ESU Padua - Special subsidies

ESU Padova special subsidy (Sussidio Straordinario)

You will receive a one-off payment of up to 2,500 EUR if a serious, unexpected event has plunged your finances or personal life into crisis and is putting your studies at risk. The amount depends on where you live whilst studying: 2,500 EUR if you live away from your parents’ home near your university, 1,500 EUR if you commute, and 1,000 EUR if you already live in the university town. Part-time students and students taking an extra semester will receive half of these amounts. This is emergency financial assistance provided by ESU Padova, the regional body for the right to higher education in Veneto. You can only receive this support once per stage of your studies, for example, once during your bachelor’s degree.

Who can apply

• Where you study: You are enrolled at the University of Padua, one of the region's music conservatories (in Adria, Castelfranco Veneto, Padua, Rovigo or Vicenza), the Scuola Italiana di Design, or a linguistic mediation school (SSML Vicenza, CIELS Padua, Limec Milano).
• Study year: You are in your second year of study or above. First-year students are not eligible to apply.
• An emergency happened: You can provide evidence of a serious, one-off event, such as a serious illness or a death in your family, a family member requiring care, your own serious illness, or a sudden loss of income (job loss, short-time working).
• Financial need: Your income falls within the limits for a regional grant (borsa di studio, a means-tested study grant), but due to certain circumstances you were unable to receive it, or your financial situation has deteriorated since the application deadline.
• Nationality: Open to all nationalities. International students must provide the ‘ISEE Parificato’, an Italian document certifying their family’s financial situation.
• Field of study: Open to all subjects.
• No double funding: You must not be receiving any regional funding or any other public or private scholarship in the same year, and you must not have previously received this funding for your current level of study.

How to apply

You apply for the grant online via the ESU student portal and log in using your SPID or CIE. You must attach a written explanation of your situation, along with supporting documents such as medical certificates, a death certificate, a notice of termination or proof of ISEE. The application period for 2025/2026 runs from 19 November to 22 December 2025, 10:00. A committee will assess the applications within two weeks of the deadline.

How realistic are your chances?

This funding scheme is very restrictive. You must be studying at one of the institutions listed, have already completed your first year of study, and provide evidence of a specific, verifiable emergency; consequently, only a small number of people are eligible. The total amount for 2025/2026 is 15,500 EUR, which is not a large sum; consequently, payments will be awarded exclusively to those cases with the strongest evidence. If your situation genuinely meets the criteria and you can substantiate this with supporting documents, your chances are good.