Study in Italy for Indian Students: Visa, Fees and Scholarships, 2026-27

To study in Italy for a full degree, an Indian student first pre-enrols on the Universitaly portal, then applies for a Type D (long-stay) visa at the Italian consulate. A Type D visa is for programmes longer than 90 days, and the Mumbai consulate says it can take up to 90 days from the day it receives the application. The Mumbai consulate also says pre-enrolment for academic year 2026/27 is open.

Italian public universities are not free. Bologna's fixed first instalment alone is €157.04, and Politecnico di Milano's first instalment is €880.04. What you pay beyond that depends on the university and, for some, on family income. Scholarships exist, including an Italian government award worth €10,800 in total, but its 2026-27 deadline was 26 March 2026.

After you have been admitted to a course, you apply for pre-enrolment on the Universitaly portal. The Bangalore consulate's checklist says this procedure applies to all non-EU applicants living outside Italy who need a Type D study visa to enrol in an Italian higher education institution recognised by the Ministry of Education. The Bangalore checklist adds that applicants have no legal right to be issued a visa, only a legitimate interest in having their application processed under Italian law.

The Embassy of Italy in New Delhi points Indian students to Universitaly for pre-enrolment for English-taught courses and for the IMAT test for Medicine and Surgery. It says Italy offers more than 500 study programmes in English, and that Uni-Italia has an office in Mumbai and a representative in Delhi.

The Bangalore consulate's checklist for 2025-2026 is the most detailed India-specific document we found, and the Mumbai and New Delhi offices may ask for different things, so check the checklist for the consulate that serves your state. It asks for a passport valid for at least 3 months beyond the whole study programme, with at least 2 blank pages, an admission letter from the Italian institution, and your Universitaly pre-enrolment summary if the institution requires it.

Study certificates must be attested and apostilled for fresh admission. A Declaration of Value or a CIMEA certificate is needed only if the Italian institution requires one. You must show a language level of at least B2, in Italian or English, which the Universitaly pre-enrolment certificate can prove. You also need medical insurance of at least €30,000 valid for the first 6 months with a repatriation clause, a one-way flight booking, and proof of accommodation for at least 30 days.

Mumbai adds that all students must attend a mandatory video interview when submitting a visa application. Bangalore says to book the appointment with your own email and phone number and strongly discourages the involvement of agents. For the 2025/26 intake, Bangalore stopped accepting bachelor's and master's visa applications after 28 November 2025, so check the equivalent date for 2026/27.

Two official sources give different amounts for the funds you must show. The Italian foreign ministry's FAQ says a university enrolment visa needs a minimum of €10,179.85 a year, and it states that figure for the 2026-2027 and 2027-2028 academic years (you prove it for the first year only). The Bangalore consulate's 2025-26 checklist asks for no less than €6,947.33 for one year (13 months), or €534.41 for each month of the intended stay, with an original 6-month bank statement.

The ministry's figure is the one it states for 2026-27, while the Bangalore checklist is for 2025-26, and we did not find a 2026-27 version of that checklist when we looked. Consulates apply their own checklists, so confirm the figure with the consulate you will apply to, for your intake, before you move money.

No, but it can be cheaper than other European countries. The two universities below are not typical of every Italian university, and each sets its own rules. At the University of Bologna for 2026/27, the tuition fee has a fixed first instalment of €157.04 plus a variable part. Citizens of non-EU, non-OECD countries whose family has income and/or assets only outside Italy can pay a reduced flat fee instead, and the page does not list which countries fall in each group, so check Bologna's country lists to see where India sits.

At Politecnico di Milano for 2026/27, the first instalment is €880.04 on enrolment and the second instalment ranges from €0 to €3,003.00, with a regional tax of €130 to €190. Polimi's page also says non-EU master's (Laurea Magistrale) students with a foreign first-level degree, admitted without any economic benefit such as a scholarship, must pay the full all-inclusive contribution. The page does not state that amount, so ask Polimi what it comes to for your course before you plan around the lower end of the range.

The Italian foreign ministry (MAECI) offers scholarships to foreign students for study at Italian institutions. For 2026-27 the call says winners of the master's and PhD scholarships, and some other categories, receive a total of €10,800 in three instalments. The first, €5,500, is paid from November 2026 once your presence in Italy and enrolment are confirmed. The second, €2,300, is paid from February 2027 on continued enrolment, and the third, €3,000, from June 2027 once a master's student has earned 27 university credits (CFU) in 2026-27. Arriving on or after 16 November 2026 reduces the amount proportionally. The call's deadline was 26 March 2026, so it has closed for this year, and the list of eligible countries is on the Study in Italy portal rather than in the call.

The call requires a language level of at least B2, in Italian or in English, and says no proof of Italian is needed for programmes taught entirely in English. The New Delhi embassy says Indian students can apply for scholarships for master's, AFAM and PhD courses, and for research and advanced Italian language and culture courses. Plan for the next call rather than this one, and watch the Study in Italy portal for dates.

Three large universities report their QS World University Rankings 2027 positions on their own pages. These come from the universities' own announcements, not from QS's table.

The Italian foreign ministry says a student can hold a part-time job of up to 20 hours a week, even for the entire year, but for no more than 1,040 hours a year. We did not verify the rules for staying to work after graduation from a primary source, so we have not stated them here.

Italy works for Indian students who start early and read the consulate's own checklist, not a generic guide. Pre-enrol on Universitaly, prepare apostilled documents and a language certificate, and confirm the funds figure with your consulate, because the official sources differ. Tuition is real but varies a lot by university, so check each one's own fees page for your course before you apply.