Italian Government Scholarship Funding: The Last Published Envelope

What MAECI last said it would pay

For the 2026–27 call, a nine-month scholarship totalled €10,800 (master's, AFAM, PhD, research and the bachelor renewal track), paid in three instalments: €5,500, then €2,300, then €3,000. Payment went to an Italian current account in the recipient's name. Language-course grants (Italofonia) were published at €3,600. Those numbers are the last official cash pattern. They are not a forecast, a 2027 decree, or a promise that the next PDF will be identical. Amounts do change: the 2025–26 call paid €9,000 (€4,500 + €2,500 + €2,000) and €3,000 for language courses.

This is a cash grant plus health cover, not an advertised “full ride”. Anything else you see on listicles — monthly “stipend” math that ignores instalments, or invented automatic tuition waivers — is someone else's marketing.

The three instalments

In the last call each instalment had its own trigger. Uneven instalments are not monthly rent, so plan cash flow around them.

1. 1
   From November 2026

   First instalment — €5,500

   Meant for arrival and settling in. Paid once MAECI has verified you are present in Italy and the institution has confirmed your enrolment.

2. 2
   From February 2027

   Second instalment — €2,300

   Paid after the institution certifies that you are still regularly enrolled.

3. From June 2027

   Third instalment — €3,000

   Paid on satisfactory progress: 27 university credits (CFU) during the year for master's, AFAM and the bachelor track, or the supervisor's statement for PhD and research.

Dates are the 2026–27 pattern (funding period 1 November 2026 to 31 July 2027). The 2027–28 call will set its own.

The Italofonia language grant

Different purpose, different duration, different cash. The last published Italofonia envelope was €3,600 for three months, paid in a single instalment at the end of the funding period after MAECI verified your presence in Italy within 15 days of the start, your enrolment and satisfactory progress. Courses had to run for a full calendar quarter between 1 January and 30 September 2027. Language-course fees are always paid by the student.

Instalment cash-flow checklist

Tick as a cash-flow plan for the nine-month grant. Planning only — confirm the next call before you budget.

Why the Italian current account is part of the award

The last published payment method was not PayPal and not a foreign IBAN. Instalments were sent to an Italian current account in your name, and payment required your Italian tax code (codice fiscale), your IBAN, proof of your date of entry into Italy and completed enrolment. If you cannot open or access such an account after arrival, the grant has no legal pipe. Plan the banking step on the after selection page; do not discover it after the first instalment date. The grant is also not paid during any preparatory or transitional course — only after enrolment in the programme named in your award letter.

Renewable does not mean automatic

Tuition, health insurance and other rules

Tuition. The last call stated that some universities exempt MAECI scholars from enrolment and tuition fees, under their own regulations (Legislative Decree 68/2012). Ask your institution: any tuition you owe is not refunded by MAECI. Regional fees are due in every case, and language-course fees are always paid. Do not claim Italian public universities are free because of MAECI — tuition is a university and fee-status question.

Health insurance. Recipients were covered by a collective health insurance policy contracted by MAECI for illness or accident, for the scholarship period only. Pre-existing conditions and dental care were excluded. EU citizens were advised to bring their EHIC card. The call stated no flight-ticket line.

Compatibility. The grant cannot be combined with any other scholarship from the Italian Government or an Italian public body, including regional right-to-study (DSU) grants (see our Italy DSU guide). It is compatible with Erasmus and other internationally funded programmes, but it is not paid for periods spent outside Italy. Absences of more than 15 consecutive days had to be notified and could reduce the grant (Christmas holidays excepted).

If the 2027–28 call adds or changes benefits, read them on esteri.it.

Budget like a realist

We will not convert €10,800 into a fake monthly salary and call it official. Living costs in Italian cities vary, and a grant paid in three uneven instalments is not the same as rent that is due every month. Arrive with a cash buffer. The Ministry's purpose is cultural and scientific cooperation, not a guarantee that the next instalment will land before your landlord's first invoice.