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Fund your studies at NABA with HabacusGovernment-backed student loan in Italy
How to finance your studies at NABA with a State-guaranteed loan
A loan designed for high-achieving students, requiring no private guarantors and deferring repayment until after graduation.
Studying at NABA is an investment in your future, and to make it accessible to all high-achieving students, the Academy has partnered with Habacus, a company specialising in helping students apply for State-guaranteed student loans.
Thanks to this partnership, students with tax residency in Italy can finance their education with an honour loan: a loan that requires no guarantor, because the guarantor is the Italian State. Repayment only begins once studies are complete, when you are ready to enter the workforce.
Habacus supports students at every stage of the application: comparing offers from partner banks, checking eligibility, and managing the entire process through to disbursement.
Free assistance, from application to disbursement
The Habacus service is entirely free for students, with no processing fees charged to applicants.
It's available via chat, e-mail and phone throughout the entire process.
The loan in numbers
How to apply for the student loan in 4 steps
From checking eligibility to disbursement, with a single point of contact throughout the process:
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01
Check your eligibility
On the dedicated NABA portal, in just a few minutes and with no obligation.
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02
Simulate your loan
Get an estimated amount, duration and instalment based on your course.
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03
Submit your application
With the support of a Habacus advisor, who follows you through to disbursement.
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04
Receive the funds
The bank transfers the amount to cover your tuition, in around 20 days from approval.
Who can apply: requirements and minimum grades
The loan is reserved for students who meet residency and academic merit requirements. No assessment of family income is required.
You can apply if:
- you have tax residency in Italy
- you are enrolled in or admitted to an accredited NABA course
- you have a high school diploma grade of 75/100 or higher (for Bachelor's programmes) or a Bachelor's degree grade of 100/110 or higher (for specialist two-year programmes and Master's courses)
It can be combined with a scholarship: the two forms of support are not mutually exclusive.
Don't meet the requirements? Other support options are available
If you don't have tax residency in Italy or don't meet the minimum grade requirement, the Academy offers scholarships and other financial support, including options dedicated to international students.
Honour loan: what it is and why no guarantor is needed
It's a loan for students enrolled in an accredited course, based on merit rather than family wealth.
Unlike a traditional loan, you don't need a guarantor, a payslip, or an ISEE to get it: the risk for the lending institution is covered by the public guarantee of the Italian State. This means a parent doesn't need to sign as guarantor or prove their income.
Within this framework, Habacus acts as a facilitator between the student and lending institutions: checking eligibility, identifying the most suitable offers, and managing the application, so the student has a single point of contact throughout the process and doesn't need to approach multiple banks directly.
It's a tool that allows the cost of education to be spread over time, supporting in particular high-achieving students who, lacking an income of their own, would otherwise have limited access to credit.
An ordinary personal loan requires a guarantor's signature or proof of income. Here the guarantee is public, so the assessment is based on academic record and merit.
When repayment of the loan begins
You pay nothing during your studies: repayment starts only after you finish.
The loan covers the annual tuition fee, disbursed in a single instalment. You pay no instalments during your years of study, and no interest accrues on your side in the meantime (depending on the selected bank agreement).
The loan is disbursed annually and can be renewed for subsequent years, provided the student continues to progress regularly through their studies.
Repayment only begins after you finish your studies, with a grace period of up to 30 months from the last disbursement, giving you time to find a job before the first instalment is due.
Frequently asked questions about requirements, timing and loan repayment
No. The loan is guaranteed by the Italian State: no private guarantors or parents' payslips are required.
No. Eligibility is based on academic merit rather than family financial circumstances: no ISEE or assessment of parental income is required.
Interrupting your course has specific consequences for the loan, which can be divided into three phases:
- Suspension of funding: the loan is tied to enrolment and attendance. If you stop studying, the bank halts disbursement of further instalments.
- Pre-amortisation period: when the course is interrupted, disbursement stops and pre-amortisation begins. During this phase (its length varies by bank), you typically pay only the interest accrued on the amounts already received, before repayment of the principal begins.
- The debt still needs to be repaid, but gradually: it isn't repaid all at once. The favourable terms obtained at the outset remain valid for the amounts already disbursed, but repayment resumes according to the plan set out in the contract.
Currently, the loan is reserved for those with tax residency in Italy. If you don't meet this requirement, you'll find other financial support options on the Tuition Fees and Scholarships page.
Yes, the two forms of support can be combined.
Approximately 20 days, starting from the bank's approval.
Yes, it's renewable every year, provided you've earned at least 50% of the credits (CFU) required for the previous year.
No, it's entirely free for the student.
Find out in minutes how much you could get
Check your eligibility and simulate your instalment on the comparison tool dedicated to NABA students: the service is free and with no obligation.