politecnico. Venice has Ca’ Foscari for economics and languages, and IUAV for architecture and design.
Pavia, Padua, Pisa, Siena, Trento, Ancona and Viterbo pair strong universities with lower rents and a real student-town feel. Your living costs go further, housing is easier to find, and professors know your name. Many of our students choose them for exactly those reasons.
They’re respected universities, but they’re private, with fixed fees that often run to many thousands of euros a year. We only guide students into public universities. If a private university is truly your goal, we’ll tell you honestly that we’re not the right team for it.
Aneek and Ismit study in Pavia with DSU scholarships of €8,000 a year each. Harshit studies medicine in Ancona with €6,000 a year. Madelyne pays no tuition at the University of Tuscia.
Places for non-EU students are limited at every public university, so one application is a gamble. We shortlist 20 to 30 English-taught programmes across several public universities and regions, each with a DSU path, and prepare every application properly. How it works.
Tell us what you studied, your grades and what you’d love to study next. In two minutes we’ll tell you honestly whether a public university in Italy fits your profile, and which ones to look at first. It’s free, with no pressure to continue. Check your eligibility.
One guide per student city: the public universities in or near it, a realistic monthly budget, room rents, the regional scholarship office and how students get around.
