The Guardia di Finanza on the hunt for ‘cheats’ in student halls of residence

Safeguarding the right to education means not only monitoring the use of public resources, but also ensuring social equity. It is on this basis – shared with the Ministry of University and Research (MUR) – that the Guardia di Finanza will expand its efforts to prevent and combat illegal activities within the university sector, extending them to student accommodation. Building on the experience of the last two years, which has already resulted in over 2,100 interventions relating to student grants and more than 2.5 million euros in blocked payments and confirmed cases of undue receipt. This was announced yesterday in a press release from the Guardia di Finanza, which referred to the memorandum of understanding signed in 2024 between the Minister for Universities and Research, Anna Maria Bernini, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Guardia di Finanza, General Andrea De Gennaro.

The attention of the Guardia di Finanza is now turning to the 1.2 billion mobilised by the NRRP for the construction of 63,000 new beds (of which 33,000 in 2026 and a further 30,000 in 2027). On the one hand, the work of student accommodation providers will be monitored, as will their diligent fulfilment of ‘the obligations undertaken, including the actual provision of the promised services and the correct application of applicable rates’. On the other hand, efforts will be made to root out any ‘cheats’ seeking a place. The difference between being included in the ‘right to education’ rankings and not being so is no small matter when we consider that – according to what Housing Commissioner Manuela Manenti stated in the Culture Committee two days ago – the cost of a single room in a hall of residence can reach as much as 850 euros per month (utilities included), compared with 200–250 euros for capable and deserving students without financial means.

We are not starting from scratch on this issue. There are already 52 memoranda of understanding signed between the regional or provincial commands of the Guardia di Finanza and the regional bodies responsible for the right to education or individual universities. This is a comprehensive collaborative network, established in accordance with guidelines agreed at central level, in which national analysis and coordination are combined with local knowledge and the operational capabilities of the force’s units. From 2024 to the present day, the Gdf have carried out more than 2,100 operations, enabling them to audit over 8 million euros paid out in the form of scholarships and other university education support, identifying unauthorised payments totalling over 1.5 million euros and preventing the disbursement of a further million euros that had been unlawfully claimed.

There are several examples of fraud that have been foiled. A case in point is the investigation, launched in 2024 and concluded in 2025, by Turin’s 1st Metropolitan Operational Unit, codenamed ‘Fake Home’, targeting 80 foreign students who received scholarships without meeting the legal requirements. The investigation revealed the existence of numerous fictitious tenancy agreements, drawn up by an individual of Ukrainian origin with foreign students who, in reality, were living at other addresses without a valid tenancy agreement. At the conclusion of the investigation, it emerged that 23 university students, mostly of Iranian, Indian and Pakistani nationality, had wrongfully obtained grants totalling over 500,000 euros – funded in part by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) – as well as exemption from paying university fees. The individuals have been referred to the Public Prosecutor’s Office on charges of misappropriation of public funds.