Current Call

Now in its 11th edition, the IYT project continues to be one of the most popular academic programs among international students.

We look forward to welcoming you!

Acknowledging the importance of attracting international students as a strategic leverage for the internationalization of the country's economy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation - Directorate General for Growth and Export Promotion, the ICE Agency and Uni-Italia, through the ‘Invest Your Talent in Italy’ Program, are offering scholarships to students interested in attending, for the 2026-2027 academic year, a higher education course in Italy (Master's Degrees and Postgraduate Degrees) at Italian state or legally recognized institutions associated with the Program, to be completed with a compulsory internship at an Italian company or professional association.

The list of courses available as part of the Program can be found in the ‘Invest Your Talent’ in Italy section - INVEST YOUR TALENT IN ITALY - COURSES (esteri.it)

The Program aims to promote the internationalization of the Italian academic system as a center of excellence and to strengthen collaboration between universities and businesses. It offers Italian companies the opportunity to welcome young foreign talents, trained in Italy and specialized in their fields, thus contributing to the spread of Italian language and culture around the world and to the enhancement of Italian higher education as a strategic asset for the country's internationalization.

The scholarship amounts paid within the Program descend from the clear will of the government, expressed in the annual call for applications and, where available, from international agreements. Higher education institutions participating in the Program are expected to grant concessions, including exemption from university fees in accordance with Legislative Decree No. 68 of 29 March 2012, Art. 9, paragraph 3, whereby institutions and universities fully exempt foreign students who are recipients of annual scholarships from the Italian Government in the context of development cooperation programs and intergovernmental cultural and scientific agreements and related executive programs, from enrolment fees and university contributions.

The IYT program is dedicated to the memory of Giulia Cecchettin. More information is available on the home page of the website https://investyourtalent.esteri.it/IYT/SitoIYT/IT/invest-your-talent-in-italy. Starting in the 2023-2024 academic year, the IYT program and all participants involved have committed to including a seminar or training module dedicated to promoting gender equality and preventing violence against women in the academic curriculum of IYT scholarship recipients.

• Argentina
• Armenia
• Azerbaijan
• Bangladesh
• Brasile
• Chile
• Colombia
• Egypt
• Ethiopia
• Ghana
• India
• Indonesia
• Iran
• Kazakhstan
• Mexico
• Mongolia
• Paraguay
• Peru
• People’s Republic of China
• Tunisia
• Türkiye
• Uruguay
• Vietnam

• 3.1 Academic qualifications

  Foreign students (as referred to in Articles 1 and 2) who hold an academic qualification valid for enrolment in a Master's/Postgraduate degree program at the chosen institution are eligible to apply for the scholarships. Students who are about to graduate are not eligible.
  

• 3.2 Application

  Only students who have submitted, in accordance with the procedures established by each university, an application for pre-admission to one of the courses (Master's Degree or Postgraduate) included in the IYT program, are eligible for scholarships. No exceptions will be made for degree courses or universities not included in the Project.
  
  You may only apply for one course. Eligibility for the IYT scholarship is subject to admission to the course chosen at the time of application within the deadlines set by the Technical Committee with the universities.
  
  For Master's Degree/ Postgraduate courses with limited enrolment, it is possible to indicate a second preference during the application phase. The order of preference expressed is binding. Students are not allowed to choose between the two courses to which they have been admitted after submitting their application.

• 3.3 Age requirements

  Applicants must have been born on or after 1st January 2000, except for applicants for scholarship renewal.

• 3.4 Language skills

  Through the portal, candidates must attach the following to their application:

  1. certification of English language proficiency starting from level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference (including Cambridge, IELTS, TOEFL iBT, ISE Digital-Trinity College, ISE Paper – Trinity College, PTE (Pearson Test of English), Linguaskill, ESOL, TOIEC (listening, reading, speaking, writing);
  
  2. certification of knowledge of Italian (issued by the institution where the training was undertaken) or a declaration of commitment to attend a classroom or self-study course in that language before departure.
  
  

  Candidates who have obtained a university degree at the end of a degree course taught in English may submit a certificate issued by their university attesting that English is the language of instruction at that university/course/faculty. This certificate may be accepted as proof of English language proficiency at level C1.

  Language certification attesting the knowledge of Italian is not mandatory, but it does contribute to the evaluation score. If the candidate does not have certification proving their level of Italian, they will be asked to upload a self-certification: with this, the student commits to taking a classroom or self-study course in Italian before departure.

  Native speaker status must be proven. To do so, one of the following conditions may be sufficient:

  1. submission of your Italian passport, together with your CV and video application in Italian;
  
  2. proof that you have completed at least the entire cycle of primary and secondary education at state or private schools accredited by the Italian Government (e.g. SFIM, Sistema della Formazione Italiana nel Mondo).
  
  

The scholarship will cover a period of study of 9 (nine) months starting from October 1st, 2026.

• 5.1

  Applications for scholarships must be submitted exclusively online, by accessing the page:

  Registration MY-APP

  In the section of the online application form relating to personal information, candidates must enter their full names and surnames, as they appear on their passports. To this end, candidates are invited to use the string at the bottom of their passports as a reference, as in the example:

  P<ITAROSSI<BIANCHI<<MARIA<ANNA<<<<<<<<<<<

  SURNAME: Rossi Bianchi

  FIRST NAME: Maria Anna

  NATIONALITY: Italian

• 5.2

  Online applications must be submitted by the candidate between 20th April 2026 and 11th May 2026 at 6:00pm Italian time.

• 5.3

  The following documentation is required for the application:

  • 1. A certificate of the completed exams to obtain the qualification valid for enrolment in the Master's Degree/University Master's program (final transcript), including the degree mark/grade point average (CGPA);
    Please note: if the candidate has completed the degree program but has not yet obtained the degree certificate, he/she may apply provided that, in addition to the certificate of exams taken, he/she submits a certificate/statement from the University on headed paper, dated and signed by an official of the secretary's office, certifying that the student has completed the academic program and is awaiting the degree certificate.
  • 2. A certification of English language proficiency starting from level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference, including Cambridge, IELTS, TOEFL iBT, ISE Digital – Trinity College, ISE Paper – Trinity College, PTE (Pearson Test of English), Linguaskill, ESOL, TOIEC (listening, reading, speaking, writing);
  • 3. A certification of knowledge of the Italian language (issued by the institution where the training was undertaken) or a declaration of commitment to attend a classroom or self-study course in that language before departure;
  • 4. A video lasting no longer than 59 seconds, in which the candidate explains, for example:
    • their reasons for wanting to study in Italy;
    • the professional goals they hope to achieve through the Program;
    • how they would benefit from an internship in an Italian company and what they can offer in terms of creativity, innovation and growth.
    
    The video may be filmed in English or Italian. The choice of Italian will be considered positively during the evaluation.
  • 5. a Curriculum vitae et studiorum, maximum one page;
  • 6. a valid passport: citizens with dual nationality (Italian and foreign) must upload both; for the purposes of this call for applications, I.R.E. (Italian Resident Abroad) status does not give rise to any reservations.

  Documents must be in English, French or Spanish. If written in other languages, they must be translated into one of the aforementioned languages by an official translator. Both the original copy and the translation must be submitted.
  Applications with incomplete documentation will not be considered eligible. Documents cannot be sent by email.

• 5.4

  Multiple applications using different email addresses (see Art. 3.2) are strictly prohibited and will be rejected.

The IYT Technical Committee will inform successful candidates of the selection results by email to the address used during registration in the summer of 2026. Successful candidates are required to make arrangements for visa procedures in due time: it is recommended that they already have the necessary documentation ready for the application, in view of the possible assignment.

Please note that the award of an IYT programme scholarship is NOT an exclusive requirement for obtaining a visa. For further information, please visit: https://vistoperitalia.esteri.it/?lang=en_US.

Winners of scholarships offered by the IYT programme are exempt from paying enrolment fees and university contributions, except for the following amounts:

• regional tax for the Right to Education;
• stamp duty;
• any costs relating to accident and/or civil liability insurance;
• health insurance.

The scholarship does not cover travel expenses and does not include accommodation.

With regard to taxes, for IRPEF tax purposes, Article 3, paragraph 3, letter d-ter of the Consolidated Income Tax Law applies to the programme, according to which sums paid as scholarships by the Italian Government to foreign citizens under international agreements and understandings are exempt from tax.

The scholarship recipient must independently arrange for health insurance to cover any expenses for illness and accidents in Italy.

• 11.1

  The winner of an IYT scholarship will receive an annual scholarship of €10,800 (ten thousand eight hundred/00). It will be paid quarterly into the Italian bank account held in his/her name, according to the following schedule:

  • Quarter October – December 2026: €4,800 paid in December/January, upon presentation of:
  
  
  1. affidavit with bank details, a copy of the passport, and a copy of the boarding pass of the arrival in Italy; the attendance declaration is required too;
  2. certificate of enrolment;
  3. verification of attendance, before departure, of a classroom or self-study Italian language course.
  • Quarter January – March 2027: €3,000 paid in March/April, upon presentation of:
  
  
  1. affidavit with bank details and declaration of attendance;
  2. certificate of enrolment with exams taken (the student must have taken at least one exam in the current academic year).
  • Quarter April – June 2027: €3,000 paid in June/July, upon presentation of:
  
  
  1. affidavit with bank details and declaration of attendance;
  2. certificate of enrolment with exams taken (the student must have taken at least 2 exams in the current academic year).

  This paragraph also applies to renewals for the 10th edition (1st year in the academic year 2025-2026).

• 11.2

  The procedures for the payment of scholarships will begin in the corresponding quarter. Payments will be made by the end of each quarter, in accordance with administrative procedures.
  The first payment will be higher than the following two in order to facilitate the students' integration into Italian society. The same will apply to scholarship recipients who are renewing their scholarships, taking into account the need to support their initial integration into the company.
  Upon arrival in Italy, students will receive detailed information about the procedures to follow for the payment of the scholarship. In any case, the first payment can only be made after the student has enrolled at the chosen institution and submitted the required documents.

• 11.3

  The scholarship only covers attendance at courses in Italy. It is not possible to participate in international mobility programmes promoted by the University, nor to request to undertake a company internship abroad. It is not possible to conduct research for your thesis abroad.

Within the Programme, some universities also offer a number of scholarships (known as Borse Ateneo) for the most talented candidates for their respective master's degree courses. In this edition, the following universities will offer scholarships:

• Università di Parma
• Università degli Studi di Firenze
• Università degli Studi di Bergamo
• Università degli Studi della Tuscia
• Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia
• Università degli Studi di Brescia

The corresponding payment procedures are managed by these institutions according to their own arrangements.

The Technical Committee assigns this quota of scholarships by referring to specially established rankings. These rankings take into account the order of preference among the courses given by the student during the application phase.

As part of the Programme, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, with a view to promoting Italy’s expertise in contemporary architecture and urban regeneration, will reserve a portion of its IYT scholarships for courses in the field of Architecture and Design. This allocation is intended for students from the following countries: India, Indonesia, Turkey, Brazil and Ethiopia.

The Technical Committee allocates this quota of scholarships by referring to specially drawn up rankings. These rankings take into account the order of preference for courses given by the student during the application process.

The IYT scholarship is incompatible with any other scholarship and/or financial benefit provided by the Italian Government or any public institution (e.g. Erasmus+), including scholarships offered by Italian regions as part of their regional education programmes.

Pursuant to Law No. 20 of 14 January 1994, as last amended, the Programme is subject to prior review of legality by the Court of Auditors (Corte dei Conti). Such review is carried out on the decrees approving contracts entered into by State administrations relating to works, services or supplies, where the value of such contracts exceeds the thresholds set out in Article 14 of the Public Contracts Code, as referred to in Legislative Decree No. 36 of 31 March 2023.

Consequently, the actual award of grants is subject to the positive outcome of the checks required for the Programme.

Pending approval of participation in the Programme by the University’s governing bodies, the courses offered by each University within “Invest Your Talent in Italy” are published on the basis of a written undertaking by the relevant Rector, subject to withdrawal in the event of failure to ratify by the competent bodies within the following 60 days.