Merit

DEADLINES 2024

Application submission: 13 March - 24 April 2024, 12 noon

Publication of provisional results: 16 May 2024

Rectification period: 16 - 30 May 2024, 12:00 noon

Publication of final results: 20 June 2024

Scholarship payment: probably by mid-August

Requirements:

• Maximum age: to be considered at the application deadline (24 April) 35 years of age or less for three-year programmes; 40 years of age or less for Master's and one-cycle programmes; students must not have completed another course of study at the same or higher level;

• The statutory duration of the course may not be exceeded by more than six months;

• Only one change of course can be recognised;

• Residence:

  • Outside South Tyrol: those wishing to apply for a scholarship abroad or in Italy (except South Tyrol) must have been resident in the Province of Bolzano for at least two consecutive years at the closing date for applications; 

  • In South Tyrol: students enrolled in higher education institutions in South Tyrol who are citizens of non-EU countries and who have a limited residence permit at the end of the application deadline must have resided in the Province of Bolzano for at least two years without interruption; citizens of EU countries or of non-EU countries who have a permanent residence permit or refugees do not have to prove that they have resided in South Tyrol for a specific period;

  • Non-EU citizens must present the original Italian residence permit in person at the Office for University Funding. Deadline: 24 April 2024, 12:00 noon.

• Bank account: prepaid cards are no longer accepted.

Merit-based requirements:

Applicants must have achieved the following academic success in the period from 1 November 2022 to 31 October 2023:

• In Italy: min. 42 CFU and a minimum average score of 28/30 OR a final grade of at least 108/110;

• Abroad: min. 42 ECTS and an average of at least 1.3 OR a final grade of at least 1.3. The university must be located in a country that is a member of the Lisbon Convention. For Austria: if the overall grade has not been issued, you can apply for it at the university (see sample)

ALL POSITIVELY ASSESSED EXAMINATIONS MUST BE INDICATED!

The exams indicated in the application must also meet certain requirements:

• they must be part of the study plan (training activities of the student's choice included in the study plan - yes, but not solely optional activities), or they must be necessary for the recognition of the qualification and/or the pursuit of a profession.

• only the exams of one study course can be indicated - exams taken for other study courses cannot be considered (in case of enrolment in two or more degrees)

• Examinations without grades are taken into account up to a maximum of 25 CFU.

There are also additional points for:

• Language certificates according to the Common European Framework of Reference C1 or higher than C1, if obtained in the period from 1 November 2022 to 31 October 2023;

• Participation in an international mobility programme of at least 4 months, if the participation took place in the period from 1 November 2022 to 31 October 2023.

Documents to be submitted:

Non-EU citizens must present the original residence permit for Italy in person to the Office for University Funding in person. Deadline: 24 April 2024, 12:00 noon.

Applicants who are studying at a university in a non-EU country must upload the confirmation of enrolment and a confirmation of the examinations taken or the final certificate with final grade.

Language certificates or participation in an international mobility programme must also be uploaded.

Access to the website:

You can access the application form on myCivis (https://my.civis.bz.it/public/de/) in the following ways:

• Digital identity SPID (https://www.spid.gov.it/)

• Italian electronic identity card (CIE)

• Card reader + activated health insurance card + PIN

• eIDAS: some EU citizens can apply by using their national digital identity

• certified accounts: only students who cannot use one of the above mentioned login methods can ask for a certified eGov account. 

Please note: if access with eIDAS does not work students can apply for a certified account at the Office for Higher Education Support.

How to create a certified account: the student must go to the Office for Higher Education Support (Building 7, Via Andrea Hofer 18, 39100 Bozen/Bolzano) to create a certified account. By appointment, he/she can go to the office in person or arrange an appointment for a video call. You will need a valid identity document and your Italian tax code. Here you can find the application form and more detailed information in the guidelines of the Office for Higher Education Support.

Publication of results and correction period:

The provisional results will be published on the provincial administrations’s website on 16 May 2024. Applicants will then have from 16 May to 30 May 2024 at 12 noon to submit a correction in case of incorrect information/errors in the application. The final results will be published by 20 June 2024. An overview of the deadlines can be found in the competition announcement/call for applications.

Calculation and allocation of scholarships for special merit:

Scholarships are awarded according to a scoring system. Points are awarded for both the weighted average of grades and the number of ECTS/CFU listed. A table containing all the scores is attached to the call for applications.

Due to the different grading systems, there are two competitions: one for Italy and one for abroad. The total contingent (208 merit scholarships) is distributed in proportion to the number of South Tyrolean students. 85% of the merit scholarships are divided according to fields of study (humanities and social sciences, natural sciences and technology and medical studies), while 15% are awarded according to a general ranking system.

Rankings are established for students at universities in South Tyrol, in Italy and abroad. The distribution is as follows:

Universities abroad:

• Humanities and social sciences: 51

• Natural sciences and technology: 18

• Medical Sciences/Medical Studies: 12

• General ranking: 14

Universities in South Tyrol:

• Humanities and Social Sciences: 41

• Natural sciences and technology: 11

• Medical Sciences/Medical Studies: 4

• General ranking: 10

Universities in Italy, outside South Tyrol:

• Humanities-Social Sciences: 25

• Natural sciences and technology: 9

• Medical sciences/Medical Studies: 6

• General ranking: 7

A ranking list is drawn up among all those who fulfil the requirements, whereby the principle applies: the more ECTS and the better the grade point average, the more points are awarded. Points are awarded for language certificates and participation in mobility programmes (3 points each).

How to calculate the weighted average of votes: 

• Multiply the marks of each exam by the number of credits corresponding to it;

• Sum up all results;

• Divide by the total number of credits.

Here is a practical example:

Exam 1: grade of 27 and 8 credits

Exam 2: grade of 21 and 12 credits

Exam 3: grade of 28 and 4 credits

(27x8)+(21x12)+(28x4)/(8+12+4)=average 24.16

Italy: 30L corresponds in the calculation to 30.20.

Further information:

Please note that the information available on this site is not a substitute for reading the call for applications!!!

Site of the provincial administration (ger)

Richtlinien

Competition announcement abroad (ger/it)

Competition announcement  Italy (ger/it)