Location
  • Italy
    • Florence
Term
Academic Year, Fall, J-Term, Spring, Summer
Subject Areas
Art History Arts Business Communications Design Fashion Design Film History Hospitality Language Studies Marketing +1
Need-based funding, Merit-based funding, General grants/scholarships, Payment plans, LGBTQIA+ funding, BIPOC funding
Health & Safety

Program Details

Program Type
Provider
Degree Level
High School Diploma
Housing
Apartment Host Family
Language
English

Pricing

Starting Price
2000
Price Details
Program Price Includes:
• Comprehensive Advising and Support
• Tuition at the Host University
• Official Transcript from Host University with ISA Cover Letter
• Housing
• Meals and Laundry Services
• Bridging Cultures Program
• Full-Time Resident Staff
• On-Site ISA Offices
• Computer and Internet Access
• Excursions
• The ISA Discovery Model
• Cultural Activities
• Medical Insurance
• Comprehensive Health, Safety and Security Support
• Airport Reception
• Visa Support
• Tutoring
• The Professional Development Toolbox
• Scholarship Opportunities
What's Included
Accommodation Some Activities
Jun 19, 2024
Feb 26, 2025
75 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Study abroad in Florence, Italy at the Florence University of the Arts (FUA) and Apicius International School of Hospitality (AISH) or at the New York Film Academy (NYFA). Students will spend time mastering their artistry in one of the most diverse artistic cities in the world in so many facets. They will explore all of the history and architecture that Florence has in store to get a lifetime worth of inspiration.

We offer excursions that are included in the program cost. Destinations include Rome, Cinque Terre, Siena, and central Italy. Students will immerse themselves in the culture of Italy during an amazing semester or summer abroad. Check out our website for all the details!

Video and Photos

Diversity & Inclusion 💙

Our team is committed to providing exceptional support through identity-focused advising and resources for students, university partners, and staff. We have developed our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee to help serve all students and stakeholders, particularly the needs of underrepresented student populations. Our country-specific diversity pages offer information about the societies and cultural history of our destinations. This information can be used to start your reflection about how your intersecting identities relate to the host community context.
Our team is committed to providing exceptional support through identity-focused advising and resources for students, university partners, and staff. We have developed our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee to help serve all students and stakeholders, particularly the needs of underrepresented student populations. Our country-specific diversity pages offer information about the societies and cultural history of our destinations. This information can be used to start your reflection about how your intersecting identities relate to the host community context.
ISA by WorldStrides is devoted to facilitating quality programming to students with varying levels of neurodivergence. Our Health & Safety team is available to answer questions about insurance and medication, as well as provide students with materials on overseas access to support.
We are dedicated to facilitating quality programming to students with varying levels of accessibility. With our wide portfolio of program types and locations we’re confident there is a suitable and accessible program for each student. Accommodations abroad can be complex and take time, so those with accessibility needs should inform ISA of any accommodations requests as early as possible in the advising process. Please contact accessibilityteam@studiesabroad.com with questions or for more information.

Impact 🌎

We have partnered with Fill it Forward to engage team members and program participants in waste reduction practices. The goal is to encourage the elimination of single-use waste. Every QR code scan shows the impact of reusable bottles and unlocks a donation to environmental impact groups.
ISA by WorldStrides, a global organization, is committed to educate and serve communities worldwide. Our commitment is fueled by the passion of our team members and partners to make experiential learning accessible, while also being socially, environmentally, and ethically responsible. Together, we accomplish this by investing in initiatives to promote inclusion, diversity, and sustainability.

Program Highlights

  • Florence is known as the cradle of Renaissance with artists such as Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Donatello, Botticelli, Lorenzo de Medici, Brunelleschi, Ghiberti, Machiavelli, and more emerging from the city during the 15th and 16th centuries.
  • Europe’s three active volcanoes are all located in Italy: Etna and Stromboli are in Sicily, and Vesuvius is in the Campania region.
  • Italy, and southern Europe in general, has a laid- back culture. If you are interested in working to live, Italy is the place for you
  • The Italian peninsula is largely located in the Mediterranean Sea, with over 7,600 kilometers of coastline.
  • The historical sites in Italy make for a very unique learning experience.

Popular Programs

Florence, Italy

Located between the historic Palazzo Doni and Palazzo Guicciardini-Strozzi, the Florence University of the Arts (FUA) is housed in a combination of historic palaces converted to modern academic buildings. With free access to internet, research labs, recording and art studio spaces, demo kitchens, fashion media labs, and numerous other facilities, you will enjoy a fusion of Florentine tradition and modernity!

Florence, Italy

The New York Film Academy (NYFA) Florence's campus is built on the remnants of an ancient amphitheater that was built 2,000 years ago and is located steps away from the Piazza Santa Croce. NYFA has been successfully providing unique summer study programs in Florence for 16 years and has welcomed more than 1,000 students from nearly 35 countries.

Program Reviews

4.94 Rating
based on 34 reviews
  • 5 rating 94.12%
  • 4 rating 5.88%
  • 3 rating 0%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Academics 4.35
  • Support 4.8
  • Fun 4.85
  • Housing 4.65
  • Safety 4.8
Showing 33 - 34 of 34 reviews
Default avatar
C.Ivery
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

There are no adequate words to describe, but here's my try!

ISA Florence fostered the absolute best experience of my life! Although confusing at first, having students spend the first week in Rome with our roommates really made bonding and getting to know each other a lot easier. You also find out fast the program is about 90% girls. At FUA, classes are longer than at home (2.5 hours) but the teachers are incredible - studying Fashion Marketing with an actual french fashion designer? HELLO. Bring a couple notebooks, or a five star though because we all freaked out trying to find some and never really did. Books are a lot cheaper here also (maybe 30E for the semester). The nightlife is a lot of fun (way better than Rome although not as awesome as spain), going much later than what's normal at home. There are a lot of american bars with a lot of students and, if you make some italian friends, some really cool italian bars and clubs. And EVERYTHING is walking distance (be careful trying heels on the cobblestones!) and that's coming from someone who will cab it a mile. The food is absolutely incredible, of course, but trust me you will get sick of Italian 24/7 as there's not a lot of cusine variety. The included trips with ISA go to some really really awesome, insanely beautiful places but honestly for some I had more fun ditching the tour and walking the city with my friends. Overall, it was a life changing semester and I would recommend it to anyone especially if you love art or history.

144 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Lyndsey
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

ISA FUA-Still Nostalgic Student

You know how people always say things like "this changed my life" or how "unforgettable" something was? I am positive if you were to ask any student who went abroad with ISA, those would be one of many words they would use to describe their experiences.

I knew exactly where I wanted to go before I even began searching for my study abroad options, and that was Florence, Italy. And the program that offered the courses I needed to take to stay on track with my major was ISA. Before I left, I did take a semester of Italian 101, but that was just the basics. With ISA I was able to take all of my classes in English, and was able to get by very easily on a day-to-day basis with my broken Italian and miming.

This led to me studying abroad with ISA in Florence, Italy for two months during the summer of 2010. While there I took two classes (6 credits) at Florence University of the Arts (FUA). My academic schedule was set up so that the first three weeks of my program I would take one of the courses I picked, then had a week long break, and for the last three weeks I took the other course I had selected. Class was Monday thru Friday for about two and a half hours each day. It was intensive study because it was during the summer, however I never felt bogged down by school work and had plenty of time each week to spend time with friends, enjoy meals with them, go out at night, explore the city and travel on the weekends.

I lived in an apartment with four other girls that were a part of my program who were from all over the US. Being in this kind of living situation (with more girls from our program next door) led to me coming home with ten new best friends; or as I call them, my Firenze Family. We now try to have reunions once a year which gives me more reason to explore the US. Our apartment was about a twenty minute walk from our classes, but that was not a problem at all-I was walking through history every day, and passed by local marketplaces and restaurants. It was one of the coolest parts of living in Florence.

My entire experience going abroad was a highlight, but here are a few that stand out:
-Italian food and wine. Need I say more?
-The ISA staff: both on-site in Florence and at headquarters in Austin always make themselves extremely available to their students. They make their job to make you as comfortable as possible in preparing to go abroad, while you are abroad, and keep in touch with you when you come back. I could not have asked for a better support system than the one that ISA provided.
-ISA Excursions and Traveling: I loved getting to see new parts of Italy every weekend that were just a train ride away. And being able to utilize my week break to travel and explore Spain.
-Again, getting to walk through history every day.
-Picnics at Piazzale Michelangelo.
-"Family" dinners with ISA friends.
-Going to the Palio in Siena.

....I will leave it at that because I know how lengthy this is becoming. You get the idea? I had an INCREDIBLE time and had a new highlight every day of my trip. The biggest struggle I had during my study abroad experience was leaving Florence. It was like going through a break-up, except with a place.

Since coming back I have found a passion in telling others about studying abroad and helping them to go abroad. I also have been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to be a Global Ambassador for ISA, and am also now a peer adviser in our university's Study Abroad Office. Thanks to all of these amazing experiences I am now extremely passionate about pursuing a career in the international education/travel industry.

Thank you ISA for all that you have done for me!

91 people found this review helpful.
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Questions & Answers

Hi Mikayla, The short answer is that you don't have to learn the language of where you travel. There are many students who have studied abroad who haven't studied the language of where they end up traveling. However, with that said, knowing or studying the language can definitely help you feel more integrated into the culture in which you're living and help you to make closer and deeper...