DSU Toscana Right to Study Scholarship (University of Pisa)

The DSU Toscana scholarship is the regional right to study grant that funds students at universities across Tuscany, including the University of Pisa. It is administered by DSU Toscana, the Regional Agency for the Right to University Education, and it is the main funding route for international students at Pisa. Applications for bachelor’s, master’s and single-cycle programmes close at 1:00 PM on 7 September 2026, with a separate window from 25 September to 16 November 2026 for PhD candidates and specialisation schools.

The package is comprehensive rather than a token grant. It combines exemption from tuition and regional taxes with an annual cash grant, university accommodation for eligible students, and free access to university dining services. The grant amount scales with your household’s economic condition and with whether you are classified as on-site, commuter or off-site, based on the distance and travel time between your home and the university. Taken together, it can reduce the cost of an Italian public university degree close to zero.

The important thing to understand is that this is a need-based award, not a merit scholarship. Eligibility is assessed against ISEE and ISPE thresholds, which are Italian measures of household economic condition, and in your first year the ranking considers annual family income alone. Academic merit, expressed in credits, becomes a factor from the second year onward. You should read the thresholds in the official call before investing time, because exceeding them removes eligibility no matter how strong your academic record is. Some websites claim that anyone holding an admission offer automatically receives this grant. That is not correct.

For international applicants the paperwork is the real obstacle, and it is worth starting months in advance. DSU requires income certificates, property certificates, bank statements and family composition documents issued in your home country, then legalised and translated into Italian. Legalisation is by apostille if your country belongs to the Hague Convention, and by consular legalisation if it does not, which takes considerably longer. Two further points: DSU grants cannot be combined with any other government or institutional scholarship, and the award covers one academic year only, so you must reapply through the Sportello Studente portal each year and meet the credit requirements to renew.

• Open to students of all nationalities enrolling at universities and higher education institutions in Tuscany, including the University of Pisa.
• This is a need-based award assessed against ISEE and ISPE thresholds, which are Italian measures of household economic condition, so financial circumstances determine eligibility before merit does.
• Academic merit requirements also apply, expressed in credits, and these become the deciding factor from the second year onward.
• In the first year of application the ranking considers annual family income only. In subsequent years it takes academic merit into account as well.
• You may apply before you are formally enrolled, so the scholarship application and university admission can run in parallel.
• The award amount varies by student status, categorised as on-site, commuter or off-site depending on the distance and travel time between your home and the university.
• DSU grants cannot be combined with other government or institutional scholarships, so holding another award disqualifies you.
• DSU Toscana and the University of Pisa are separate institutions, and admission to the university does not by itself produce a scholarship.

• Exemption from university tuition and regional taxes, which removes the standard cost of studying at an Italian public university.
• An annual cash grant credited to your account, with the amount scaled to your economic condition and whether you are classified as on-site, commuter or off-site.
• University accommodation for eligible students, allocated through DSU rather than sourced privately, which is a substantial saving in a university city.
• Free access to university dining services, so daily meals are covered rather than budgeted for.
• Available across bachelor's, master's and single-cycle programmes, with a separate application window for PhD candidates and specialisation schools.
• The University of Pisa is one of Europe's oldest universities, founded in 1343, and the regional grant applies to its full degree offering.
• Renewable each year provided you reapply and meet the credit requirements, so it can support a full degree rather than a single year in isolation.

• Online application submitted through the Sportello Studente portal within the DSU Toscana call window.
• Income certificate for your household, issued in your home country for international applicants.
• Property certificate covering household assets.
• Bank statements as specified in the call.
• Family composition certificate documenting household size.
• Copy of your passport or identity document.
• For international applicants, all documents must be issued in your home country, legalised, and translated into Italian. Legalisation is by apostille for Hague Convention countries and by consular legalisation otherwise.
• Academic transcripts and evidence of credits earned, required for renewal applications.

• Start the documentation early. For international students the paperwork is the hard part, because income, property and family certificates must be issued at home, legalised and translated into Italian.
• Establish whether your country is in the Hague Apostille Convention, since that determines whether you use an apostille or full consular legalisation, and the consular route takes considerably longer.
• Apply for admission to the University of Pisa in parallel. You may submit the DSU application before you are enrolled, so the two do not have to be sequential.
• Submit online through Sportello Studente before 1:00 PM on 7 September 2026 for bachelor's, master's and single-cycle programmes.
• PhD candidates and students in specialisation schools use a different window, from 25 September to 1:00 PM on 16 November 2026.
• Read the ISEE and ISPE thresholds in the official call before assuming you qualify, since exceeding them removes eligibility regardless of academic record.
• Treat claims that anyone with an admission offer receives this grant as inaccurate. Awards are ranked against income thresholds and, from year two, academic credits.
• Remember to reapply every year, since the award covers one academic year at a time and renewal is not automatic.