At Italian state universities fees depend on family income (ISEE): with an ISEE up to €22,000 you pay no tuition fee, only the regional tax and €16 stamp duty, and some universities charge reduced flat fees to students from certain non-EU countries. Universitaly lists 283 universities and institutions and around 9,000 programmes. Learn how to apply, what a month costs (around €700–1,100) and which scholarships exist.
How long: at least 3 years. Universities award the dottorato di ricerca; there are also industrial doctorates (with companies) and international doctorates.
Your status: places are offered with or without a scholarship (borsa). Many universities pay €16,243 gross a year (e.g. the University of Milano-Bicocca, 2026); some pay more – the University of Brescia €18,432.84 from the 42nd cycle (2026/27). The scholarship rises by 50% for authorised research periods abroad.
How to get in: a master's degree and a public competition (concorso). Calls are published in Italian and English.
Where to look: doctoral positions and calls are published on the websites of universities and their doctoral schools and on EURAXESS. Programmes in Italy in our database: Italy – 1,219 doctoral programmes (as of November 2026) »
Sources: Eurydice – national description of third-cycle (PhD) programmes (updated 16 July 2024); University of Milano-Bicocca and University of Brescia – doctoral scholarships. As of October 2026.
Sources: European Commission – Study in Europe (education.ec.europa.eu/study-in-europe), Eurostat, official national study and residence portals and authorities, Eurodesk, enic-naric.net, studentnews.eu. As of September 2026.
EN 
CS
DE
ES
FR
HU
IT
PL
PT
РУ
SK
TR
УК
AR
中文