“How much will six years of medicine in Italy cost my family in total?”
For a mid-income Indian family, budget roughly €10,000–€18,000 of tuition across six years plus €55,000–€75,000 of living costs. A low-income family that files the ISEE-parificato correctly can bring tuition close to zero and may add a DSU maintenance grant on top.
Tuition is a function of your family income, not the university
Italian public universities set fees using the ISEE — an assessed measure of household income and assets. For non-EU families this becomes the ISEE-parificato, produced from translated income documents by an authorised CAF office in Italy. The band you land in decides the year's fee.
In practice: the lowest bands pay only the regional tax and stamp duty, roughly €150–€350 a year. Mid bands typically pay €1,000–€2,500. The top bands at large universities can reach €3,500–€4,000. The same course, the same lecture hall.
Living costs by where you actually study
This is the larger half of the budget, and it is the part you control by choosing a city:
- Milan and Rome: €950–€1,200 a month, mostly driven by rent
- Bologna, Turin, Padua, Pavia: €750–€950 a month
- Naples, Bari, Messina, Catania: €600–€800 a month
- Add roughly €150–€250 a year for health cover if you are not on the national scheme, plus books and lab material
The funding you can realistically stack
Regional DSU scholarships are the main lever: means-tested, renewable, and capable of covering fees plus a maintenance grant of several thousand euros a year. They are administered by the regional agency, not the university, and they have their own early deadline in the first weeks of the academic year.
The exception to watch: DSU renewal depends on credit progress, not just income. Students who fall behind on exams in year one can lose the grant in year two, which is when the budget gets tight. Part-time work is legal for up to 20 hours a week, but medicine timetables make it unrealistic to count on more than a small supplement.
What to arrange before departure
The visa requires proof of funds for the first year — currently in the region of €6,000–€7,000 depending on the consulate — plus health insurance and accommodation evidence. That lump sum, not tuition, is the first real financial hurdle.
Verify every figure here against the university's own fee page and the regional DSU call for the year you start. Italian fee bands and the visa maintenance threshold are updated annually, and planning on last year's number is how families get caught short in October.
The next decision
Work out your family's ISEE-parificato band before you commit to a city — it changes tuition more than any choice of university does, and it decides whether you qualify for a regional DSU grant.
If that is where you are stuck, read the IMAT admission sequence this budget depends on, or run the same numbers city by city in the cost calculator.
Questions students ask next
- Is the ISEE-parificato compulsory?
- It is not compulsory, but skipping it means the university charges you the highest band by default. Filing it is the single cheapest hour of paperwork in the whole six years.
- Can I work part-time during medicine in Italy?
- Yes, up to 20 hours a week on a student residence permit. Treat it as a supplement of €300–€500 a month at most; clinical timetables from year three make anything more unsustainable.
Official sources
Figures in this guide are indicative and were checked on 2026-08-20. Fees, visa rules and financial-proof amounts change; confirm the current numbers with the university and the relevant embassy or immigration authority before you act.