Do You Have Questions about ISI Abroad?

ISI Abroad is the US Office for Admissions and University Relations for the Umbra Institute in Perugia, and the International Studies Institute in Florence, Italy. It processes all inquiries, applications and pre-departure services including course selections, housing assignments, study visa processing, health insurance, info sessions, guidebooks and more. If you plan on attending our programs in Perugia or Florence, the ISI Abroad office will be your go to place for all your application needs.

Not necessarily. While our programs are designed for undergraduate students in the US university system, students and professionals from around the world* are welcome to enroll. All students must have a GPA of at least 2.75 and if they are not currently or recently enrolled in an education program, they may be asked to provide letters of recommendation to supplement their application materials. ISI Abroad programs may also be a good idea for recent high school graduates (18 or older) interested in taking a few online or in-person courses before starting their university experience. Internships are only available to university students (18 or older) or recent graduates. *International students must be able to prove proficiency in English.

Nope, that’s not necessary. ISI Abroad offers a plethora of elective courses, across various disciplines, in English! While you will have the opportunity to take an Italian language course, most students enroll in Italian 101 while abroad (or, in the summer, choose not to study Italian at all). There are significant benefits to learning a new language, but not knowing the language will not impede your experience. Worried about not knowing the language and culture? Don't stress! Your admissions advisor can share a wealth of resources with you and you'll also be introduced to many aspects of the Italian language and culture (for in and out of the classroom) through the predeparture orientation course that all students receive 1-2 months prior to the start of their program.

The short answer is as soon as possible some programs can fill up by the deadline (particularly for the spring and summer 1 sessions). It can also be helpful to apply early so that you can start the visa application process early and to help you with scholarship applications. Many third-party scholarships require you to apply a month or more before the ISI Abroad application deadline so it is important to make a funding plan for yourself and start talking to your ISI Advisor as early as possible. Not sure who your ISI Advisor is? Create an account here and you'll be assigned an advisor. No commitments required until after you're accepted to your program. Application Deadlines by Session: Fall Semester: April 25 (ISI Florence) or June 15 (Umbra) Spring Semester: October 15 Summer 1: March 15 Summer 2: April 15

Program fees may vary depending on your home university's policies, as well as available ISI Abroad scholarship funds. Please contact your home university study abroad office and/or ISI Admissions advisor for more details. Students who aren't eligible for scholarships or who enroll from various EU and UK universities can find our program fees listed here for PERUGIA and here for FLORENCE.

Yes! Indicate that you are interested in a scholarship or work-study project when you apply. Florence Scholarships | Perugia Scholarships

Yes, you can! Roommates: When it comes to roommates, our housing teams ask that all requests are mutual (meaning if you request a friend, they must also request you). It is very important that you communicate with your friend or friend group so you all have clear expectations as far as roommate requests are concerned. You can submit all roommate or other housing requests through your Housing Form in Step 1 of your ISI Application Portal. Just know that you might be placed in an apartment with only your friend (or friends), or you may be placed in a larger apartment that includes you, your friend(s), and other students. All apartments vary in size and style so we cannot predict your location or other apartment details. Your housing in Italy can set the stage for much of your experience. We, therefore, strongly recommend that when making roommate requests, you reflect first on your personal goals for study abroad and how your living situation can play into those. For some students, living with existing friends can help them thrive abroad. For other students, the same situation can hold them back from the experiences they were hoping to have. You can still travel with friends, see them at the Institute or throughout your host city, even if you do not live together. When you take a second to think of "me" instead of "we", do your predeparture plans remain the same? Health-related requests: Do you receive any accommodations in your housing on campus back home? Or do you have a medical condition that may require additional support (ex. a fridge for medication) when living abroad? Please notify ISI Abroad in your Health Form in Step 2 of your ISI admissions portal. You can also contact your assigned admissions advisor at any time to discuss the resources available to you. Documented health concerns receive priority consideration when finalizing housing assignments in ISI programs. Please contact your ISI advisor if you have questions regarding what documentation may be required. Updating or making other requests: You can also request updates to any ISI admissions form by contacting your assigned admissions advisor, though requests submitted within 45 days of the start of the program cannot always be guaranteed. Note: for various logistical reasons, you cannot request to live in specific locations in your host city with your friends.

Many universities require that students live in housing provided by the host Institute and will not allow for independent housing. In some special circumstances, your home university may allow for independent housing. In such cases, you must notify your home university AND your ISI admissions advisor as early in the application process as possible. Your request is then reviewed and the cost as well as service implications are then presented to you in detail before you finalize your selection of independent housing. At which point, a waiver to finalize the housing exemption will be required.

The ETIAS: The EU continues to push back the launch of the ETIAS. At this time, it is not relevant to your travel to or through the EU. The ETA: The UK has officially launched its ETA requirement. You must apply for an ETA even if you're only transiting through the UK for 5 minutes and you must keep proof of your application to show to any airline you use to visit or transit through the UK. You can click here to read more from the official source. For more on the future ETIAS requirement: students from these countries will need to complete a quick, online document called the ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorization System).

Your ISI admissions advisor is a member of ISI Abroad's US-based team of enrollment and predeparture specialists. Once you begin an application to study with ISI Abroad, you will be assigned an advisor. You will see their name, photo, and contact details in the top right corner of your ISI Portal profile once your application has begun processing. Have questions before you apply? Go ahead and contact our enrollment team by clicking here and submitting our Contact Us form.

Yes, you can! Schools will often transfer ISI Abroad courses as either transfer or resident credit. However, each university transfers credits differently and it is up to you to ensure your home school will accept our courses. Some will ask you to go through the study abroad office, others will ask you to go through your university’s Registrar or your academic advisor. If you’re unsure, feel free to contact us and we’ll work with you and your advisor(s) to assist you through the course transfer process.

All students register for courses at the time they apply, through the program and course selection form in Step 1 of their ISI application portal. Need to change things after that? That's okay and very normal! Your initial indications help us begin to prepare a semester-schedule that aligns well with student needs. However, you can submit changes through your ISI admissions advisor and these can usually be accommodated up to 45 days before the start of your program. If you submit changes closer to the start of your program, your admissions advisor can provide case-by-case guidance as to how these will be managed. Have questions about course registration or add/drop? Please contact your ISI admissions advisor.

To view current course offerings, we encourage you to browse our students page and select the program option that most appeals to your academic interests. Each program description page includes a link to the most up-to-date course offerings and program activity descriptions available.

Each university has a different process when it comes to determining course equivalencies. The best person to reach out to would be your study abroad advisor. Some universities or departments may require you to submit a sample syllabus. When this is the case: ISI Florence students should email admissions@isiabroad.org to request any syllabi or course fee details. Umbra Institute students can find all syllabi listed at www.umbra.org/courses/ by clicking on a course and locating the sample syllabus on the left hand side of the description page. Don't see a syllabus you need? please contact your admissions advisor.

It is one of the best resources available to students who seek to further personal and professional development goals through study abroad! It gives you a chance to give back to your host community while gaining hands-on learning and preprofessional experiences. In more technical terms, Community Engagement is a way of integrating learners into their host community. This can be done through service-learning, community-based courses, seminar & practica, as well as internship and volunteer options. These opportunities are a great way for you to explore the local culture, develop cultural competencies, and, in many cases, gain valuable career experiences.

Absolutely! All students are entitled to a comfortable learning environment. As part of the application and pre-departure process, all students are asked to share if they require academic accommodations. Should you indicate a need in your health info form (Step 2 of your ISI Portal), then your advisor will request that you submit proof of accommodations through our Accommodations Document Upload Form. The latter will be made available to you once your health info form has been reviewed and it will also appear in Step 2. Most accommodations will simply be accepted and our Registrar will be available to work with you once you arrive in Italy to support these. If our Registrar requires more information in order to implement your accommodation requests, they may reach out to you or your home institution before the program begins. However, if you have any particular concerns you would like to address prior to the application and pre-departure processes, you can always contact your ISI admissions advisor OR reach out to us at admissions@isiabroad.org.

First - if you've been accepted to study abroad with ISI Abroad, please open your Acceptance Letter (also visible in Step 2 of your ISI Portal) and click the link to our post-acceptance checklist. This should contain everything you need to know in order to book timely flights for your program. Second - once in Italy, your precise arrival procedure may vary according to your arrival date and program choice. You may see more information about this in your post-acceptance checklist and you will find multiple pages of information on what to expect once your predeparture course becomes available to you (Step 4, the final step, of your ISI Portal).

ISI Abroad programs are all centrally located in their host city and student apartments are all located walking distance from our Institutes. This makes it easy for students to not only get to class, but to also embrace the local lifestyle as they navigate community events and local attractions.

Of course! Travel is an important aspect of study abroad as it helps you develop independence, self confidence, and so many soft skills that will be endlessly valuable to your career and education. To help you balance your academic commitments with your independent excursions, ISI Abroad offers classes Monday through Thursday*. You’ll want to wait to book your weekend adventures until after you start your program so that you can receive information about your course-related field trips** and activities because these can sometimes take place on the weekend. However, once you settle in you’ll find that you have plenty of time to explore locally and throughout Europe! *ISI Abroad's direct enroll options - those taught entirely in Italian and at Italian universities - do have class on Fridays. Though, they also last slightly longer and allow you to take advantage of the Italian academic calendar for long weekends or other academic breaks. ** field trip and academic activity attendance is mandatory. Independent travel is not an excused absence for these trips/activities and missing any one of them can significantly impact your final grade for a course. Not to mention, field trips and activities are integrated into your course work and you may be unable to complete important course assignments as a result of an unexcused absence for such trips. Please see your host institution's academic policies for more details on ISI Abroad's attendance policies and remember: you are signing up for study abroad.

Yes, you can! If you are a US, Canadian, or UK Passport holder, you have a 90-day tourist visa that will automatically “kick-in” once your student visa expires. From that point, you are able to travel within Italy and the Schengen Area for a period of up to 90 days within any 6-month period. It is up to you to calculate this in relation to any other travel you have planned in the 6 months before and after your program. Please note that it is your responsibility to ensure you are up to date on any visa or entry requirements that may apply before or begin during your trip to any country you visit during independent travel (before, during, or after your ISI program ends). This means you will want to stay in-the-know on ETA, ETIAS, and possibly other travel requirements.