The Reichstag building in Berlin with the German flag flying above the glass dome at dusk.

Italy Federico II publishes the Study in Naples call annually, with recent rounds closing in mid-July or mid-September for the following academic year. A 2026/27 call had not been confirmed on the university's international pages at the time of writing — check international.unina.it before planning around it

Study in Naples Scholarship (Federico II)

The University of Naples Federico II, founded in 1224 and one of the oldest state universities in the world, funds the Study in Naples scholarship jointly with the Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo to bring international students onto its English-taught degrees. Recent rounds have offered around 26 two-year awards worth EUR 11,059.92 gross each, roughly LKR 3.8 million; an earlier cycle was structured as EUR 6,000 a year over two years, so read the current call carefully for how the money is split across the two years and what tax or withholding applies to a gross figure. Eligibility is specific and favourable to a Sri Lankan applicant: it is for students holding a qualification obtained outside the Italian education system who are enrolling in the first year of one of the university's international courses of study. Selection is by ranking on three things — evaluation of your academic career, your motivation letter and your language certification scores — which means the motivation letter genuinely carries weight rather than being a formality, and an IELTS or TOEFL score is scored competitively rather than just checked against a threshold. Understand this alongside the second, larger funding route in Campania. ADISURC is the regional right-to-study agency for the Naples region, and its means-tested grants can cover tuition exemption plus a substantial living stipend and subsidised housing and meals for students whose family income and assets are low enough. That route depends on legalised, translated Sri Lankan income documentation and is administratively demanding, but it is worth more than the Study in Naples award for a genuinely low-income applicant. The two are separate applications with separate calendars.

University of Naples Federico II

University-funded

emoji_events Award Overview

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Value

EUR 11,059.92 gross (LKR ~3.8M)

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Duration

Two years

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Awards

Around 26 in recent rounds

fact_check Eligibility Criteria

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Qualification from Outside the Italian System

You must hold a degree or school-leaving qualification obtained outside Italian education. A Sri Lankan A/L certificate or bachelor's degree is exactly what the scheme is written for; students already inside the Italian system are excluded.

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First Year of an International Course

The award attaches to first-year enrolment on one of Federico II's international courses of study — its English-taught programmes. Check that your specific degree is on the international list, because the university's much larger Italian-taught catalogue is not covered.

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The Motivation Letter Is Scored

Ranking is built from academic career evaluation, the motivation letter and language certification scores. A generic letter costs you real points here. Write specifically about why this programme in Naples and what you intend to do afterwards.

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Language Certification Is Competitive, Not Just a Threshold

Your IELTS, TOEFL or equivalent score contributes to your rank rather than simply qualifying you. Sitting the test again for a higher band can be worth more here than at universities that only check a minimum.

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Gross Figure — Check What You Receive

The published value is gross to the recipient. Ask the international office in writing what net amount is actually paid, on what schedule, and whether tuition contributions are deducted before disbursement.

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Look at ADISURC in Parallel

Campania's regional right-to-study agency, ADISURC, offers means-tested support that can include tuition exemption, a living grant and subsidised housing and meals. It is worth more than this award for low-income families but requires legalised and translated Sri Lankan income and asset evidence. Start that paperwork months ahead.

account_tree Application Process

Pick an English-taught programme at Federico II

Confirm your degree appears on the university's list of international courses of study. Federico II's English-taught portfolio is strongest in engineering, data science, agriculture and food science, and selected areas of medicine and economics.

Apply for admission and pre-enrolment

Apply to the programme and complete Italy's Universitaly pre-enrolment, which the Italian embassy accredited to Sri Lanka uses to validate your study visa file. Have your qualifications declared or translated as the university instructs.

Submit the Study in Naples application in the annual call

Apply within the published window with your transcripts, motivation letter and language certificate. Recent deadlines have fallen in mid-July or mid-September; treat the published call as authoritative over any third-party listing.

Apply for the Italian study visa from Colombo

Sri Lankan students apply for a type D study visa through the Italian consular service accredited to Sri Lanka, with the Universitaly pre-enrolment, proof of accommodation, health cover and evidence of means. Apply for the residence permit (permesso di soggiorno) within eight working days of arriving in Italy.

Consider the ADISURC application separately

The regional grant has its own annual call, deadlines and income documentation requirements, and it is assessed on Italy's ISEE-equivalent rules for non-EU applicants. Begin legalising and translating family income and property documents in Sri Lanka well before the call opens.

Why Federico II?

Federico II is a very large public research university — around 70,000 students — spread across Naples and a science campus at Monte Sant'Angelo, with a strong engineering, agricultural and medical tradition and a growing English-taught portfolio including a joint academy with Apple. Italian public tuition is income-assessed through the ISEE-parificato process, so a Sri Lankan family with modest declared income can end up paying markedly less than the headline figure — a mechanism that is genuinely worth understanding rather than skipping. Naples is also among the cheaper large Italian cities to live in, which matters when converting rent into rupees.