Scholarship names Bangladesh

Fully Funded Scholarship in Italy for Bangladeshi Students

Italy is the one European destination where a Bangladeshi student from a low-income family can realistically pay zero tuition and still receive housing and a monthly stipend — because Italian aid is calculated on family income, not just merit.

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Every figure cites an official source
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Invest Your Talent, per year: €10,800
Tuition possible (DSU waiver): €0
Main aid criterion: Income
Embassy + VFS Global: Dhaka

Can a Bangladeshi student study in Italy for free?

Yes — and Italy is the only European destination with a scholarship that names Bangladesh explicitly. Invest Your Talent in Italy (IYT) pays €10,800 for the academic year plus full exemption from enrolment fees for master's students, and Bangladesh is on its eligible-country list. Separately, Italian public universities set tuition on a sliding scale tied to family income (ISEE / ISEE Parificato), and regional student-aid agencies such as ER.GO in Emilia-Romagna award tuition waivers plus subsidised accommodation and a cash stipend to students who qualify on income. Most Bangladeshi families fall in the lowest income band, which is why Italy — not Germany — is usually the cheapest real path. The trade-offs: you must fund the first months yourself before aid is paid, and IYT cannot be combined with a regional DSU scholarship or Erasmus+.

Invest Your Talent in Italy — the one scholarship that names Bangladesh

IYT is the strongest verified opportunity on this page. It is a Ministry of Foreign Affairs programme for master's degrees (Laurea Magistrale) only, in its 11th edition for academic year 2026–2027. Bangladesh is listed in Article 2 of the call as an eligible country.

Invest Your Talent in Italy — the one scholarship that names Bangladesh
What	Verified detail
Award	€10,800 for the year, paid in tranches: €4,800 (Oct–Dec 2026), €3,000 (Jan–Mar 2027), €3,000 (Apr–Jun 2027)
Tuition	Full exemption from enrolment fees and contributions
Not covered	Travel, accommodation, regional study tax, stamp duty, insurance
Duration	9 months, starting 1 October 2026
Application window	20 April 2026 to 11 May 2026, 18:00 Italian time — online via MY-APP only
Age limit	Born on or after 1 January 2000
English	CEFR B2+ certificate (IELTS, TOEFL iBT, Cambridge, PTE, Linguaskill, Trinity ISE, TOEIC). A degree taught in English plus a university letter is accepted as C1 equivalent
Italian	Not mandatory, but scores points. A self-declaration that you will take a course before departure is accepted
Documents	Final transcript including CGPA, motivation video of 59 seconds or less, one-page CV, valid passport — in English, French or Spanish, or officially translated
Renewal	30 CFU credits by 20 July 2027, plus Italian course attendance and the internship project
Results	Announced summer 2026 by email
Incompatibility	Cannot be combined with any other Italian government or public scholarship, including Erasmus+ and regional DSU scholarships
Extra university top-ups	Borse di Ateneo offered by Parma, Firenze, Bergamo, Tuscia, Ca' Foscari Venezia and Brescia
Not available to Bangladesh	The Design and Architecture quota is reserved for India, Indonesia, Türkiye, Brazil and Ethiopia

Every row above comes from the current IYT call (bando) linked in Official sources. Re-read the call when the next edition opens — dates and amounts change per edition.

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The four funding routes — and which one actually pays

Do not treat these as interchangeable. They have different awarding bodies, different deadlines, and very different odds. And IYT excludes the DSU route, so you must choose.

The four funding routes — and which one actually pays
Route	What it covers	Who awards it	Realistic odds
Regional DSU scholarship (borsa di studio)	Tuition-fee waiver, regional-tax refund, accommodation, meal plan and cash stipend	Regional student-aid agency — e.g. ER.GO (Emilia-Romagna), DSU Toscana, EDISU (Piedmont)	Highest — income-based, not a contest
Income-based tuition banding (ISEE Parificato)	Tuition reduced, sometimes to €0; no stipend	The university itself	High — near-automatic if documents are correct
Invest Your Talent in Italy	€10,800/year plus fee exemption, master's only	Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs	Medium — Bangladesh eligible, fixed annual window
MAECI Italian Government Scholarship	Monthly allowance, tuition exemption, health cover	Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, via the Embassy	Low — small quota, competitive; 2026–27 call not yet published

ER.GO ran a 2026/27 call with an application deadline in late August 2026 and distributed over €160 million in 2025/26. ER.GO has no merit-only scholarships — economic and enrolment requirements always apply. Exact ISEE brackets are published as PDFs on the agency's own site each year; read yours before assuming a band.

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What Italy actually costs before the scholarship arrives

This is where most Bangladeshi students get caught: DSU aid is paid after enrolment, and IYT's first tranche lands in the Oct–Dec window, but the visa requires proof of funds before departure. Plan for one full semester of self-funding.

Public university tuition is income-banded — the lowest band can be near zero, the top band is far higher. Ask the specific university for its ISEE bracket table.
Regional aid usually includes a housing place or a housing cash contribution — this is the biggest single saving.
The student visa requires documented financial means, accommodation and health cover. The exact means figure is set by the Italian authorities and reviewed yearly — confirm it with VFS Global Dhaka before you file.
Budget separately for a CIMEA statement of comparability, translation and legalisation of your HSC or Bachelor documents.

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Step-by-step from Dhaka

1

Pick programs before you pick scholarships

The DSU scholarship follows the region. Choose 3–4 programs, note which region each is in, then read that region's call (bando).
2

Get your qualification assessed — the smart way

A Declaration of Value is not compulsory and not binding: qualification assessment is the exclusive competence of each university. A CIMEA statement of comparability or a Diploma Supplement is usually accepted and faster. CIMEA has a daily request cap and blackout windows, so start early.
3

Apply to the university's own admission portal

Each university runs its own call for international applicants, usually with a deadline months ahead of the intake.
4

Pre-enrol on Universitaly

Pre-enrolment on the Universitaly portal is mandatory for a study visa, with deadlines set by each university. No Universitaly record, no visa.
5

Apply for the DSU scholarship or IYT separately

The university offer does not include either. DSU is a separate application to the regional agency with income documents; IYT is a separate application on MY-APP inside its fixed window.
6

File the visa through VFS Global Dhaka

The Embassy of Italy in Dhaka (Bay's Edgewater, Gulshan 2) outsources visa applications and legalisations to VFS Global. Visa submission runs 08:30–13:00 and legalisation submission 14:00–15:30.

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Find out if you qualify for a fully funded Italy scholarship

Answer 5 quick questions. We reply on WhatsApp with universities that fit your GPA and budget — free, no agency fee.

Italy — Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need IELTS to study in Italy from Bangladesh?

Not always. Invest Your Talent accepts IELTS, TOEFL iBT, Cambridge, PTE, Linguaskill, Trinity ISE and TOEIC at CEFR B2+, and it also accepts a degree taught in English plus a university letter as C1 equivalent. Many universities apply similar rules for their own English-taught programs. It is university-specific — never assume, and never let an agent tell you IELTS is universally waived.

Do I need a Declaration of Value for Italy?

No. The official Study in Italy guidance states the Declaration of Value is not compulsory and not binding — assessing your qualification is the exclusive competence of each university. A CIMEA statement of comparability or Diploma Supplement is normally the faster route. Confirm which document your specific university wants before paying for anything.

How much is the Invest Your Talent scholarship?

€10,800 for the academic year, paid as €4,800 in October–December, €3,000 in January–March and €3,000 in April–June, plus full exemption from enrolment fees. It does not cover travel or accommodation, and it runs 9 months from 1 October. It is master's level only.

Can I combine Invest Your Talent with a regional scholarship?

No. The IYT call states it cannot be combined with any other Italian government or public scholarship, including Erasmus+ and regional DSU scholarships. You must choose: IYT's fixed €10,800, or the DSU route which can include housing and meals as well as a stipend.

Is the MAECI Italian Government Scholarship open?

The 2025–2026 call is closed and the 2026–2027 call had not been published as of late July 2026. Watch the official calls list on studyinitaly.esteri.it rather than trusting any agent's claimed deadline.

What happens if I fail to earn enough credits?

Both routes are credit-conditional. IYT renewal requires 30 CFU by 20 July 2027 plus Italian course attendance and the internship project. Regional DSU scholarships have their own ECTS thresholds by set dates, and missing them ends the award — in some regions with partial repayment. This is the most common way Bangladeshi students lose Italy funding.

Is Italy cheaper than Germany for Bangladeshi students?

Usually yes for a low-income family, because Italian aid is income-based and can include housing and a stipend, while Germany requires €10,332 per year in a blocked account before the visa. Germany can be better if you already have the funds and want stronger post-study work options.

Which Italian cities are cheapest for a Bangladeshi student?

Smaller university cities in the south and centre are meaningfully cheaper than Milan and Rome for rent. But check the region's scholarship strength too — Emilia-Romagna's ER.GO distributed over €160 million in 2025/26, so a slightly costlier city with a generous regional agency can be the cheaper outcome.

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Official sources

Fees, scholarship amounts and visa rules change every intake. We link the official page for every figure — always confirm on the source before you pay anything. Last reviewed: July 2026.