Fuori sede status and the rental contract
is the status that unlocks the highest scholarship band — €6,571.11 a year and up. Getting the status right is worth thousands, so it pays to understand exactly how DiSCo decides it.
Next: Sign it in person at a DiSCo-affiliated CAF once you are in Italy. Its deadline comes after the application.
If your family lives abroad, you likely qualify automatically.
When at least half of your family household lives outside Italy, DiSCo gives you fuori sede status by default — at the maximum band, and without needing a rental contract. This is the case for most international students. (Exception: fully online / telematica courses are always treated as “in sede”.)
The standard definition
If your family is in Italy, you are fuori sede only if you live more than 50 km from your university and rent a home there for at least 10 consecutive months between 1 October 2026 and 30 September 2027. Live closer, or rent for less, and you are counted as “pendolare” (a lower band) — even if you actually moved.
If you need a rental contract
Sign the contract by 29 November 2026.
Enter its registration details in the portal by 27 December 2026.
The contract must be a real, registered lease, but several contracts can add up to the 10 consecutive months. If yours ends sooner, enter its extension or a new contract in the portal within 30 days after it ends. An unregistered agreement, or a short one not extended or replaced in time, will not qualify you — this is a common and costly mistake.
Not sure which band you fall into?
The bot keeps the contract deadlines in front of you, and the full copilot will tell you exactly which status applies to your case.
Back to the scholarship guide.