StudyDesk Scholarships
About the scholarship
The Politecnico di Torino funds its doctoral programmes through numbered national cycles. The queue’s “41st call” framing is stale: the 41st cycle is closed (both 2025 sessions passed). The live opportunity is the 42nd cycle (academic year 2026/2027), with a minimum of 110 fully funded PhD positions across the university’s doctoral programmes in Turin, Italy.
Session 1 closed on 30 April 2026. The second session is open now (opened 15 October 2026) and closes on 16 November 2026 at 2:00 PM CET; the third session opens 14 January 2027 and closes 15 February 2027. Session dates are confirmed across four independent trackers; confirm them on the official call page before submitting.
Eligibility
- Master’s degree (or equivalent second-level degree). You may apply conditionally if you have not yet graduated — the degree must be completed by the deadline of your chosen session.
- Minimum final grade 95/110 for Italian degrees; foreign degrees must meet the minimum GPA thresholds in Annex 2 of the call.
- B2-level English certification from the accepted list in Annex 4 of the call.
- Open to all nationalities.
- You must not have previously held an Italian doctoral scholarship.
- No age limit, except for apprenticeship-format positions (maximum 29 years old at hiring).
Benefits
- €18,854.52 per year gross (2026/27 figure), roughly €1,386 per month net — exempt from IRPEF income tax, with INPS social-security contributions split two-thirds by the university and one-third by the holder.
- +50% stipend for authorised research periods abroad.
- 10% of the total scholarship as a research-activity budget over the 36 months.
- Duration up to 36 months, renewed annually.
- Reserved positions for refugees under the POLITO for REFUGEES initiative, alongside positions on predefined research topics or independent research projects.
Documents required
- Bachelor’s and master’s certificates + transcripts (foreign degrees need a CIMEA comparability certificate or Declaration of Value).
- CV and a statement of purpose / motivation outlining research interests and proposed methodology.
- Master’s thesis abstract (3,000–6,000 characters, in English).
- Two academic referees (names and emails) — trackers note one should ideally be from an external university and one from Politecnico itself.
- B2 English proof, a valid ID, and the €30 fee payment receipt per programme.
- Refugee applicants may use the European Qualifications Passport for Refugees. Optional but recommended: GRE scores, recommendation letters, publication list. All uploads in PDF on Apply@polito.
How to apply
- Register on Apply@politoCreate an account on the university’s official application platform.
- Choose your programme(s)Select one or more of the 16 PhD programmes and complete the application form.
- Upload documents and pay the feeAttach all documents in PDF and pay the €30 non-refundable fee per programme (credit card / PagoPA).
- Submit before the session deadlineSession 2: 16 November 2026, 2:00 PM CET. Accepting a position in one session bars entry to later sessions of the same cycle.
- Oral interviewShortlisted candidates are invited to an interview. Results are posted on the official site — no personal notifications are sent.
FAQs
Yes — the 42nd-cycle call offers a minimum of 110 scholarships with full tuition coverage plus a €18,854.52/year tax-exempt stipend, a 50% mobility bonus for research abroad and a 10% research-activity budget.
The 41st cycle is closed: both 2025 sessions have passed, and the special conflict-zone call closed on 16 February 2026. Apply to the 42nd cycle instead.
No — a B2-level English certificate from the accepted list in Annex 4 of the call is a requirement.
Yes, but the €30 application fee applies per programme, and accepting a position in one session bars entry to later sessions of the same cycle.
Qualifications are scored up to 40 points, the statement of purpose and references up to 20, and the oral interview up to 40. Results are posted on the official site only.
Verified 21 Oct 2026 via four agreeing independent trackers (gradualin, fellowshipsguide, scholarships.af, daadscholarship: 42nd cycle, minimum 110 fully funded positions, €18,854.52/yr gross, session 2 opens 15 Oct 2026 and closes 16 Nov 2026 2:00 PM CET, session 3 14 Jan–15 Feb 2027, eligibility and document list) + the official polito.it funding-deadlines page confirming the 42nd cycle. The stale 41st cycle was excluded. Session dates should be confirmed on the official bando page before submitting.
