DiSCo Lazio: scholarships and student housing for universities in Rome

In a nutshell

DiSCo Lazio is the Lazio Region's student-welfare agency. Every year it offers university students cash scholarships, places in student residences, and canteen meals for €1.80. To apply you need a low ISEE (Italy's income-and-wealth indicator used to qualify for means-tested benefits) and a minimum number of academic credits. Foreign students apply on exactly the same terms as Italian ones.

At a glance

Cost	Application is free. Regional fee: €140/year (mandatory for all enrolled students; refunded to scholarship winners).
Timeline	Call published: July. Application deadline: September–October. First payment: December–January.
Where in Rome	DiSCo headquarters: Via Cesare De Lollis 24/b, Rome. Adisu Roma 1, 2, and 3 service desks.
Documents	SPID or CIE, Codice Fiscale (Italian tax ID), ISEE Universitario (or ISEE Parificato for students with income abroad), university enrolment confirmation

How much you can receive

The scholarship amount depends on where you live relative to your university. DiSCo uses three categories:

• In-city (in sede) — you live in the same municipality as your university: roughly €2,300/year, no DiSCo housing.
• Commuter (pendolare) — you live in a different municipality but reach university within 60–90 minutes by public transport: roughly €3,400/year.
• Out-of-town (fuori sede) — you live more than 90 minutes away and have rented in Rome for at least 10 months: roughly €6,150–7,300/year plus the right to apply for a room in a student residence.

Students from abroad with their family outside Italy are automatically classified as out-of-town, even if they already have a registered address in Italy.

Beyond the scholarship, you can also request: canteen meals at €1.80 per full meal, an Erasmus mobility supplement, graduation prizes, and a library book-loan service.

Who can apply

You are eligible if you are enrolled in a degree programme (bachelor's, master's, single-cycle degree, PhD, postgraduate course, AFAM arts or music academy) at Sapienza, Tor Vergata, Roma Tre, LUMSA, IUSM Foro Italico, or other Lazio universities with a DiSCo agreement, and if you meet two conditions:

Income requirement: ISEE Universitario at or below €27,726.79 (academic year 2025/26). Students with family income abroad need the ISEE Parificato (a certified equivalent calculated using consular documentation). Your total assets (ISPE) must not exceed €60,272.39.

Academic progress requirement: first-year bachelor's students need zero credits. From the second year onwards you must have earned a minimum number of CFU (university credits) by 10 August of the previous year (for example, 25 CFU to move into year two, 80 for year three). Credits certified after that date do not count for the current call.

You cannot apply if you have already exceeded the standard programme length plus one year, or if you already hold a degree at the same level.

How to apply — step by step

1. Check the deadlines at laziodisco.it/bandi/: the call opens in July and the application window generally closes at the end of September or mid-October.
2. Get your ISEE Universitario through a CAF (free assistance office for tax forms and benefits applications) or directly through INPS. If you have income abroad, the ISEE Parificato requires consular documentation — allow 10–30 extra days.
3. Log in to the DiSCo portal with SPID or CIE at laziodisco.it and fill in the online form with your personal details, university, residency category (in-city / commuter / out-of-town), and the services you want.
4. Upload the required documents and submit before the deadline. There is zero grace period: an application submitted even one day late is automatically rejected.
5. Keep an eye on the portal: all official DiSCo communications appear in your personal account area only — not by email.
6. Check the rankings (November–December): if you are listed as a vincitore (winner), the scholarship is confirmed; if you are listed as idoneo (eligible but unfunded), you are in the queue and may receive funding if other applicants drop out.
7. Accept the award within the deadline and wait for the first instalment (December–January, roughly 50% of the total) and the second instalment (April–June, the balance after a credit check).

You must reapply from scratch every year — there is no automatic renewal.

Student residences

If you are classified as out-of-town, tick the "housing request" box directly in your application. DiSCo residences in Rome are allocated by ranking. The main residences:

• Casa dello Studente De Lollis — Via Cesare De Lollis 20 (Sapienza)
• Residenza Ponte di Nona — Via Generale Marazzi 8 (Tor Vergata)
• Residenza Valleranello — Via di Valleranello 75 (Roma Tre)
• Residenza Marco Polo — Via Marco Polo 32 (Roma Tre)

Full list at laziodisco.it/alloggi/.

Monthly cost depends on your ISEE: winners in the lowest income band pay nothing; eligible non-winners typically pay around €250–450/month. The security deposit is usually €300, returned at the end of the stay.

Mistakes to avoid

1. Waiting for your enrolment confirmation before applying. You can submit the application at the same time as — or even before — officially enrolling. Waiting too long risks missing the deadline.
2. Counting credits gained after 10 August. Exams passed after that date do not count toward the current call. Plan your exam calendar accordingly.
3. Using an unregistered rental contract. For the out-of-town category, your lease must be registered with the Agenzia delle Entrate (Italy's tax-revenue agency). A private unregistered agreement is not accepted.

Special cases

First-year students (matricole): you can apply using income criteria alone, with no credit requirement. However, to receive the second instalment of your first-year scholarship you must have earned at least 35 CFU by the following 10 August.

Foreign students who cannot get the ISEE Parificato in time: if consular delays prevent you from obtaining the documentation before the deadline, you can upload proof that you have applied to the consulate and ask DiSCo for a reserved position in the ranking. DiSCo recognises the extra complexity for international applicants.

Students with a disability of 66% or above: a simplified procedure applies, with higher ISEE thresholds, additional services (tutoring, transport, accessible rooms), and documentation via an INPS disability certificate.

Students on Erasmus: you keep your DiSCo scholarship and also receive an additional mobility supplement of roughly €500/month during your time abroad.

Refugees and beneficiaries of international protection: treated identically to Italian students. Your ISEE is calculated on income earned in Italy only, and you can access all DiSCo services.

DiSCo scholarship and part-time work: fully compatible up to an annual income ceiling of roughly €7,000. The DiSCo scholarship and the MAECI scholarship (Italy's foreign-ministry grant for foreign students) are, however, mutually exclusive — you must choose one.

Official sources

• DiSCo Lazio — Official website
• DiSCo Lazio — Calls and deadlines
• DiSCo Lazio — Scholarship
• DiSCo Lazio — Housing
• DiSCo Lazio — Canteen
• MUR — Student welfare (right to university study)

Legal references: D.Lgs. 29 marzo 2012 n. 68, Legge Regionale Lazio 27 luglio 2018 n. 6, Legge 2 dicembre 1991 n. 390, DPCM 5 dicembre 2013 n. 159 (ISEE), Decreto MUR annuale importi borse di studio.