The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) has officially opened the call for applications for its prestigious Grants for Foreign Students and Italian Citizens Living Abroad (IRE) for the 2025–2026 academic year. This highly competitive and fully funded scholarship opportunity allows eligible international students and Italian citizens residing abroad to pursue higher education, research, and Italian language studies at public or accredited institutions across Italy.
These scholarships are a core component of Italy’s international strategy to strengthen cooperation in education, science, culture, and diplomacy while promoting the Italian language and values of sustainability and innovation worldwide.
What’s Covered – Funding Benefits
The MAECI Scholarships offer foreign and Italian students abroad up to €9,000 in funding for Master’s, PhD, AFAM, Research, or select Bachelor’s programs in Italy, and €3,000 for 3-month Italian language and culture courses.
Benefits include health insurance, possible tuition waivers, and three (03) installment payments based on enrollment, presence in Italy, and academic progress. Special grants are reserved for students from Africa through the WikiAfrica Initiative, Attanasio Grants (for Morocco, Nigeria, DRC), and Costruiamo il Futuro Grants for students at Italian schools in Africa.
Who Can Apply – Eligibility Criteria
- Nationality: Foreign nationals living abroad OR Italian citizens living abroad (IRE – limited countries list)
- Academic requirement: Appropriate diploma or degree based on selected program (Bachelor’s, Master’s, PhD, AFAM, or language course)
- Age limit:
- Bachelor’s/Single Cycle Degree: max age 23
- Master’s/AFAM/Language: max age 28
- PhD: max age 30
- Research projects: max age 40
- Language proficiency:
- Italian or English language proficiency certificate (minimum B2 level CEFR) required for most programs
- A2 level for Italian language courses
- Language certificate exemptions apply for specific applicants (e.g., Italian high school attendees abroad, English-speaking countries).
Application Timeline
You can now apply for this Italian MAECI scholarship whereas the last date to submit your application is May 16, 2025. Scholarships will commence from November 1, 2025 (Most programs) and January 1, 2026 (Language and culture courses). And grant recipients must be present in Italy, enrolled, and meet academic progress requirements to receive payments.
