The Ultimate Guide To Study In Italy For Indian Students

 Italy is a wonderful place to study and work with mesmerizing landscapes, divine Italian cuisine, vibrant culture, captivating art and architecture, and rich historical backgrounds. Apart from these, Italy also offers a standard education to students from all around the globe and promising career options to job seekers. This blog discusses in detail the various aspects and requirements of studies and careers in Italy for International students.

Why Choose Italy for your Study Abroad Journey?  

Italy is well known as the education powerhouse of Europe and attracts a huge crowd of international students every year. There are a lot of reasons why a student must opt to take up studies in Italy, and some of them are as follows:

• It is not required for a student to know the Italian language to take up studies in the country. Almost every college and university in Italy conducts programs and classes in English to help international students benefit from it.
• The student gets exposed to Italy's rich culture and art while studying there.
• The quality of education in Italy is high, and it is also the home to some of the best universities, including the world’s oldest university, the Bologna University. Italy has been a hub for higher education for many years.
• The universities in Italy offer a variety of programs for International students to choose from: visual arts, writing, and fashion.
• One of the fascinating things to enjoy while studying in Italy is Italian cuisine. The student can shop at local markets, get to taste some heavenly delicacies, and even get accustomed to Italian customs and etiquette.
• The top of all reasons to take up studies in Italy is that it is a student-friendly country with a low cost of living and a decent tuition fee.
• Italy has the pride of producing a large number of scientists and researchers. The country spends a considerable amount every year to increase the quality of research conducted in its laboratories.

Top Universities in Italy for International Students

Apart from the rich art and culture, Italy has the best universities that have excellent rankings worldwide. The universities in Italy have decent tuition fees and a relatively low cost of living, making it quite affordable for international students to take up studies there. The following are some of the well-renowned Italian universities and their rankings worldwide:

Apart from these universities, there are also others that are much preferred by International students:

Admissions Process and Requirements for Indian Students

Applying to Italian universities is quite simple. Any non-EU student can approach the Italian embassy at their place and submit a pre-application request correctly mentioning the degree and university selected. There are basically two intakes in Italian universities, which are as follows:

• First Intake – September – January/February
• Second Intake – February – July

Requirements to Apply to an Italian University

• A duly filled application form
• Recent Photographs
• Copies of the school certificates and degree certificates
• Test scores of the English proficiency tests
• Updated resume and CV
• Letters of Recommendation
• Letter of Motivation
• SAT/ACT scores
• Statement of Purpose
• Portfolio of the candidate

Application Process

The candidate can follow the below-mentioned steps to apply to an Italian university:

• Log in to the university’s portal and submit the application
• Select international students’ registration in the Italian tax ID section and fill in the details carefully.
• Fill in the academic details like the program chosen, degree, course completion date, and the appropriate qualification, and then click submit.
• Upload the right documents and submit the application

Understanding Italian Culture and Language

With over 60 million people, Italy has a rich culture and heritage. Italians give importance to family, art, music, and food. They love spending much time with the family and frequently host large gatherings and meals for the same. Italy is filled with some finest churches and castles with intricate paintings, and it is a hometown to great artists in history like Michelangelo and Da Vinci. When speaking of the language, the Italian language evolved from the Latin language. However, there are different dialects in different regions, and only the standard Italian language is used for writing officially. It is the official language of the Vatican City and some regions of Slovenia and Croatia. Apart from artists, Italy has also housed some exceptional writers in literature who produced excellent masterpieces. People in Italy have high standards for appearance and fashion. They dress up well and also exhibit confidence and style. Italians are widely Roman Catholics and have a saint for every profession. They also follow decent etiquette for even greeting and gifting people. All these are some of the culture and customs of Italians. On the whole, it is a wonderful place to stay and study.

Cost of Living and Available Scholarships for Indian Students

• Cost of Living Charges

The cost of living for International Students in Italy is considerably lesser than in other European countries. The cost of living can be broken down into many factors, like accommodation, tuition fees, travel, and food. It also varies with different cities; for example, the cost of living in Rome and Milan is higher compared to that of Turin, Catania, and Naples. Therefore it will be best to select the right place to stay in and in a place that will be easy to commute to college to cut down on a few expenses. The following is the breakdown of the cost of living charges in Italy:

Tuition Fee

• Public Universities - € 900 - € 5000 approximately per year
• Private Universities - €6000 - €25000 approximately per year

Accommodation Charges

• Rented apartment ( single person) - € 500 - €800 approximately per month
• Student accommodations - € 300 - €400 approximately per month
• Shared apartment - €250 - €500 approximately per month

Transportation Costs

• Tram/Metro/ Bus Tickets - €25 - €50 approximately per month

Food Costs

• Groceries - €100 - €200 approximately per month
• Italian Restaurants - €8 - €2.50 approximately per person

Other Charges

• Phone and Internet Bills - €30 - €50 approximately per month
• Social activities and Entertainment - € 30 - €50 approximately per month
• Study materials and Books - €35 - €50 approximately per month

Top Scholarship Programs for Indian Students in Italy

The following are some of the top scholarship programs for the reference of international students:

• Scuola Normale Superiore Ph.D Scholarships - Ph.D. programs
• Politecnico International Scholarships- Masters of Science programs
• Bocconi Merit International Awards - Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees
• Padua International Excellence Scholarship Programs- Bachelor’s and Master’s programs
• Italian Government Scholarships for Foreign Students - Master’s, AFAM, and Ph.D. programs
• Regione Veneto Scholarships - Bachelor’s, Master’s, Single-cycle, Ph.D. programs
• EDISU Piemonte Scholarships - Bachelor’s, Master’s degree, Ph.D. courses, or Single Cycle Master’s degree
• University of Bologna Study Grants for International Students - Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees
• The University of Cattolica International Scholarships - All degree programs

Career Opportunities and Life after Graduation in Italy

Italy provides countless options for international students to begin a successful career there. The students learn many new things and are exposed to many opportunities in Italy, which in turn helps them grow personally and professionally. The following are some of the in-demand fields in Italy for International students:

• Tourism and Hospitality
• Information Technology
• Marketing and Advertising
• Language and translations
• Art
• Architecture
• International Business
• Research
• Healthcare
• Engineering
• Manufacturing

Ways to Find Jobs in Italy

• The candidate must try to build up the network by attending various fairs and alumni events and also reach out to experts in the field
• Tailoring the resume and CV according to the needs of the Italian job market is mandatory
• Taking up Italian language classes and improving language skills is a plus
• Searching for jobs in Italy through online job portals can be very helpful
• Taking up internships and freelancing is also equally important while searching for jobs
• The candidate can reach the career center of the university at any time for career guidance