Study Abroad in Italy
Italy is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and includes the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea – Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia. The independent states of San Marino and the Vatican City are enclaves within the Italian Peninsula, while Campione d’Italia is an Italian exclave in Switzerland. The capital city is Rome.
Geographically, Italy is mostly mountainous, with narrow coastal plains. In general, Italy has a Mediterranean climate. It is mainly mild on the coast, becomes colder inland (in the mountain regions) and can be extremely hot everywhere in the summer.
*Video courtesy of Italian Tourism
Program Details
- Must be between the ages of 15 and 17
- No prior Italian language required, 2 years recommended
- Placed with volunteer host family
- Optional Soft Landing Camp in Milan
- Optional language course
- Optional sports guarantee
- Optional metro guarantee (Florence, Venice, Naples)
Dates
- Academic Year: Sept 12, 2020 – June 12, 2021
- Fall Semester: Sept 12, 2020 – Jan 16, 2021
Soft Landing Camp: Sept 10 – Sept 12, 2020 - Spring Semester: Jan 23, 2021 – June 13, 2021
- 3 month Fall program: Sept 12 –Dec 12, 2020
Soft Landing Camp: Sept 10 – Sept 12, 2020 - 3 month Spring program: Jan 23 – April 24, 2021
- 2 month Fall program: Sept 12 – Nov 12, 2020
Soft Landing Camp: Sept 10 – Sept 12, 2020 - 2 month Spring program: Jan 23, 2021 – March 23, 2021
- Fall Application Deadline: April 1st
- Spring Application Deadline: October 1st
Program Costs
- Academic Year – $7,500
- Semester – $7,300
- 3 months – $4,500
- 2 months – $4,300
Required International Health/Liability Insurance:
- Academic Year – $660
- Semester – $390
- 3 months – $300
- 2 months – $200
$1700 deposit due with application
Optional additions:
– Soft Landing Camp in Milan – $560
– Metro Guarantee– N/A
– Regional Guarantee– $615
– Sports Guarantee– $280
**Prices are subject to change**
Program Includes
Public high school acceptance
Volunteer host family placement
Visa support documents
Pre-departure orientation
Arrival orientation in local area
Monitoring and supervision by local partner while in Italy
24-hour emergency support
Program Does Not Include
International airfare
Domestic transportation within Italy
School textbooks and lunches
Extracurricular expenses for clubs, sports, etc.
Passport/visa/resident card fees
Personal spending money
Resources
High School System
Upper secondary school (scuola superiore) lasts between three to five years beginning at age fourteen. The first two years are mandatory (biennio) with coursework in general studies followed by an optional three years (triennio) of specialized education.
The students must decide if they want to go on to university or focus on more technical training after the first two years of study.
There is liceo, which is more academic in nature for those planning to go to university. Those pursuing technical training attend an istituto, which is essentially a vocational school.
Every school district has a classics (liberal arts) school, a science school and a technical or a vocational school for upper secondary students. There is also a teacher training school and an art school in larger towns. There may be several vocational schools which often reflect local industries. The school day is generally from 8 am to 2 pm.