Citizenship first, then the course
MAECI does not run a global talent lottery that anyone with a strong GPA can enter. It runs a citizenship-based selection. Each annual call lists the countries whose citizens may apply. That list is not implied by this handbook. When the 2027–28 call is published on the official MAECI page, read the country annex before you collect transcripts.
You apply for one country only. The Italian Embassy or Consulate competent for that country reads the file. Filing twice — two passports, two missions, two “just in case” accounts — is not a hedge. It is a rules violation. Pick the country of citizenship through which you will actually travel, sit any interview, and later collect a visa sticker.
Dual Italian and foreign citizens apply through the foreign-country track. You do not apply as an Italian national for a scholarship designed for foreign citizens. If both nationalities are foreign, you still file once, through one country. The last published call treated this as a hard administrative choice, not a branding preference.
Onsite in Italy
The programme funds study that takes place in Italy. A distance, blended-from-abroad, or “online Italian university” plan does not meet the onsite rule. If your degree cannot produce presence in Italy, it is the wrong object for this grant.
Which type can you enter as a first award?
Laurea Magistrale — 9 months, renewable
A second-cycle master’s at an Italian university. You still need university admission (or a realistic path to it) and the language level that matches the teaching language. Renewal is possible in later calls if you remain eligible and the call still offers it — it is not automatic.
AFAM — 9 months, renewable
Higher education in arts, music, and dance (Alta Formazione Artistica, Musicale e Coreutica). Conservatoires and academies are not a side door around university rules. They have their own admission tests. The grant length in the last call was nine months and renewable.
PhD — 9 months, renewable
Doctoral study in Italy. A MAECI year is not a four-year stipend in the UK or US sense. It is a nine-month grant that may be renewed if later calls allow. You still need a doctoral place and whatever the host requires for enrolment.
Research projects — 9 months, not renewable
A defined research stay. The last call required an invitation letter from the Italian host. This type is not renewable. Do not treat it as a renewable master’s with a different label.
Italofonia language — 3 months
A short language course. The last published threshold was Italian A2 or above. This is not a substitute for a master’s grant and not a way to skip B2 later if you then apply for an Italian-taught degree.
Costruiamo il futuro bachelor — renewal only
The bachelor path in the last call was renewal only. A first-year bachelor application on this track is the wrong file. If you were never on that programme, this type is not your entry point.
Admission is a separate door
A scholarship decision and a university decision are not the same stamp. Pre-enrolment and many admission tests run through Universitaly. Joint and double degrees must still produce a valid Italian enrolment certificate. A foreign enrolment letter alone is not enough if the Italian side cannot certify that you are enrolled in Italy.
Age limits, minimum grades, reserved quotas, and the exact list of eligible countries belong to each annual call. This handbook does not invent those numbers for 2027–28. If a blog lists an age cap or a country as if it were permanent law, treat it as last year’s photocopy until MAECI republishes it.
A short eligibility check
Planning tool
Yes / No checker
Answer seven questions against the last published MAECI pattern. This is not an official decision. You must re-read the current country list on esteri.it.
1. Is your citizenship on the current call country list — and will you re-read that list on esteri.it before you file?
2. Will you file through exactly one country — the same mission you can later use for a visa?
3. Dual Italian + foreign nationality: are you using the foreign-country track? (Single nationality = Yes.)
4. Is the programme onsite in Italy (not remote or blended-from-abroad)?
5. Is this a first award on a type that accepts one — not a bachelor Costruiamo il futuro renewal-only file?
6. If this is a research type: do you already have a host invitation letter? (Non-research = Yes.)
7. Language: do you meet B2 for a taught programme (Italian or English, matching the classroom), or A2 Italian for Italofonia?
You meet the basic last-call checks
All seven answers are Yes. Next: the filing path or the combined tracker. Re-read esteri.it when the next call appears.
You may not be eligible on this pattern
One or more answers are No. Review the rules above, or see common mistakes. Confirm the current call on esteri.it.
Planning only. Last official close: 26 March 2026 at 14:00 Italian time. Last published grant: €10,800 (9-month) or €3,600 (language). Not a 2027 invention.
Next: the filing path
Study in Italy, one mission, Universitaly.