UniFi Offers Housing Reimbursement
Florence is officially the most expensive city for students to live in with rent prices soaring far beyond what most can afford to pay. According to L’Instituto per la Finanza e l’Economia Locale (IFEL), average rental costs have increased by a staggering 44.2% since 2018. Such a dramatic change to the city’s cost of living is turning the University of Florence (UniFi) into an unsustainable option for many non-resident students.
To combat the barrier of rising rent prices, UniFi is promising to reimburse a portion of housing costs for low and middle income students enrolled during the 2025/2026 academic year. This initiative is in conjunction with aid currently provided by the Ministry of Universities and Research and the Regional Agencies for the Right to University Education.
“High rents are one of the main obstacles to accessing and continuing university studies, impacting not only the most vulnerable socioeconomic groups, but increasingly also middle-income families,” explains Alessandra Petrucci, Rector of the University of Florence. The school is committed to ensuring the success of its student body. Those with Indicatore della Situazione Economica Equivalente (ISEE) income tax below €40,000 will be eligible for the new financial aid initiative.
To qualify, students must have been enrolled during the 2025/2026 school year and up-to-date on tuition fees. They must also have a pre-established rental contract and sufficiently meet the merit requirements of the university. Students already receiving aid from regional or state grants for housing costs will not be included in the pool of recipients.
To learn more about UniFi’s assistance policy, visit unifi.it.
(Francesca Negri)
