Italy | Academic Year, Semester, Trimester

Learn

Academic Semester or Academic Year programs in Italy offer the possibility of attending an Italian high school and staying with Italian host families who will open the doors of their homes to foreign students. Students will have the opportunity to learn Italian and gain valuable experience and knowledge about Italian culture.

 A special touch of the program in Italy is that it is very much personalized, and participants get a lot of individual attention. The program is nearly "tailored" for each participant.

Experience

Find out why Italy, the cradle of many European cultures, magically attracts people and plays with their imagination and their desire for the knowledge and beauty. From the Tuscan hills where the Renaissance was born through Milan, the world's center of fashion and design, to the eternal Rome, at every step in Italy contemporary life is intertwined with the history and art.

AYUSA students are carefully placed with volunteer Italian families. The typical Italian family usually consists of a father, mother and one, two or three children. They spend every free moment actively, whether it comes to travel, sports, hanging out with friends or the tradtional Sunday family lunch, where a dozen people gather around the table and enjoy a family meal. Italians are known as open and talkative people who cherish family life and who will gladly take you in their home.

In the afternoon students can easily socialize with their friends and family members by gathering at Piazzas or visiting historic places in the city or attending cultural and sport events! On Saturday night students are usually allowed to go out to disco clubs and parties!

Program Details

AYUSA students are placed with volunteer Italian families and in public Italian high schools. Students are typically placed in Northern Italy: Modena, Verona, Bologna, Parma Carpi and Ferrara, as well as in small communities around these cities.

Different schools focus on the following subjects; Science, Humanities, Sociology/Psychology, Languages, Technology and Arts. In addition to the variety and focus of these courses, Italian, Math, English and History are taught, plus other subjects. Students will be placed based on their preferences, abilities, grades, and the availability and location related to their Italian host family.

Requirements

• 1 year Italian language study required
• 2.5 GPA or higher (on a 4.0 scale)
• Must be 15-18 years old. (Maximum age of 18.5 at start of program)

Factors to Consider

Before arriving in Italy students should have basic knowledge of Italian. Schools do not have specific requirements, but in order to actively participate in school life, the higher the level of Italian before arrival the better.

For students who could benefit from additional Italian language instruction, an optional 20-hour Italian language course is available for an additional fee. We particularly recommend this course to students who have only studied Italian for one year. Please ask an AYUSA Program Advisor for more details.  

Italian students attend school for 6 days, from Monday to Saturday. Schools start around 8 a.m. and finishes around 1 p.m. Some schools organize after school activities such as sports, drama or music groups. Typically, students get to school by public transportation, sometimes they walk or bike. Some host families may take drive their students to school.