Study in Italy for Tunisian Students

You are Tunisian and want to study at a university in Rome. Where do you start, and when?

The short answer: you apply to the university first, on its own portal. Once you are admitted, you complete the pre-enrolment on Universitaly, the university validates it, and the Italian Embassy's visa centre contacts you with an appointment. For the 2027/28 academic year, the last date to request the study visa for a Bachelor or Master is 31 October 2027.

That sounds far away, but documents take months and some windows open this autumn. This page gives you the whole path, the calendar and the costs, with a detailed guide for each stage.

1. Who is this study guide for?

This study series is for Tunisian students who hold the bac or a university degree and want to study in person in Rome or Lazio, for a Bachelor (Laurea), a Master (Laurea Magistrale) or a PhD (Dottorato).

• Public universities: Sapienza, Tor Vergata and Roma Tre.
• Private universities: LUISS and LUMSA.
• Not covered for now: Medicine. Italy changed its access rules in 2025, and the rules for international students have not been published yet.

2. What are the 7 stages to study in Rome?

Studying in Rome takes 7 stages in a fixed order: plan, apply to a university, prepare documents, apply for the DiSCo scholarship, get the visa, arrive and find housing. Each stage has its own detailed guide:

1. Plan and calendar. This page: choose your target year (2027/28), your courses and your deadlines.
2. Choose a university and apply. You apply on the university's own portal, then, after admission, complete the Universitaly pre-enrolment. See how to choose a university in Rome and apply.
3. Prepare and translate your documents. Diplomas are authenticated by the Tunisian ministry, copied, apostilled and translated into Italian. See how to legalise and translate your documents for Italy.
4. Apply for the DiSCo scholarship. The Lazio regional grant is based on your family's income and also offers residence places. See how to apply for the DiSCo Lazio scholarship.
5. Get the visa and block the money. The visa centre emails you a date, and you must show a blocked amount. See how to get the Italy student visa from Tunisia.
6. Arrive in Rome. Within 8 working days you request your residence permit, then finish enrolling at your university. See how to request your residence permit in your first weeks in Rome.
7. Find accommodation. DiSCo residences, university housing services and private rooms. See student housing in Rome.

If you would rather pay an agency to handle these stages, how the WSC Tunisia agency works, with its fees shows what one does at each stage.

3. Why should you start now for the 2027/28 intake?

You should start now because all the 2026/27 deadlines are over and preparing for 2027/28 takes months. Italy's Ministry of University (MUR) has already published the rules for 2027/28: one MUR circular covers both 2026/27 and 2027/28.

• Documents are slow. The whole document chain for a Tunisian diploma, up to the Dichiarazione di Valore or CIMEA statement, can take several months.
• Some windows are already open. LUISS applications for 2027/28 run from October 2026 to 10 February 2027.
• Sapienza opens early. Sapienza's 2026/27 window ran from 22 December 2025 to 15 May 2026, so the 2027/28 one is expected to open around December 2026 (check the 2027/28 call).
• Places are capped. From 2026/27, each Italian university can validate only a limited number of foreign pre-enrolments, and the Universitaly portal blocks the rest.

4. Calendar of deadlines for 2027/28

The 2027/28 calendar for Tunisian students runs from October 2026, when LUISS applications open, to 31 October 2027, the last date to request the study visa; the residence permit and the DiSCo ISEEUP follow after arrival.

5. How much does it cost to study in Rome?

Tuition in Rome costs from EUR 456 in the first year at Sapienza (lowest band) to EUR 15,000 a year at LUISS, plus one-off costs for applications, documents, the study visa and the residence permit, and the EUR 10,179.85 blocked amount, which stays your own money.

Sapienza and Tor Vergata figures are flat fees for students from Tunisia (Tor Vergata: unless you have an ISEE parificato). Check with your university, and compare fees and entry rules in the five Rome universities side by side.

6. How does your money reach you in Italy?

Money from Tunisia reaches a student in Italy in three steps under the Central Bank of Tunisia's circular 2025-10, through one Tunisian bank per academic year.

• The blocked amount. The full EUR 10,179.85 is blocked at your bank in Tunisia for the visa. How the blocked account works.
• The installation allowance. Up to 6,000 TND per academic year (about EUR 1,782 at the BCT rate of 7 October 2026) to settle in. It must last your first weeks: plan your first-month budget.
• Monthly transfers. Once you are enrolled in Italy, you send the enrolment papers to your bank in Tunisia, and your parents can then transfer up to 4,000 TND per month (about EUR 1,188 on the same date).

The DiSCo Lazio scholarship adds a yearly grant and free meals for students who qualify. See who is eligible for the DiSCo scholarship.

7. What should you do from October to December 2026?

From October to December 2026, a Tunisian student aiming for 2027/28 should pick courses, get a language certificate, start legalising documents and decide about LUISS before its 10 February 2027 deadline.

1. Pick two or three courses. Search on Universitaly↗ (opens in a new tab) and note each university's window and fee.
2. Get your language certificate. Italian-taught courses: the university tests you at B2 level unless you already hold an Italian B2 certificate. English-taught courses: a B2 English certificate.
3. Start legalising your documents. Begin with the ministry authentication of your bac and transcripts, the first step of how to legalise your Tunisian diploma for Italy.
4. Decide about LUISS. If it is on your list, apply on the LUISS admission page↗ (opens in a new tab) before 10 February 2027.