IUPALS – Scholarship at the University of Parma – Italy Scholarship Starting Year: 2025

From: External Academic Relations.
To: Birzeit University Community.

The External Academic Relations office is pleased to announce the funded IUPALS (Italian Universities for Palestinian Students) scholarships offered by the University of Parma in Italy. This initiative is part of a wider project coordinated by the Conference of Italian University Rectors (CRUI), in cooperation with the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Consulate General of Italy in Jerusalem.

Type of the scholarship: Master’s Degree (Second Cycle)

Period or starting date: Academic Year 2025–2026 (includes mandatory language course from June to October 2025).

Available fields of study: Nine English-taught Master's programs at Parma University:

  • Communication Engineering
  • Engineering for the Food Industry
  • Food Safety and Food Risk Management
  • Functional and Sustainable Materials
  • Global Food Law: Sustainability Challenges and Innovation
  • Language Sciences and Cultural Studies for Special Needs
  • Advanced Molecular Sciences for Health Products
  • Data Science for Management
  • Environmental Engineering for Risk Mitigation

Full course details and requirements are available on the official program pages:

Program List

Application Deadline: 31 May 2025, 12:00 PM (Rome time)

Funding: Each scholarship is worth €10,000 per year and includes:

  • Tuition fees
  • Accommodation and partial food coverage
  • Health insurance (or private policy)
  • Visa-related costs
  • Academic materials, support services, and integration program

Conditions:

  • Applicants must hold Palestinian nationality and reside in the Palestinian Territories (confirmed by the Italian Consulate).
  • Applicants must have a degree qualifying them for admission to a second-cycle program in Italy.
  • English language proficiency at B2 level is required (tested during the interview).
  • Applicants must not have previously been enrolled at the University of Parma.
  • Only one application per student is allowed, and the scholarship cannot be combined with other awards.
  • Enrollment in the 5-month Italian language and culture course (June–October 2025) is mandatory.

Selection criteria:

  • Academic background and GPA
  • Relevance of prior studies to the chosen master's program
  • Curriculum vitae
  • Interview assessing motivation and English proficiency. (Only applicants scoring at least 26/40 in the evaluation phase will be invited to the interview).

Scholarship renewal conditions:

  • Acquire 10 ECTS credits by August 10, 2026 (Year 1)
  • Acquire 54 ECTS credits by August 10, 2027 (Year 2)
  • Graduation by March/April 2028 or possible extension upon merit

How to apply:
Apply through the University of Parma’s portal and scholarship form: Application form

Steps:

  1. Express interest in the IUPALS scholarship.
  2. Register in the Parma University system (ESSE3).
  3. Submit required documents for pre-evaluation.
  4. Enroll in a master’s degree program via:  Pre-admission portal

Also register for the Italian language course (deadline 23 May 2025):
Language course form

Forward the email of confirmation of receipt of your application to the External Academic Relations Office: [email protected] 

For questions about the University of Parma program, email:

[email protected] 

[email protected] 

                                                                                                    Good Luck

External Academic Relations

                                                                                                     May, 2025