The European Institute of Design (IED) has expanded its scholarship program with a last-minute initiative that offers 250 students a grant covering 50% of first-year tuition for three-year courses. Candidates must apply by September 22. This new €1.5 million investment complements the €3 million already distributed through IED’s regular scholarship cycles earlier this year.

“Italy has the highest percentage of non-graduates in Europe — 40%, compared to the 20–25% average in other countries. We’ve seen that countries with fewer graduates often experience slower growth,” said Francesco Gori, CEO of the IED Group, during the project’s press presentation. “Over the past ten years, about one million Italians aged 18 to 20 have gone abroad — mostly to study — and many haven’t returned. With this initiative, we aim to provide more young people with the opportunity to stay and study in Italy. IED offers a wide range of English-language courses, and 70% of our students are international. In recent years, we’ve also seen more Italian students showing interest in studying in English.”

The scholarships apply to IED campuses in Milan, Rome, Turin, Florence, Cagliari, and the Aldo Galli Academy in Como. They are open to both Italian and international students who wish to pursue programs in Design, Fashion, Visual Arts, Communication, and the new Cinema course launching in October.

The jury, composed of course directors and faculty, will award scholarships based on the order of application submission. Each candidate must also complete an admissions interview that evaluates their motivation and readiness to engage in a hands-on academic program with mandatory workshop hours.

“Beyond increasing the country’s graduate rate, our mission is to help students build skills like lateral thinking and soft skills — essential today even in fields outside traditional creativity, such as consulting, finance, law, and engineering,” said Riccardo Balbo, Chief Academic Officer of the IED Group.

In addition to its campuses in Italy, IED operates in Spain — with locations in Barcelona, Bilbao, and Madrid — and in Brazil, with sites in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. Each year, IED educates around 10,000 students from 103 countries, reinforcing its position as an international hub for creative education.