MAECI Scholarship: Master’s Eligibility Requirements

Where to take the Italian certificates and what the levels mean is covered on our certificates page. Italian is not compulsory for English-taught programmes — though for daily life, banking and residence formalities we’d recommend learning the basics. Plan the certificate exam early; test dates are limited.

Is university admission required?

The scholarship application and university admission mostly run in parallel. In some cases the scholarship application does not yet demand a firm admission — but after winning, enrolment requires the admission and the Universitaly pre-enrolment. So don’t suspend the university application while waiting on the scholarship result: advance the two together, and plan the calendar from the start so the chain connecting them never breaks. The full flow is on our application steps page.

Country and category eligibility

Each year’s call states which countries and which categories (master’s/doctorate/AFAM/language) are open that year. Turkey is generally on the list, but categories can differ — a given year’s call might not open the research category, say. So verify not just “is Turkey eligible” but “is my category open this year”, in the bando itself.

How do you check your own eligibility?

• Is your age under the call’s limit?
• Do you hold a bachelor’s degree (or documentable graduation)?
• Do you meet the target programme’s language requirement (B2)?
• Are Turkey and your category on that year’s list?
• Are your documents (diploma, transcript) ready for translation/apostille?

All five a “yes”? The next step is preparing the required documents list. Any item a “maybe”? Settle it first — an application filed with a condition unmet is not assessed.

Eligibility is also a documents question

Eligibility is not only “do I meet the conditions” — it is being able to document them. Your passport proves your age; the apostilled original and sworn Italian translation prove your degree; a valid certificate proves your language level. As you run the eligibility check, note which document stands behind each item. The diploma and transcript translation is central twice over — at post-award enrolment, and in proving your age/education eligibility — so preparing those documents early prevents the bottlenecks later. Whenever you’re ready, upload your documents and see the sworn translation price instantly.

How master’s and doctoral eligibility differ

Master’s and doctorate are separate MAECI categories with different conditions. For the doctorate the age limit is higher (around 30 as a rule), the academic bar heavier, and the research proposal — or a connection with a group — carries weight. At master’s level, a strong bachelor’s file and a persuasive motivation letter decide. Torn between the two levels? Weigh your career plan and your age/eligibility position together; doctoral eligibility is covered under the relevant heading of the MAECI hub.

Common eligibility mistakes

• Taking a programme’s “master” name at face value and assuming laurea magistrale
• Calculating the age limit against the academic year instead of the application year
• Chasing an Italian certificate for an English-taught programme (unnecessary) — or the reverse
• Choosing a category without checking the country list
• Leaving the diploma translation to the last minute and jamming at enrolment

The step after eligibility

Certain you meet every condition? Then the work is preparing the documents and completing the application form. Draw the list with the required-documents page, walk the portal with the application-steps page, and plan the dates with the calendar page. Eligibility is the starting line; the real gap opens in the quality of the application.

Frequently asked questions