DiSCo Lazio Right to Study Scholarship 2026/27: Full Guide

The DiSCo Lazio Right to Study Scholarship (in Italian, the Borsa di Studio per il Diritto allo Studio) is the Lazio region’s flagship support for university students, funded by Regione Lazio and open to Italian and international students alike. It pairs a yearly cash grant with tuition and regional-tax exemption, subsidised meals, the chance of a university residence place, study-abroad contributions, and graduation prizes. The 2026/27 call is open now, and the first-phase deadline is 12:00 noon on 22 July 2026. You can see the at-a-glance amounts and the direct apply link on our DiSCo Lazio Right to Study Scholarship 2026/27 listing.

Deadline alert: applications opened 10 June 2026 and the first phase closes at 12:00 noon on 22 July 2026, with a correction window to 11 August 2026. International students should start gathering consular documents immediately, because they take weeks to issue and translate.

At a glance

In this guide

• What is the DiSCo Lazio Right to Study Scholarship?
• Why it matters so much for international students
• What you get: the full benefits package
• Who can apply: eligibility in depth
• The international student playbook
• Key dates for 2026/27
• How to apply, step by step
• After you apply: rankings and payments
• Common mistakes to avoid
• Glossary of key terms
• Frequently asked questions

What is the DiSCo Lazio Right to Study Scholarship?

DiSCo Lazio is the regional body for the right to study and knowledge. On behalf of Regione Lazio, it runs a need plus merit based programme rooted in Article 34 of the Italian Constitution, which guarantees that capable and deserving students can reach the highest levels of study even without the means to do so.

In practice that means a yearly cash maintenance grant plus a package of services: subsidised meals, the chance of a place in a university residence, contributions for studying abroad, and graduation prizes. It is open to anyone who enrols, or intends to enrol, at a university, an AFAM arts and music institution, or another higher-education institute whose legal seat is in Lazio, including large universities such as Sapienza, Tor Vergata, and Roma Tre. The scheme is one of the biggest of its kind in Italy: for 2025/26, Regione Lazio reported more than 38,000 student winners and well over 200 million euro committed.

Why this scholarship matters so much for international students

Two features make it especially valuable if you are coming from abroad.

First, you usually land in the top grant tier. The grant is largest for students who relocate to study, and DiSCo’s guidance states that if your household lives outside Italy for at least half the year and you have no Italian rental contract, you are automatically treated as off-site, unless you are on an online course. That puts most relocating international students in line for the highest amount rather than the lowest.

Second, the grant sits on top of a fee saving. Scholarship winners are generally exempt from university tuition fees and the regional right-to-study tax, so the cash is not swallowed by fees. Combine the grant, the fee exemption, subsidised meals, and a possible residence place, and the real value for an eligible international student is substantial.

What you get: the full benefits package

1. The cash maintenance grant

The grant scales by where you live relative to your university. The most recent published figures, for the 2025/26 cycle, were:

Increases apply on top of the base amount: +15% for a low income indicator (ISEE at or below roughly EUR 13,974 in 2025/26), +20% for women enrolled in STEM courses, and +10% for a disability of 66% or more. These can stack where you qualify for more than one.

Honesty note: the euro figures above are 2025/26 amounts. The exact 2026/27 numbers are set inside the new call (the bando) and its Annex L, and may be adjusted. Use these to understand the scale, then confirm the current-year figure on the official documents.

2. Tuition and regional-tax exemption

Under Italian right-to-study rules, students declared winners or eligible for the scholarship are generally exempt from university tuition fees and from the regional right-to-study tax. This is separate from, and on top of, the cash grant, and for many students it is the single largest part of the package. Confirm the exact terms with your university and in the bando.

3. Subsidised meals (mensa)

Winners and eligible students access the university canteen system at reduced prices, worth roughly EUR 600 a year in 2025/26 terms. For students living away from home, a cheap daily hot meal is a real recurring saving.

4. University accommodation (posto alloggio)

You can request a place in a DiSCo university residence in the same application. Places are limited and assigned by ranking. In 2025/26 the accommodation ranking was extended to students with an ISEE up to roughly EUR 40,000, higher than the cash-grant ceiling, so some students who narrowly miss the grant can still secure subsidised housing.

5. International mobility contributions

The programme includes contributions for students who take a study or internship period abroad, for example through an exchange. If mobility is part of your plan, flag it and check the conditions in the call.

6. Graduation prizes (premio di laurea)

DiSCo also funds graduation prizes for students who complete their degree under the conditions set in the call. These are separate awards within the same right-to-study framework.

A worked example of total value

Picture a non-EU international student who moves to Rome for a bachelor’s degree, with a modest family income assessed through the ISEEUP. As an off-site student she is in line for the top grant tier (about EUR 6,472 in 2025/26 terms), plus subsidised meals (about EUR 600), plus tuition and regional-tax exemption (often worth one to several thousand euro depending on the university), plus the chance of a low-cost residence place. The headline grant is only part of the story; the fee exemption and services are what make the total genuinely meaningful.

Who can apply: eligibility in depth

There are three tests, enrolment, income, and merit, plus a residency category that sets your amount.

Enrolment

You must enrol, or intend to enrol, at an institution with its legal seat in Lazio. You do not have to be enrolled when you apply; enrolment can be completed by 10 February 2027. You also need an Italian tax code (codice fiscale), which international students can obtain in advance.

Income

The award is income tested through the ISEE, the Italian income and asset indicator, in its university version. In 2025/26 the limits were an ISEE up to roughly EUR 27,949 and an asset indicator (ISPE) up to roughly EUR 60,758. DiSCo reads these values directly from the national INPS database, so students resident in Italy do not type the numbers into the form. International students and Italians living abroad use a parified version, the ISEEUP, covered below.

Merit

First-year students apply on income alone. To keep the grant in later years you must earn a minimum number of credits (CFU) by a set date. In 2025/26 the rule was at least 20 CFU by 10 August of the following year, with only 50% paid if you were a little late and full loss (plus repayment of money and services received) if you missed the later cut-off. A first-year off-course student (fuori corso) receives only six months, that is 50%. Confirm the exact credit targets and dates for your course in the call’s tables.

Residency category

Your category decides your grant size, so classify yourself correctly: in sede (on-site), pendolare (commuter, within ~50 km), fuori sede (off-site, over 50 km with a valid ~10-month rental contract, the top tier), or pendolare calcolato (you meet the off-site criteria but lack an eligible contract or get other housing aid). As noted above, most relocating international students are treated as off-site.

The international student playbook

Read this section twice. The mechanics differ when your family and finances are abroad, and the deadlines do not move.

Step 1: get your Italian tax code (codice fiscale)

You cannot take part without one. If you do not have it yet, request it early through the relevant Italian authorities; DiSCo publishes short tutorials on how.

Step 2: how you log in

Students resident in Italy access the reserved area only with SPID or a CIE electronic ID card (under-18s resident in Italy must use CIE). Students not resident in Italy, who cannot get SPID, instead use DiSCo credentials (a username and password). For first-time access you register at laziodisco.it and complete an in-person identity check at an affiliated CAF. If you already hold DiSCo credentials from a previous year, just log in with those.

Step 3: the ISEEUP and consular documents

If your family income is produced abroad, you complete an ISEEUP at a CAF that has an agreement with DiSCo (the list is on the official website). The supporting paperwork must be issued by the Italian diplomatic authorities in your country of residence (your local Italian embassy or consulate) and officially translated into Italian. It must state:

• The full composition of your original household: first name, surname, and date of birth of every member.
• The 2024 gross income of each member, stating clearly if a member has no income.
• Any real estate owned as of 31 December 2024, including surface area, and any movable assets, stating clearly if there are none.
• Any rent paid for the household’s home.

Self-certifications, substitute declarations, affidavits, and sworn statements are not accepted.

Step 4: a PEC or an Italian domicile

If you live abroad, a certified email address (PEC) is mandatory and goes in the PEC section of your profile. Alternatively you may elect a legal domicile in Italy. Without one of these, DiSCo suspends your payments.

Step 5: a SEPA bank account

The grant can be paid to a foreign account only if it is within the SEPA circuit. DiSCo does not cover transfer delays or fees, so a SEPA-compatible account avoids problems.

If you have a disability

Upload certification of a disability of 66% or more, or recognition under Article 3, paragraph 3, of Law 104/1992, through the specific function in the reserved area. A temporary certificate is accepted if updated by the date in the call.

Key dates for 2026/27

DiSCo describes these deadlines as strict and non-extendable, and the full binding calendar lives in Annex L of the call. There is also a Google Calendar reminder option on the official bando page.

How to apply, step by step

1. Log in to the student reserved area on laziodisco.it (SPID or CIE if you reside in Italy, DiSCo credentials if you do not).
2. Open the 2026/27 call, select your university, course, and year, and tick each benefit you want (scholarship, accommodation, meals).
3. Upload any required attachments as PDF for your situation (for example legalised and translated consular documents, or rental-contract details if off-site).
4. Submit definitively (Trasmetti domanda). The system issues a receipt with an ID number. A draft you never submit is not considered.
5. Sort out your income indicator: subscribe the DSU for the university ISEE, or complete the ISEEUP at a CAF if your family is abroad, by the deadline.
6. Mind the two phases. The first closes 22 July 2026; the second (to 11 August) is for corrections. If you unlock an application to edit it, you must re-transmit before the deadline, even if nothing changed, or you are excluded.

After you apply: rankings and payments

DiSCo publishes provisional and then definitive rankings, and runs additional rounds (scorrimenti) that admit more eligible students as funding allows. In 2025/26 those rounds eventually covered every eligible student. Payments come in instalments across the academic year, tied to your credits and your position being in order. The reserved area, specifically its payment-outcomes history, is the only official channel DiSCo uses to communicate credit dates, so check it regularly rather than waiting for an email.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Leaving consular paperwork too late. The single biggest reason international applicants miss out. Begin in June, not the last week of July.
• Choosing the wrong residency category. Off-site status needs a valid rental contract; without one you may be reclassified and paid less.
• Filling the form but not transmitting it. An un-submitted draft does not count, and unlocking to edit means you must transmit again.
• Skipping the PEC or domicile, or using a non-SEPA account. Either can get your payments suspended even after you win.
• Ignoring the credit requirement. Past your first year, plan exams so you hit the minimum credits in time.
• Trusting last year’s numbers. Confirm the current amounts and income limits in the 2026/27 bando.

Glossary of key terms

• Bando: the official call for applications, with the binding rules, amounts, and deadlines.
• Borsa di studio: the scholarship, that is the cash maintenance grant.
• ISEE: the Italian income and asset indicator used for means testing, in its university version.
• ISPE: the related asset-only indicator, with its own ceiling.
• ISEEUP: the parified version of the ISEE for students whose family income is produced abroad.
• DSU: the single substitute declaration you sign to obtain your ISEE.
• CAF: a tax assistance centre; affiliated CAFs handle the ISEEUP and identity checks.
• SPID and CIE: Italy’s digital identity and electronic ID card, used to log in if you reside in Italy.
• Codice fiscale: the Italian tax code, required to take part.
• PEC: a certified email address, mandatory for students living abroad.
• In sede, pendolare, fuori sede: the on-site, commuter, and off-site categories that set your grant amount.
• CFU: university credits; you must earn a minimum number to keep the grant in later years.
• Scorrimento: an additional ranking round that admits more eligible students.

Frequently asked questions

Can international students really apply?

Yes. The scheme is explicitly open to international students and to Italians resident abroad. You prove your family’s economic situation through the ISEEUP and consular documents rather than the standard ISEE.

Do I need to be enrolled before I apply?

No. You can apply first and complete enrolment later, up to 10 February 2027.

I do not live in Italy and cannot get SPID. How do I log in?

You use DiSCo credentials. For first-time access, register at laziodisco.it and complete an in-person identity check at an affiliated CAF. If you already have credentials, just log in.

Is the scholarship only for undergraduates?

No. It covers bachelor’s, master’s, and single-cycle degrees, and within the conditions of the call it can extend to PhD students, specialisation schools, and AFAM institutions.

As an international student, which residency category am I in?

If your household lives mostly outside Italy and you have no rental contract, you are generally treated as off-site, the top grant tier, unless you are on an online course.

How and when is the money paid?

To your bank account (an IBAN is required, and a foreign account must be in the SEPA circuit), in instalments across the academic year. Credit dates are announced only through the reserved area.

Do I really need a PEC?

If you live abroad, yes, unless you elect a legal domicile in Italy. Without one, payments are suspended.

Are tuition fees actually covered?

Scholarship winners are generally exempt from tuition and the regional tax under Italian right-to-study rules. Confirm the exact terms with your university and in the bando.

What if I miss the 22 July deadline?

The first-phase deadline is strict. The second phase to 11 August is for correcting and re-transmitting an application you already submitted, not for starting fresh.

Ready to apply, or want a hand with it?

The DiSCo Lazio Right to Study Scholarship is one of the most practical ways to make studying in Rome and the wider Lazio region affordable, especially for international students who plan ahead and get their documents in order early. The window is open now and closes on 22 July 2026, so the time to prepare is today.

For a quick summary of the amounts, eligibility, and deadlines, plus the direct application link, see our full DiSCo Lazio Right to Study Scholarship 2026/27 listing. You can also browse more fully funded options on our scholarships page. And if you would like help getting your application and documents right the first time, our team is one message away.

Sources: official DiSCo Lazio call and FAQ pages at laziodisco.it (2026), the DiSCo international-students documentation notice, and Regione Lazio and DiSCo figures for the 2025/26 cycle. Amounts and limits shown for 2025/26 should be reconfirmed against the 2026/27 bando.