The University of Milan’s DSU Regional Scholarship covers your tuition, feeds you daily, and puts real money in your pocket, and applications are open right now. Here is everything you need to know before the window shuts.
If you have been quietly hoping for a sign to finally apply for that European degree, this is it. The University of Milan, one of Italy’s leading public universities, currently has its DSU Regional Scholarship application open, and unlike a lot of “opportunities” that flood your timeline, this one is genuinely accepting applications as you read this.
DSU stands for Diritto allo Studio Universitario, which translates to the right to university education, and that name says a lot about what this scholarship actually stands for. It is funded jointly by the Lombardy Region and Italy’s Ministry of University and Research, built specifically to make sure a student’s financial background never becomes the reason they cannot study.
What You Actually Get
Winners receive complete exemption from university fees, along with free access to refectory services, meaning your meals are covered too. If you fall just short of the top tier, partial winners still receive a 50 percent fee exemption. On top of that, scholarship holders receive a sum of money paid directly onto their Carta La Statale, the university’s personal student badge, which doubles as a prepaid card once activated.
Payments are split across the year. If you are entering your first year, the first installment lands by December 2026, with the second following once you meet the required academic credits by October 2027. Students already enrolled in later years receive their first installment by December 2026 and the second by June 2027, without any extra academic conditions attached.
There is even more for students planning to study abroad during their degree. Those already receiving the regional scholarship can apply for an international mobility allowance worth 600 euros a month for up to 10 months, plus travel expense reimbursement of up to 100 euros within Europe or 500 euros outside it.
Who Can Apply
To be eligible, you need to be regularly enrolled in a degree programme at the University of Milan and meet the scholarship’s academic merit and income requirements. First year students are assessed mainly on income, with a condition to meet the required merit benchmark later in the year. Students beyond their first year are ranked based on credits earned and average exam results.
A few groups are not eligible, so it is worth checking this early. Students in vocational master’s programmes, postgraduate medical schools, and PhD students already receiving a scholarship or research grant cannot apply. The same goes for part time students, those on a shortened career path, repeating students, and anyone who already holds an Italian degree at the same or higher level than the one they are applying for.
Why the Timing Matters Right Now
This is not a scholarship you can bookmark for later. Applications for the 2026/2027 academic year opened on 10 July and close on 30 September 2026, and once that date passes, the window shuts until the next cycle. The provisional ranking list typically comes out by the end of October, giving students a chance to appeal if their documentation was assessed unfairly, before the final list of winners is published by the end of November.
How to Apply
Before anything else, you will need to register on the UniMi portal, since access to the application system depends on having your credentials ready. As of 2024, you can also use SPID, Italy’s digital identity system, to access the portal directly.
Once registered, applications are submitted through the university’s Online Helpdesk, where you will complete the scholarship form and upload the required financial and academic documentation. Take your time on this step. Ranking placement depends heavily on how accurately your documents reflect your financial and academic standing, so it genuinely pays to get this right the first time instead of scrambling through an appeal later.
Why This Scholarship Deserves Your Attention
Fully funded is a phrase that gets thrown around a lot, but this one delivers on the essentials that actually matter, your tuition covered, your meals sorted, and real financial support landing directly on a card in your pocket. Add in the possibility of a study abroad allowance later in your degree, and this becomes less of a one time opportunity and more of a foundation you can build an entire European education on.
If you are already admitted to, or planning to enrol in, a degree programme at the University of Milan, do not let this pass you by because you thought there would be more time. There will not be. Get your documents together, register on the portal, and submit your application before the clock runs out on 30 September 2026.
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