The Padua International Excellence Scholarship Programme is a merit award run by the University of Padova, a large public research university in northern Italy. It funds talented international students who enrol in one of the university’s degree courses taught entirely in English, at either bachelor’s (first-cycle) or master’s level. Up to 68 scholarships are offered, and selection is highly competitive: each degree course’s Teaching Committee ranks candidates on academic excellence and prior study record. There is no separate scholarship application — applying to an eligible English-taught degree automatically puts a qualifying candidate in the running.
Benefits & funding
- €8,000 gross per academic year, paid in two installments of €4,000 once the year’s academic requirements are met.
- Full exemption from tuition fees; the recipient pays only the regional tax and revenue stamp each year.
- Maximum funded duration of 2 years for a master’s degree and 3 years for a bachelor’s or single-cycle degree; after that period the student pays normal tuition until graduation.
- The award is renewed each year only if the student earns at least 20 ECTS credits by 30 November of the following academic year and does not transfer or withdraw.
Eligibility
- Open to international students of any nationality; applicants must not hold Italian citizenship (dual citizenship including Italian is allowed).
- Applicants must hold a qualification obtained abroad — a foreign secondary-school diploma for bachelor’s applicants, or a foreign degree for master’s applicants.
- Applicants must not be resident in Italy at the time of application.
- Applicants must apply to an English-taught degree at the University of Padova within its admission deadline and cannot already hold another scholarship.
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Education required
High School · Bachelor
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Application process
- 1Choose an English-taught bachelor’s or master’s degree at the University of Padova and check its admission requirements and deadline.
- 2Submit the degree application through the online portal at apply.unipd.it within the call deadline (the call for applications is usually published in June).
- 3No separate scholarship form is needed — the degree application itself makes an eligible candidate a contender for the award.
- 4Each degree course’s Teaching Committee selects the scholarship recipients on academic merit, mainly from first-call applicants.
- 5Selected candidates receive a notice with the procedure and deadline for accepting the award, then complete enrolment.
Program timeline
call for applications for the coming academic year is published.
Usually June
Following months (first and second calls)
degree applications submitted via apply.unipd.it.
Spring
admission and scholarship selection results published.
degree programmes begin.
End of September / early October