The Bocconi Graduate Merit Award is a full tuition and fees waiver that Bocconi University in Milan gives to the strongest applicants to its Master of Science (MSc) programmes. It is open to international students of any nationality, there is no separate scholarship form, and Bocconi considers you automatically when you apply for admission. For students starting in 2027/28, a full waiver is worth €19,300 a year in tuition and fees, so roughly €38,600 over a two-year MSc.
Bocconi admits MSc students in four rounds, and most merit awards go out in the earliest ones. The Round I deadline for 2027/28 is 29 October 2026 at 3 p.m. Italian time, and the last round closes on 29 April 2027. If you want a real shot at the award, apply in Round I or Round II (deadline 26 January 2027). I checked every rule and date below against unibocconi.it on 25 October 2026.
Bocconi Graduate Merit Award at a glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Awarding body | Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi, Milan |
| Who it is for | Students entering the first year of a Bocconi MSc programme |
| Applicant groups | International, Italian and Bocconi applicants, each assessed as a separate group |
| Value | 100% waiver of Bocconi’s ordinary tuition and fees |
| 2027/28 tuition it replaces | €19,300 a year (first-year MSc fee schedule) |
| Number of awards | Not published; set each year by a selection committee |
| Separate application | None. You are assessed from your MSc admission application |
| Main criterion | Academic achievement, plus a review of your full admission dossier |
| Admission application fee | €100 |
| Deadline | 29 October 2026, 3 p.m. Italian time (Round I); last round closes 29 April 2027 |
| Renewal | Automatic for the second year if you meet the credit target |
Some listing sites call this the “Bocconi Graduate Award” or say it also covers bachelor’s study. The official regulations name it the Bocconi Graduate Merit Award and limit it to MSc applicants. Bachelor’s applicants have different Bocconi awards with their own rules.
What the Bocconi Graduate Merit Award covers
The award is a fee waiver. Bocconi does not pay you money; it cancels what you would otherwise owe the university. Here is how that plays out for a 2027/28 entrant.
| Cost | Covered by the award? |
|---|---|
| Ordinary MSc tuition and fees (€19,300 a year in 2027/28) | Yes, 100% |
| Second-year tuition | Yes, if you renew by meeting the credit target |
| Tuition owed to a partner university in a double or joint degree | No. Only the Bocconi share is waived |
| €100 admission application fee | No, you pay it when you apply |
| Rent, food, transport and books in Milan | No |
| Flights, visa and residence permit costs | No |
| Free accommodation | Not as standard. The rules mention awards that include free housing, but do not say who gets it |
Bocconi’s fee page says the first instalment always includes the regional tax, stamp duties, administrative fees and the registration fee. The award regulations speak of “ordinary tuition and fees” without listing those items one by one, so ask the Fees, Funding and Housing Office what you will still pay before you budget. The €365 graduation fee is also charged separately on the fee schedule.
Who is eligible for the Bocconi Graduate Merit Award
There is no nationality list, income test or age limit. The rules are short:
- You must be applying to start the first year of a Bocconi MSc programme.
- You must be among the top applicants in your group. International applicants compete with other international applicants, not with Italian or current Bocconi students.
- You must meet MSc admission requirements, which means a recognised undergraduate degree by October 2027 (or the first graduation session after the summer, if that falls later). The IM Asia China MIM track needs the degree by June 2027.
- You must complete a full application by the round deadline. Bocconi does not evaluate an application that is missing the test score, GPA or dossier.
A few edge cases come up often. Final-year undergraduates can apply before graduating. Students on the MSc in Cyber Risk Strategy and Governance, run jointly with Politecnico di Milano, may receive a Cyber Partnership Scholarship, which Bocconi treats as equal to a Merit Award under the same rules. The LSE, Sciences Po and other double degrees that run their own admissions follow separate processes.
Bocconi Graduate Merit Award deadline and admission rounds
These are the official MSc rounds for international applicants starting in September 2027. Each round closes at 3 p.m. Italian time (CET/CEST).
| Round | Application period | Results and enrolment opens |
|---|---|---|
| Round I | 1 October to 29 October 2026 | 17 December 2026 |
| Round II | 30 October 2026 to 26 January 2027 | 4 March 2027 |
| Round III | 27 January to 11 March 2027 | 13 April 2027 |
| Round IV | 12 March to 29 April 2027 | 10 June 2027 |
Apply early
The award regulations say merit awards are not split equally between rounds, and that most are given in the first relevant rounds. A strong profile submitted in Round IV competes for far fewer awards than the same profile in Round I.
You can only have one application open at a time, and you may submit at most two in a year. A second application is allowed only if you were not admitted in the earlier round, and it must improve at least one part of your profile, such as a higher test score. Once you hold an offer, accepted or not, you cannot reapply that year. Enrolment after each results date usually stays open for two to three weeks.
How to apply for the Bocconi Graduate Merit Award
Applying for the award means submitting a strong MSc application. These are the steps for 2027/28.
- Pick one programme: The award is tied to the programme and round in which it is offered, so choose the MSc you really want before you apply.
- Take an admission test: Submit a GMAT or GRE score, or sit the online Bocconi test, and meet the threshold for your programme. You can upload several scores and Bocconi uses the best. The PPA and GLOBE programmes do not need a test.
- Create an account on Apply2B: This is Bocconi’s online application portal.
- Enter your GPA and upload transcripts: You convert your grade average to Bocconi’s scale in the form. The Admissions Office may recalculate it, so convert honestly.
- Complete the dossier and motivation section in English: This is where your CV, experience and reasons for the programme are assessed.
- Record the video presentation: It is optional for most programmes and compulsory for IM CEMS MIM, IM Asia China MIM, IM Asia Bocconi-ESSEC, the ESSEC Luxury Management double degree and the GLOBE MA.
- Pay the €100 fee and submit: Do it before 3 p.m. Italian time on the round deadline.
- Plan your English certificate: English proof is not used for selection, but if you are admitted you must provide a valid certificate by the enrolment deadline and no later than the end of June 2027.
How Bocconi selects Merit Award winners
A committee appointed by the Rector makes the decisions. It includes the Dean of the Graduate School and the Dean for International Affairs, and it decides the number of awards, their value and who receives them. Its decisions are final, and there is no appeal route in the regulations.
Academic achievement carries the most weight. In practice that means your undergraduate GPA and your admission test score, since these are the numbers the Admissions Office already ranks you on. The committee also reads the whole dossier, so a well-argued motivation section and relevant experience can separate two candidates with similar grades. You find out whether you have the award at the same time as your admission result.
How to write a Bocconi motivation section that helps your award chances
Many applicants with high grades write a generic answer. The committee is picking a small group from many admitted students, and a specific answer stands out more than a polished one. A structure that works:
- Start with a concrete moment: One problem you worked on that led you to this field.
- Show evidence of ability: Your strongest courses, a thesis, research, a competition or work results with numbers.
- Explain why this MSc: Name two or three courses, tracks or exchange options in the Bocconi programme and say what each adds to your plan.
- Give a realistic goal: A job, sector or research direction after graduation, and how the programme gets you there.
- Add an international angle: Bocconi’s video prompts ask about international attitude, so show you can work across cultures.
An example opening for an MSc in Data Science and Business Analytics: “In my final-year project I built a demand forecast for a regional bus company and cut its fuel waste by 8%, which showed me how much decisions depend on clean data.” It gives the committee a real project and a number in one sentence. Avoid opening with a famous quote or a general line about how the world is changing.
After you receive the award: acceptance and renewal
The award arrives with your admission letter. To keep it, you must complete the online scholarship acceptance procedure before the enrolment deadline and upload an updated CV. Bocconi may share that CV with its fundraising unit, and your award may be turned into a named scholarship paid for by a donor, who may contact you.
Renewal for the second year is automatic if you enrol on time and earn at least 50 credits by the September cut-off. Under the 2026/27 rules, that cut-off is 10 September 2027 for students who started in 2026. Bocconi says the 2027/28 regulations will be published from the end of October 2026; expect the same pattern a year later. Bonus credits do not count, and the award does not run into extra (fuori corso) years.
You lose the award, and it cannot be restored, if any of these happen:
- You change programme, even within the same round.
- You decline the offer and are later admitted to the same programme in another round, unless a new award is granted in that round.
- You accept an equal or larger Bocconi benefit for the same year.
- You do not lift your enrolment “reserve” (submit proof of your degree) by the September deadline.
- You make a false declaration, in which case you repay full tuition from the start of that year.
- You receive a disciplinary sanction, withdraw or transfer to another university.
One useful exception: if you are admitted to two different programmes in two different rounds with an award in each, you may choose one programme and keep its award, as long as you meet every deadline.
Costs the award does not cover, and other Bocconi funding
Milan is one of Italy’s most expensive cities, and the Merit Award gives you no cash for living costs. For your Italian student visa you will also need to show you can support yourself. Plan rent, food, insurance and travel from savings, family support or a second award.
Bocconi runs need-based aid alongside the Merit Award. Its Bocconi4Access to Education scheme for 2026/27 bases most support on your family’s income and assets, has a separate application with financial documents, and gives partial tuition waivers. The 2027/28 fee schedule lists 20% and 60% waiver levels. Bocconi students can also apply for the regional ISU Bocconi right-to-study grant, which is income-based and cannot normally be combined with similar Bocconi aid. Note that Bocconi will revoke the Merit Award if you take an equal or larger Bocconi benefit for the same year, so compare offers before accepting one. If you are weighing Milan more broadly, our guide to the University of Milan regional scholarship explains how income-based DSU grants work in Lombardy.
Common mistakes that cost applicants the award
- Waiting for Round IV: Most awards are already gone by then.
- Applying with a weak test score: Retake the GMAT, GRE or Bocconi test before Round I or II instead of submitting the minimum.
- Overstating your GPA conversion: The Admissions Office can recalculate it, and an inflated figure hurts your credibility.
- Switching programme after the offer: The award does not move with you.
- Missing the acceptance step: The award must be accepted online before the enrolment deadline, separately from paying your first instalment.
- Forgetting the credit target: Below 50 credits by the September cut-off, you pay full fees in year two.
Who should apply, and who should not
Apply if you have a top-of-class undergraduate record, can reach a competitive GMAT, GRE or Bocconi test score by January 2027, and want a business, economics, finance, data or law-related MSc taught in English. Applicants from any country compete in the same international pool.
Think twice if you need living costs covered from day one and have no other funding, since the award pays nothing towards rent. It is also not for bachelor’s applicants, PhD applicants or students already past their first MSc year. If you need a monthly allowance, the Italian Government Scholarship pays €1,200 a month and can be combined with admission to an Italian university.
How the Bocconi award compares with similar scholarships
| Scholarship | Level | Value | Separate form? | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bocconi Graduate Merit Award | MSc | Full tuition waiver (€19,300 a year) | No | 29 Oct 2026 (Round I) |
| Padua International Excellence Scholarship | English-taught bachelor’s and master’s | €8,000 gross a year plus fee waiver | No | 15 Nov 2026 (first window) |
| Italian Government (MAECI) Scholarship | Master’s, AFAM, PhD, research, language | €1,200 a month for 9 months, fee exemption | Yes | 26 Mar 2027 |
| Emile Boutmy Scholarship (Sciences Po) | Bachelor’s and master’s | Up to €18,500 a year off master’s tuition | With the admission form | 29 Nov 2026 (master’s) |
For a wider view of funding across the country, see our full guide to Italy scholarships for international students, and our page on Sapienza University scholarships if you are also looking at Rome.
FAQs on the Bocconi Graduate Merit Award
Do I need a separate application for the Bocconi Graduate Merit Award?
No. Bocconi assesses you from your MSc admission application, and the award is announced with your admission result.
What is the deadline for the Bocconi Merit Award 2027/28?
The deadline is 29 October 2026 at 3 p.m. Italian time for Round I. Later rounds close on 26 January, 11 March and 29 April 2027, but most awards are given in the early rounds.
Does the Bocconi Merit Award include a stipend or accommodation?
The standard award is a 100% tuition and fees waiver with no cash stipend. The rules mention awards that include free housing, but Bocconi does not say who receives it, so do not count on it.
Can international students get the Bocconi Graduate Merit Award?
Yes. International applicants form their own selection group, so you compete with other international candidates. There is no nationality list or income test.
Sources and updates
Award value, eligibility groups, committee, round allocation, acceptance, renewal and revocation rules come from Bocconi’s official Graduate Merit Awards regulations for a.y. 2026/27 on unibocconi.it, which say the 2027/28 information follows from the end of October 2026. The four 2027/28 admission rounds, the €100 fee, test, GPA, dossier, video and English rules come from Bocconi’s MSc admissions page for international applicants. The €19,300 tuition figure, partial waiver levels and €365 graduation fee come from Bocconi’s 2027/28 MSc fees page. Bocconi4Access details come from the university’s 2026/27 funding overview. Checked on 25 October 2026; I will update this page when Bocconi posts the 2027/28 award regulations.
I am Jude Chinecherem, a final-year MBBS student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I know what it feels like to want an education your family cannot afford. When my parents could not pay for my schooling, I had to learn how to find scholarships and work the system out on my own, with nobody to guide me. I came out the other side, and now I share everything I learned so the next student does not have to figure it out alone. This is the advice I wish someone had given me back then.
