10 – 20 Days (After submitting documents)
100% Free (Issued by CAF offices)
2 Years Prior
1 Academic Year Only
ISEE Parificato is a free score that shows Italian universities your family’s total income outside Italy so you can qualify for DSU scholarships. To get it, you must gather your family’s income, bank, and property documents from two years prior, translate them into Italian, get them officially stamped (legalized), and submit them to a tax office in Italy called a CAF. This score is valid for one academic year, so you must repeat the process every year you apply.
Table of Contents
Calculating your ISEE Parificato is often the most confusing part of applying for Italian university scholarships. Because foreign income and assets aren’t recorded in the Italian tax system, international students must submit localized family financial documents to get an official equivalent score. ISEE Parificato is how international students prove their family income to Italian universities,
For complete eligibility rules, stipend coverage, and university lists, check our DSU Scholarship Italy complete guide
Interactive ISEE Parificato Calculator for Scholarship
Use this built-in calculator to estimate your family’s ISEE Parificato bracket before submitting your legal documents to an official CAF (Centro di Assistenza Fiscale).
What Is ISEE Parificato & Who Needs It?
ISEE measures a household’s financial situation, calculated in Italy through INPS or a CAF office. If you or your family live and earn outside Italy, that standard process can’t work; there’s no Italian tax data to pull from. ISEE Parificato (“equivalent ISEE”) is the parallel version, where a CAF manually calculates an equivalent figure from your foreign documents.
You need it if you’re:
- An international student living outside Italy
- An international student living in Italy but financially dependent on a household based abroad
- An Italian citizen living abroad, not on the AIRE registry
DSU the scholarship vs DSU the form
“DSU” means two completely different things in this process:
DSU the scholarship is (Diritto allo Studio Universitario), the regional right-to-study system.
DSU the form, is (Dichiarazione Sostitutiva Unica), the specific declaration form your CAF fills out to calculate your ISEE. They’re unrelated beyond sharing an abbreviation.
When your CAF mentions “submitting your DSU,” they mean the form, not the scholarship.
The "Reference Year" Trap
Italy assesses income and assets from a specific past calendar year, commonly two years before the academic year you’re applying for.
For 2027/28 applications, that likely means 2025 figures.
If your family’s financial situation changed significantly after that reference year, ISEE won’t reflect it; you have to plan around the actual reference year, not your current situation.
Step-by-Step Process
- Gather your documents from your home country first. This step alone can take weeks, so start months before your deadline.
- Get them translated into Italian.
- Get them legalized. If your country is part of the Hague Convention, this means an Apostille. If not, you need legalization directly through the Italian Embassy or Consulate in your country, a slower process, so check which applies to you early.
- Contact an affiliated CAF, often the one your university recommends, usually by email or an online portal.
- Submit your documents and complete the CAF’s Dichiarazione Sostitutiva Unica (DSU) form.
- Wait 10–20 days for the CAF to calculate your ISEE Parificato and issue the certificate.
- The CAF typically sends your result directly to your university; confirm whether you also need to submit it yourself.
Required Documents Checklist
Document Category | Details & Specific Requirements |
Personal & Identification | Passport copy and Italian Tax Code (Codice Fiscale). |
Household Composition | Official certificate listing all family members living in the household. |
Income Statements | Tax returns or salary slips for every earning adult in the household for the reference year. |
Bank Statements | Dec 31 balance statements for all accounts, including final balance and average annual balance (giacenza media). |
Property & Real Estate | Ownership deeds or tax registry showing property area in square meters ($\text{m}^2$). |
Rental Agreement | Official contract if your family rents their primary residence. |
Investments & Stocks | Documentation of stocks, bonds, or mutual funds held on Dec 31 of the reference year. |
(Note: Stateless persons and recognized political refugees are exempt from foreign document requirements and are evaluated solely on assets held inside Italy).
To see exact deadline patterns and login requirements for top student regions, check our Lombardy vs. Tuscany vs. Piedmont DSU breakdown.
How Foreign Property Gets Valued by ISEE Parificato
Real estate abroad is valued at a flat conventional rate of €500 per square meter. A primary residence deduction of €91,500 is applied before that value counts against you. Most families with a single home end up with a real estate contribution of €0. Don’t assume owning property abroad disqualifies you; run the actual numbers first.
Cost, Validity & Common Pitfalls
Cost: The official CAF calculation service is 100% free.
Validity: Your ISEE Parificato is valid for one academic year only. You must collect, translate, and legalize new documents for every year you renew your scholarship.
Common Mistakes
- Starting too late. Between document collection, translation, and legalization, this process realistically takes weeks to months, not days.
- Confusing Apostille with Embassy legalization. Check which one your country actually requires before you start.
- Submitting property size in the wrong unit. If your document says square feet or acres, convert it to square meters yourself, or the CAF may not process it correctly.
- Assuming last year’s ISEE Parificato still counts. It doesn’t it’s valid for one year only.
- Making a declaration error. Errors can be fixed through a “Rettifica” (correction) request at the same CAF, but false declarations are a criminal offense, and universities do run random checks
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between ISEE and ISEE Parificato?
Standard ISEE is calculated from Italian tax records. ISEE Parificato is the equivalent version for students whose income and assets are abroad, calculated manually by a CAF from foreign documents.
Why does "DSU" show up in this process too?
It’s a naming coincidence. Here, DSU refers to the Dichiarazione Sostitutiva Unica form used to calculate ISEE, a completely different thing from the DSU scholarship system.
Which year's income does ISEE Parificato use?
Typically, the calendar year two years before the academic year you’re applying for, not your current financial situation.
How long does it take?
Usually 10 to 20 days once the CAF has your complete documents, but gathering, translating, and legalizing those documents beforehand can take much longer.
Does owning property abroad hurt my chances?
Not necessarily. A €91,500 deduction applies before your primary residence counts at all, so most single-home families see no impact.
Do I need to do this every year?
Yes. ISEE Parificato is valid for one academic year only.
Scholarship Researcher and Writer