Students & Families
Study abroad. Earn a degree. Pursue an athletic opportunity. Do it all in Italy.
Viaita helps students and families prepare before departure and provides support after arrival.
Experiencing Italy
For many students, studying abroad or competing in Italy can be exciting, challenging, and an incredible opportunity to grow. But if it's your first time living so far from home, you may need some extra support.
For families back home, sending a student abroad comes with its own questions: Where will they live? What needs to be arranged before they leave? Who can they turn to in Italy if something comes up?
We want students to feel ready to take on the experience, and families to feel more at ease knowing there is additional help to turn to if something comes up.
CHIAREZZA — FOR STUDENTS & FAMILIES
How It Works
Here’s what students and families can expect when working with Viaita on an academic or athletic opportunity in Italy.
STEP 1:
Your Goals
We talk through the student’s goals, timing, academic or athletic interests, and what kind of opportunity they are considering in Italy.
STEP 2:
Your Plan
We outline the path forward, what needs to happen before departure, what Viaita will handle, and where the student or family will need to be involved.
STEP 3:
Before & After Arrival
Viaita stays involved in the work we’ve agreed to handle as the student prepares to leave, arrives in Italy, and gets settled into the program.
Why Study in Italy?
Italy is the #1 study abroad destination for U.S. students, according to the latest Open Doors data from the Institute of International Education. And really… it’s Italy.
Students come for the academic and athletic opportunities, but they also get the chance to live in a country unlike anywhere else.
THE COUNTRY BECOMES PART OF THE CLASSROOM
What you study does not stay on the page. In Italy, students encounter history, art, architecture, language, and culture in the places where they actually developed, adding a kind of context no textbook can fully recreate.
INDEPENDENCE COMES FAST
Living in another country means figuring things out: transportation, appointments, a different language, classes, travel, and everyday routines. Students often discover they are capable of far more than they realized.
THE PAST IS PART OF EVERYDAY LIFE
In Italy, the past is part of the present. You walk streets shaped centuries ago, eat recipes passed down through generations, and move through cities where art, architecture, traditions, food, and daily life have been layered together for hundreds of years.
YOU TAKE HOME MORE THAN CREDITS
The friendships, independence, challenges, places, and everyday experiences often become as important as the program itself.
AND THEN THERE’S THE FOOD
Pizza straight from the oven, handmade pasta, fresh bread, seafood caught that morning, fruits and vegetables picked in season, and regional dishes you may never have tasted before. In Italy, food is part of daily life, and some of the best memories may happen around the table.
Choose Your Path
Some students come to Italy for a semester. Others come for a degree. Here’s how Viaita can help with each.
Full Degree Support
Degree Programs in Italy
If you’re considering earning a degree in Italy, Viaita helps you look at the school, location, cost, and day-to-day reality so you and your family can understand what each option would actually mean.
Not sure which path makes sense for you? Contact us and we’ll help you figure out where to start.
Study Abroad Support
For many students, studying abroad or competing in Italy can be exciting, challenging, and an incredible opportunity to grow. But if it's your first time living so far from home, you may need some extra support.
If you’re still deciding where to study, Viaita can help you look at programs, cities, housing, and what everyday life will actually be like in each location.
If your program is already chosen, we can step in with the preparation you still need before departure.
Viaita can help with:
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School Communication: Communicating with the university or program when appropriate and with the student’s permission.
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Visa and Documentation Preparation: Helping you understand what needs to be completed and when, involving our in-house Italian counsel when legal guidance is required.
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Additional Housing Assistance: If housing is not provided through your school or program, or if you need another option, Viaita can help you evaluate housing, location, lease details, and day-to-day fit.
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Arrival and Settling In: Preparing for your first days in Italy and helping with the practical details of getting established.
Already accepted, still exploring, or somewhere in between? Viaita can step in wherever you are in the process.
Full Degree Support
Degree Programs in Italy
Choosing to earn a degree in Italy is a much bigger decision than spending a semester abroad. You are choosing more than a university. You are choosing the city you’ll live in, the neighborhood you’ll call home, and what everyday life will look like for the next few years.
That is exciting, but it is also a decision worth looking at from every angle. Viaita helps students and families do exactly that.
Viaita can help with:
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University and Program Options: Comparing schools and programs based on the student’s academic goals, interests, budget, and priorities.
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City and Day-to-Day Fit: Looking at housing, transportation, walkability, access to services, travel home, and what living there will actually be like.
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Cost Considerations: Helping families understand the broader costs that may come with studying and living in Italy, not just tuition.
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Visa, Citizenship, and Documentation Questions: Helping identify what needs attention and involving Viaita’s in-house Italian legal counsel for the legal questions involved.
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Housing and Relocation: Helping with the practical steps involved in finding a home and getting established for a longer stay.
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Preparation and Timing: Keeping track of the major steps that need to happen before enrollment, departure, and arrival.
Who this is for:
This may include American students applying to Italian universities as international students, as well as students who already hold Italian citizenship or are exploring whether they may qualify for it.
For students who may be eligible for Italian citizenship, it can be worth understanding that option early. Citizenship can change the immigration requirements that apply to you and, depending on the university or program, may also affect tuition, fees, or access to certain opportunities.
Support While in Italy
Some questions only come up once a student is actually living in Italy. Something that seems simple at home can be harder when you are dealing with a different language, facing unfamiliar systems, and struggling to find someone there to ask for help.
Depending on your level of support, Viaita can remain available while the student is in Italy, serving as a guide as they navigate their new life abroad.
Our support may include:
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Questions About Everyday Life: Helping students understand how things work locally and where to turn when they are unsure.
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Bilingual Communication: Helping with conversations when language or cultural differences make something harder to resolve.
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Local Appointments or Administrative Issues: Helping students understand what is needed and how to handle the situation.
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Check-ins During the Transition: Where included, checking in as the student adjusts to living and studying in Italy.
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Help When an Unexpected Issue Comes Up: Helping determine what kind of assistance is needed and who should be involved.
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Italian Legal Counsel When Necessary: Viaita’s in-house licensed Italian legal counsel can step in when a situation requires legal advice.
The level of ongoing support is agreed upon before departure, so students and families understand when and how Viaita will be available once the student is in Italy.
For Parents & Caregivers
Sending your student abroad is exciting, but it also comes with a lot of questions. Viaita helps families understand what needs to happen before departure, what the student will be responsible for, and where help is available once they are in Italy.
What Viaita offers:
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Clear expectations around timing, responsibilities, and what needs to be handled before departure
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Guidance on what Viaita will manage, what the school or program will handle, and what the student will need to do
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Check-ins and communication during the transition period, where included in the agreed scope
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A familiar point of contact when questions come up and you’re not sure where to turn.
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Help involving the appropriate professional if an issue falls outside Viaita’s role
Planning to visit your student in Italy? Viaita can also help families with travel planning, accommodations, transportation, and local arrangements during your stay.
Contact us to talk through your student’s plans and the level of support that may make sense for your family.
FEATURED ACADEMIC PARTNER
Rome City Institute (RCI)
For students who do not want to choose between academics and athletics, Rome City Institute offers the opportunity to pursue both while living and studying in Rome.
Viaita is an official U.S.-based recruiting partner for Rome City Institute and helps students and families explore RCI’s gap year, study abroad, four-year undergraduate, and graduate programs, understand whether the opportunity may be a good fit, and prepare for the move to Italy.
Program details, admissions decisions, academic requirements, credits, and degree information are provided by Rome City Institute and its academic partners.
