University of Calabria Diritto allo Studio (Right-to-Study Grant)
Most Italian universities route their right-to-study grants through a separate regional agency, but the University of Calabria administers its own diritto allo studio scheme directly. The rule that matters for Sri Lankan applicants is stated plainly in the call: an international student accesses these services and benefits on equal terms with Italian students. That is a stronger position than a small, capped international-only scholarship — you are competing inside the same means-tested system as domestic applicants, sized to Italian living costs. The grant itself is tiered by housing situation: up to EUR 8,246.78 a year for students living away from home (fuori sede), down to a reduced band of EUR 5,759.56 to 7,171.10 for other categories, alongside subsidised or free accommodation and meal services. The mechanism that makes this work for a foreign family is the ISEE Parificato — an Italian-equivalent income assessment that a Sri Lankan applicant obtains through an authorised CAF (a licensed Italian tax-assistance body) using documentation of family income and assets from Sri Lanka. It takes real paperwork: bank statements, salary certificates, property records, all translated and often notarised. Unical is in Arcavacata, near Cosenza in Calabria, with a large single campus and living costs well below northern Italy.
Annual cycle — the A.A. 2026/27 call closed 6 August 2026 for first-year students and 21 August 2026 for continuing students; watch unical.it for the 2027/28 call
University of Calabria (Università della Calabria)
Government-funded
emoji_events Award Overview
Value
Up to EUR 8,246.78 (fuori sede)
Equal treatment
Same access as Italian students
Requires
ISEE Parificato via authorised CAF
info How this award actually works
This is a separate, highly competitive application
Government awards like this one run their own selection round against applicants from across the world, and success rates are usually in the low single digits. Lanka Scholar does not administer it and cannot submit it for you. Treat it as a bonus on top of a funded study plan — never as the plan itself.
Who awards it
University of Calabria (Università della Calabria) — not Lanka Scholar. We are not the awarding body and cannot grant, reserve or guarantee this award.
How you are considered
Through a separate application round run by the funder, with its own forms, deadlines and shortlisting. You submit it yourself — it is not part of a university admission application.
What it covers
Means-Tested Cash Grant Up to EUR 8,246.78 for Out-of-Town Students, Plus Services. Read the terms carefully: even fully-funded awards rarely cover every cost, and any shortfall is yours to fund.
Where we come in
We help you judge whether this award is worth your time, and build a realistic admission plan that works whether or not you win it.
fact_check Eligibility Criteria
Equal Access for International Students
The call states that the international student accesses right-to-study services and benefits on equal terms with Italian students. Sri Lankan applicants are eligible on the same basis as anyone else, subject to the means test.
Any Degree Level at Unical
The scheme covers laurea (bachelor's), single-cycle laurea magistrale and two-year laurea magistrale programmes at the University of Calabria.
ISEE Parificato Through an Authorised CAF
Non-EU students must obtain an ISEE Parificato — an Italian-equivalent means assessment of foreign family income and assets — through an authorised CAF. Gather Sri Lankan salary certificates, bank statements and property documentation early; the translation and certification process takes time.
Grant Tiered by Housing Situation
The full amount applies to students living away from home (fuori sede); reduced bands of roughly EUR 5,759 to 7,171 apply to other housing categories. Your actual entitlement depends on where you live during the programme.
Merit and Credit Progress Apply
Continuing the grant into later years depends on standard Italian academic-progress rules — minimum credits earned per year. Track your CFU total against the threshold rather than assuming continuation is automatic.
account_tree Application Process
Apply for admission to Unical
Complete Universitaly pre-enrolment and your Unical admission application with attested transcripts, degree or A/L certificates, passport copy and English/Italian evidence as required by your programme.
Obtain the ISEE Parificato
Contact an authorised CAF to prepare the ISEE Parificato using documentation of your family's income and assets in Sri Lanka. Start this well before the application window — it is the step most likely to run long.
Submit the diritto allo studio application
Apply by the published deadline — 6 August for first-year students, 21 August for continuing students in the 2026/27 cycle — with your ISEE Parificato and enrolment evidence.
Receive the award and the study visa
Successful applicants receive the tiered grant plus access to subsidised housing and meal services. Apply for the Italian type-D study visa with your admission and financial documentation.
Why the University of Calabria?
Unical is a large single-campus university in Arcavacata, near Cosenza, with programmes across engineering, science, economics, humanities and pharmacy, and living costs well below Italy's northern cities. Running its own right-to-study scheme, rather than outsourcing to a regional agency, gives it a more direct process for international applicants.
EUR 8,247
Maximum annual grant (fuori sede)
Equal
Treatment with Italian students
Calabria
Southern Italy, low living costs
Looking for a scholarship because of the cost?
Then start here instead. Scholarships are competitive, usually partial, and decided by someone else — they are the least reliable way to make studying abroad affordable. Your destination and course choice move the number far more, and both are entirely within your control.
Work out your real number
Tuition, living costs, visa funds and flights for your destination — so you know the gap you are actually trying to close.
Open the cost calculator arrow_forwardSort courses by lowest fee
The full catalogue, cheapest tuition first. Changing course or country saves far more than most awards are worth.
Browse lowest-fee courses arrow_forwardWhat IT actually costs
Tuition, living costs and the total first-year figure for IT, in LKR as well as local currency.
See the cost breakdown arrow_forwardCheck your proof of funds
Every student visa requires you to show funds. Find out what you need before you commit to an application.
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Other curated opportunities for Sri Lankan students.
DSU Toscana Regional Right-to-Study Scholarship
DSU Toscana (Azienda Regionale per il Diritto allo Studio Universitario della Toscana)
EDISU Piemonte Regional Scholarship (Right-to-Study)
EDISU Piemonte (Regione Piemonte)
ER.GO Emilia-Romagna Right-to-Study Scholarship
ER.GO — Regional Agency for the Right to Higher Education, Emilia-Romagna