Politecnico di Milano has opened its merit-based international scholarships for the 2027-28 academic year: 64 awards across its Milan, Piacenza, Cremona, Lecco and Mantova campuses, and every one of them waives your tuition fee for the year. The top awards add a cash allowance of EUR 10,000 on top of the waiver.
Indian students are eligible on the same terms as any other international applicant. The catch is the sequence: you must first apply for admission to an English-taught Master of Science programme and pay the admission application fee between 1 October and 1 December 2026, and only then can you submit the scholarship form. The scholarship form closes at 12:00 noon Italian time on 15 December 2026.
Politecnico di Milano scholarship 2027-28: quick facts
Quick facts2026-27
| Scholarship from | Politecnico di Milano (Italy), merit-based international scholarships for Master of Science students |
| Study level | Master of Science (first year), English-taught programmes, 2027-28 academic year |
| Number of awards | 64 in total: 10 Platinum, 18 Gold, 16 Gold Piacenza, 10 Bronze Piacenza and 10 Silver campus scholarships |
| Award value | Full tuition fee waiver for the year plus a gross allowance of EUR 10,000 (Platinum), EUR 8,000 (Gold), EUR 5,000 (Gold Piacenza) or EUR 2,500 (Bronze); Silver awards are a tuition waiver only |
| Who can apply | International students applying to the first year of an English-taught MSc, with the admission application fee paid between 1 October and 1 December 2026 |
| Last date to apply | 15 December 2026, 12:00 noon Italian time (scholarship form); admission application fee must be paid by 1 December 2026 |
| Official website | polimi.it – scholarships for international students |
What each level of the scholarship is worth
The call divides the 64 awards into five levels. All of them include a tuition fee waiver for the academic year in which the scholarship is assigned, so the cash figures below come on top of a fee-free year.
- 10 Platinum Scholarships, Milan campuses: EUR 10,000 gross plus the tuition waiver. Paid in two instalments of EUR 5,000 – the second one only after you have taken at least two exams in the first semester of the scholarship.
- 18 Gold Scholarships, Milan campuses: EUR 8,000 gross plus the tuition waiver, in two instalments of EUR 4,000, the second after at least one exam.
- 16 Gold Piacenza Campus Scholarships: EUR 5,000 gross plus the waiver, in two instalments of EUR 2,500, for the Sustainable Architecture and Landscape Design, Landscape Architecture – Land Landscape Heritage, and Energy Engineering (Renewables and Environmental Sustainability) programmes at Piacenza.
- 10 Bronze Piacenza Campus Scholarships: EUR 2,500 gross in a single instalment plus the waiver, for Mechanical Engineering (Mechatronics for Manufacturing) at Piacenza.
- 10 Silver Scholarships for the Cremona, Lecco, Mantova and Piacenza campuses: a tuition fee waiver for the whole year, excluding the administrative fee and insurance.
Scholarship holders still pay a non-refundable administrative fee, which the call puts at approximately EUR 190. The allowance is paid gross into an Italian or SEPA-area bank account held in your name, so you need to upload your IBAN in the Online Services area before the payment run.
Who is eligible for the Polimi merit scholarships
The call is written for international students, and the eligibility bar is procedural more than academic. You qualify for the competition if all of the following are true:
- You are an international student – an Italian or EU-resident fee-status applicant does not take part in this call.
- You have submitted an admission application to the first year of a Master of Science programme taught in English at Politecnico di Milano for 2027-28.
- You paid the admission application fee between 1 October 2026 and 1 December 2026 – the university calls this the Early Bird period, and it is the single most common reason an otherwise strong candidate is left out.
- You submit the scholarship form through Online Services before 12:00 noon Italian time on 15 December 2026. No other channel is accepted, and the call warns that applications sent any other way are disqualified.
- You upload a valid English language certificate by 4 March 2027. Without a verified certificate you cannot be confirmed as admitted, and the scholarship is tied to admission.
How to apply, step by step
Two separate submissions are needed, in this order. Budget time for both, because the admission application takes days to prepare and the scholarship form cannot be opened until the admission application exists.
- Apply for admission to your English-taught MSc on the Politecnico di Milano Online Services portal and pay the application fee before 1 December 2026.
- Open Online Services and go to Benefits and Agreements, then Economic benefits, then Scholarships for International Master of Science Students a.y. 2027-2028.
- Fill the scholarship application form and submit it before 12:00 noon Italian time on 15 December 2026. The call has one deadline only – there is no late window.
- Watch your email. Outcomes are sent to the address you used in the admission application, usually within three to four months of the deadline.
- Accept the award by paying the administrative fee within the deadline in the award email, then enrol for the academic year the scholarship is assigned for. If you accept but do not enrol, the scholarship is lost.
How the winners are picked
A commission appointed by the Head of the Campus Life Area decides, using merit as the main criterion. The call also says the commission gives priority to candidates from countries that have been the victims of military aggression or are affected by civil wars, and that geographic origin, gender balance and age are part of the evaluation. In a tie, the younger candidate wins.
There is no interview and no separate test: the assessment is built from your previous education, how well it matches the MSc you applied for, the documents you submitted, your GPA and academic achievements, and the scholarship form itself.
Renewing the scholarship for the second year
These awards can be renewed for 2028-29, but the bar is numeric. By 10 August 2028 the sum of your exam grades multiplied by the ECTS of each exam must reach 1,000 points for a Platinum scholarship and 700 points for Gold, Bronze and Silver awards. Extra ECTS, internships and credits from a separate academic career do not count, and you must stay in the same Master of Science programme. If you renew, you enrol paying only the administrative fee; if you do not, you pay the administrative fee and full tuition for 2028-29.
Rules you should know before you accept
- The scholarship is incompatible with other scholarships from Politecnico di Milano or from any other public or private body, Italian or foreign. The only exception is funding for international mobility programmes.
- If you are awarded something incompatible, you must tell the university within ten days of the later award which one you keep, by email to [email protected]. If you do not choose in time, all benefits are suspended.
- The level of the award is final once assigned and is not negotiable.
- The allowance is paid against an Italian or SEPA-area account, so plan how you will open or nominate one before the first instalment.
Frequently asked questions
The scholarship form closes at 12:00 noon Italian time on 15 December 2026. To be allowed to fill it, your admission application fee for an English-taught MSc must be paid between 1 October and 1 December 2026.
All 64 awards waive the tuition fee for the year. On top of that, Platinum awards pay EUR 10,000 gross, Gold EUR 8,000, Gold Piacenza EUR 5,000 and Bronze Piacenza EUR 2,500. Silver awards are a tuition waiver with no cash allowance.
Yes. The call is open to international students applying to the first year of an English-taught Master of Science programme, and Indian applicants compete on the same terms. There is no country quota or separate India round.
You need a submitted admission application with the fee paid inside the Early Bird window. The call notes that only students who have already applied for admission to the MSc programme may take part, and the scholarship form only appears for eligible applicants.
Yes, a non-refundable administrative fee of approximately EUR 190, which is also how you accept the award. Insurance and the administrative fee are not covered by the Silver awards.
No. The merit scholarship is incompatible with other scholarships from Politecnico di Milano or any other Italian or foreign public or private body, apart from mobility funding. You must choose one within ten days if you receive an incompatible award.
64 in total for 2027-28: 10 Platinum and 18 Gold in Milan, 16 Gold and 10 Bronze at Piacenza, and 10 Silver awards for the Cremona, Lecco, Mantova and Piacenza campuses.
Official links
Related reading: Politecnico di Milano scholarships page
Official call for applications, academic year 2027-2028 (PDF)
Internal reading: compare this with the TU Delft Excellence Scholarship, the Padua International Excellence Scholarship and the ETH Zurich Excellence Scholarship. Browse all study abroad scholarships, international scholarships and engineering scholarships.
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