University of Siena Offering You €12,000 to Study a Master’s in Italy on Siena International Excellence Scholarships

SIENA, ITALY — The University of Siena has opened applications for its Siena International Excellence Scholarships, awarding five annual grants of €6,000 to outstanding international students enrolling in selected English-taught Master’s programmes for the 2026/2027 academic year.

A Merit-Based Signal From a Historic Institution

Founded in 1240, the University of Siena is among Europe’s oldest universities and holds consistent positions in global rankings for research quality and internationalisation. Its decision to concentrate scholarship funding on a small cohort — five awards across more than a dozen programmes — reflects an intentional strategy: attract genuinely exceptional students rather than cast a wide net. Each Siena International Excellence Scholarship is worth €6,000 for the first year and is renewable for a second year, bringing the total potential award to €12,000 over the duration of a standard two-year Laurea Magistrale.

Funding Structure and What It Covers?

The Siena International Excellence Scholarship is awarded as a gross annual grant of €6,000. It is not a tuition waiver, so recipients must review applicable tuition fees separately; however, for self-funding international students, the award represents meaningful financial relief in a city where living costs remain comparatively modest by Italian standards. Renewal for the second year is subject to satisfactory academic progress, a standard condition across European merit scholarships.

Eligibility: Who Qualifies for the Siena Excellence Scholarship

The Siena International Excellence Scholarship is explicitly designed for non-Italian citizens who hold a non-Italian undergraduate degree recognised within the Italian university system. Applicants must not hold sole Italian citizenship — although dual nationals including Italian citizenship are excluded. Critically, applicants must not be residents of Italy at the time of application: non-EU citizens already holding a valid Italian residence permit, and EU-equated citizens who have continuously lived in Italy for more than nine months, are ineligible. This residency exclusion reinforces the programme’s purpose as an international recruitment instrument rather than a domestic support mechanism.

Eligible Programmes Span Four Discipline Areas

One scholarship is allocated to each of three (03) disciplinary areas — Economics and Law, Political and Social Sciences, and Biomedical Sciences — while two awards are available within the area of Mathematics and Experimental Sciences. Qualifying programmes include Economics, Finance, International Accounting and Management, Public and Cultural Diplomacy, Applied Mathematics, Artificial Intelligence and Automation Engineering, Medical Biotechnologies, Chemistry, and Engineering Management, among others.

All programmes on the list are conducted entirely in English, making the Siena International Excellence Scholarship accessible to candidates whose academic background may not include Italian language proficiency.

Application Process and the One-Minute Video Requirement

Applications of Siena International Excellence Scholarships are submitted through the apply.unisi.it portal, using the same account created for programme admission — a procedural detail that deserves attention. . The scholarship-specific submission asks for the candidate’s chosen programme names and a short self-made motivational video of no longer than one minute. The evaluation committee will additionally draw on documentation already submitted for admission, meaning a strong admission file strengthens the scholarship case simultaneously. Candidates may apply to up to two programmes; a single scholarship application covers both.

Strategic Assessment: Who Should Apply?

Given five awards across a competitive pool of international applicants, the Siena International Excellence Scholarship will most benefit candidates with strong academic transcripts, clear articulation of purpose, and a genuine fit with one of the eligible English-medium programmes. Students targeting STEM disciplines — particularly Artificial Intelligence, Applied Mathematics, or Engineering Management — may find the two available awards in the Mathematics and Experimental Sciences area offer slightly better odds than single-award categories. The application deadline for this Siena International Excellence Scholarship program is 6 May 2026.