Rome · Europe

Italy

Public universities charge fees based on your family income, often under €2,000 a year, and design, architecture and engineering in Milan and Turin are world class. English-taught master's are growing fast; Italian is still the language of daily life.

Tuition / yr: $1k – $5k
Living / mo: ~$1,000
Work rights: 20 h/week
After study: 12-month permit
Intakes: September
Language: Italian · English

Why Italy

Historic universities, modern design and engineering.

01 Income-based tuition
02 Design & architecture capital
03 Regional scholarships

The honest take

What we tell our own families about Italy.

Why students love it

Income-based tuition: €500–4,000 at public universities

Regional DSU scholarships cover fees, meals and housing for many international students

Design, architecture, fashion, engineering with real industry links

Food, climate and cost of living

12-month permit to look for work after graduation

What to plan for

Bureaucracy: permesso di soggiorno appointments take months

Italian needed for daily life and most bachelor's programs

Milan rent is high; Bologna and Turin are better value

Pre-enrolment (Universitaly) has strict spring deadlines

Part-time work is harder to find without Italian

Getting around

Leave the car at home.

Cities are walkable and the metro or tram covers the rest. Regional trains are cheap and slow; Frecciarossa high-speed trains are fast and worth booking early.

Metro, tram, bus

Annual student passes are heavily discounted in Milan, Rome and Turin.

€22 / month student (Milan)

Regional trains

Cheap, frequent, no reservation needed.

€5–15 per trip

High-speed trains

Milan to Rome in 3 hours; book on Trenitalia or Italo.

€30–80 per trip

Add Annual under-27 city pass to my budgetAbout €25 a month

Food & groceries

What a week of eating really costs.

Eating well is cheap if you cook and shop at markets and discount chains (Lidl, Eurospin). University mensas serve full meals for €3–5 with a DSU card.

Pizza al taglio

By the slice, €2–4, the student lunch.

Pasta alla carbonara

Rome's signature; no cream, ever.

Aperitivo

€8 drink with a buffet; dinner for many students.

Gelato

Daily. Non-negotiable.

Build your cart

Supermarket prices in Rome, EUR. Quantities per week.

Milk (1 L)€1
0
—
Bread (loaf)€2
0
—
Eggs (12)€3
0
—
Rice (1 kg)€2
0
—
Chicken breast (1 kg)€9
0
—
Pasta (500 g)€1
0
—
Apples (1 kg)€2
0
—
Bananas (1 kg)€2
0
—
Tomatoes (1 kg)€3
0
—
Cheese (500 g)€5
0
—
Coffee (250 g)€4
0
—
Yogurt (500 g)€2
0
—

Your weekly cart

€0 ≈ $0

Per month

€0

Eating out

Mensa meal (DSU)€4
Pizza slice€3
Espresso at the bar€1
Trattoria dinner€20

Where to live

Dorm, shared flat or studio: pick one and watch the budget.

University-managed dorms are scarce and go to scholarship holders first. Most students rent a room in a shared flat through the university's housing service or trusted portals; Milan requires an early start.

Where students actually live

Città Studi, Milan
Polimi's district; cafes, student bars, cheaper than the centre.
€550–750 room
San Salvario, Turin
Multicultural, lively, near Porta Nuova.
€380–520 room
Bolognina, Bologna
Behind the station; young, affordable, bike-friendly.
€400–550 room
San Lorenzo, Rome
Sapienza students, street art, cheap trattorias.
€450–650 room

Before you pay anyone

Use the university's housing office and Uniplaces or HousingAnywhere; avoid cash-only deals
A registered contract (contratto registrato) is required for your residence permit
Ask whether utilities (spese) are included; heating in the north is expensive
Bologna and Turin have far less housing pressure than Milan

Student life as an international

Italian student life is slower and more social: long lunches, aperitivo, weekend trains to Florence or Naples.

Erasmus networks (ESN) welcome all international students, not just Europeans.

ESN cards for trips and discounts

Regional scholarships (DSU) worth €5,000–7,000 a year

Learn Italian to A2 before you arrive; it changes everything

Cheap flights and trains to the whole of Europe

Work: 20 hours a week, up to 1,040 hours a year, on a study permit. Wages in hospitality about €8–10 an hour.
Healthcare: Register with the national health service (SSN) for about €700 a year, or hold private insurance; SSN is the better value.
Safety: Safe; pickpockets in tourist areas of Rome and Milan.