Still have a few questions about the program? Read through the answers below to learn more about what to expect from your Adult Study Abroad (ASA) experience.
Still have a few questions about the program? Read through the answers below to learn more about what to expect from your Adult Study Abroad (ASA) experience.
Absolutely! While special discounts may be offered to TU alumni, no prior affiliation with the university is required.
Nope! Adult Study Abroad is open to all adult learners, regardless of your prior educational level.
Please note that Adult Study Abroad is intended for adult learners of all ages, not only seniors! That said, the minimum age to participate is 23 years old. Younger learners should instead consider registering for one of our various study abroad programs for undergraduate students.
Absolutely! Adult Study Abroad is open to learners of all nationalities.
Of course! While are programming is designed with study abroad students in mind, local residents are always welcome to enroll.
Our typical participant is usually between 55 and 75 years old, though we’ve had a great diversity of adult learners participate in the past. To date, our youngest participant was 23 years old at the time of his/her participation, and our oldest participant 84!
Many of our participants register for the program at a moment of transition in their lives: whether it be a job change, a retirement, or seeing their adult children move on to college or their first job. Some of our participants work remotely, and are able to juggle their work responsibilities alongside the program thanks to the time difference between Italy and their place of work. In all cases Adult Study Abroad participants are united by their curiosity, adventurous spirit, and love of travel and intercultural experiences.
Complete the application form at noncredit.temple.edu! You’ll find the direct link on the APPLY & ENROLL page.
We typically open up applications for the Spring Cohort during the previous summer (June-July), whereas applications for the Fall Cohort typically open up the previous October. Sign up for our mailing list to be the first to know when a new cohort is announced!
Nope! Because the length of our longest program is only ~45 days, our participants travel to Italy on a simple tourist visa for the duration of their stay. Most tourists are allowed to stay in Europe (more specifically, the Schengen Region) for up to 90 days, so you can even extend your trip before or after the program if you like.
For American citizens, no special application is required to obtain a tourist visa, it will automatically be applied to your passport upon your arrival at a European airport. For travelers of other nationalities, check with your local consulate for detailed travel and visa requirements.
N.B. Beginning sometime in 2025, the European Union will require travelers to complete a travel authorization form (ETIAS) prior to flying, similar to the ESTA application completed by foreign travelers to the United States. The ETIAS will have an initial cost of 7 Euro, and will be valid for 3 years or until the expiration of your current passport, whichever comes first.
No, a student visa is not required to participate in study programs less than 90 days in length. Participants should travel on a tourist visa instead.
We typically recommend that our participants pack light, despite the length of the program. After all, you’ll want to save some space for the purchases you make here in Italy! That said, there are a few things that you should make sure you pack ahead of time:
A Valid Passport: The most important checklist item of all! Double check that your passport does not expire prior to the end of your stay!
Comfortable Shoes: The cobblestones of Europe can be unforgiving to unaccustomed feet, make sure to pack a pair (or two!) of comfortable shoes so that you’re ready to go wherever your professors might take you.
Prescription Medications: It’s not always easy to fill prescriptions abroad, and some medications may not be available overseas. Shipping medications from the US is not possible either due to customs restrictions. So make sure you bring enough medication for the duration of your trip! Also consider bringing any vitamins or supplements that you take regularly.
Power Converter: Remember that the EU uses different outlets and voltages than the US. We recommend packing a universal travel converter so that you can always charge your devices no matter where you go. And keep in mind that certain high-wattage electronics (such as hair-dryers, straighteners, etc.) may not be compatible with European electric systems, even with a converter.
Portable Phone Charger: You’re going to depend heavily on your phone as you adjust to a new city, so make sure to bring a portable power bank so that your phone stays charged on the go!
A Weekend Carry-On Bag: Many participants will want to explore Italy or Europe over the weekends, and you don’t want to drag a large suitcase behind you when you do. Consider bringing a small carry-on bag as well, ideally one that fits carry-on standards for common European airlines (Ryanair, etc.). Such a bag will also come in handy if you register for any of our optional excursions.
All Adult Study Abroad courses are taught in English, with the exception of the Italian Language & Culture courses.
No, Adult Study Abroad is a strictly not-for-credit program. However, a Certificate of Completion will be awarded to all participants at the end of the program.
Adult Study Abroad courses are taught at the equivalent of an introductory undergraduate level (1000 level or lower). Please note that while many of our participants already hold some form of college degree, Adult Study Abroad is not a graduate level program, and no prior degree is required to participate.
All Adult Study Abroad courses are taught by Temple University Rome faculty based permanently in Rome. Participants will learn from the very same professors who teach our undergraduate students.
There are no exams or grades in the Adult Study Abroad program. Light homework may be assigned in the Italian Language & Culture course as part of your language practice. Recommended (but optional) readings are provided for all other courses.
While Italian Language & Culture is a huge part of the Adult Study Abroad program, ASA is not a language immersion program. Various language levels are offered each semester based on the results of our Italian Placement Test, but the majority of our participants are beginners in the Italian language.
All Adult Study Abroad courses are exclusively offered to our adult learners. Participants will not share any coursework with our regularly enrolled undergraduate students.
Take a look at the Courses page to learn more about our various course offerings.
Adult Study Abroad is offered twice per year, in the spring and fall.
The spring program has a duration of 30 days, whereas the fall program has a duration of 6 weeks.
Nope! The biggest difference is the shortened duration of the spring program. All courses, excursions, etc. are the same, though the courses are of course offered in an abbreviated format.
Remember that Adult Study Abroad participants are responsible for arranging their own housing for the duration of the program. For more guidance on how to find appropriate housing in Rome, please visit our Housing page.
Yes! Our alumni report having walked far more than their target 10,000 steps per day. Participants may need to climb/descend stairs in order to reach 100% of program sites. Prepare for this and make sure to pack comfortable walking shoes! Also consider packing a walking aid such as a cane or hiking sticks, even if you don’t normally use them at home, as the sidewalks in Italian cities can be notoriously uneven.
While classroom sessions will meet directly on campus, the vast majority of your experiential sessions will meet throughout the city of Rome. The exact meeting point for each class will be listed in your course syllabus, and participants are responsible for arriving to the scheduled meeting point on time each day.
The answer of course depends on where you end up staying, but consider that Rome is a large city of nearly 3 million inhabitants, much larger than other Italian cities such as Venice or Florence. It is not possible to choose a neighborhood that would be within walking distance of all program activities throughout the semester, and participants will likely need to rely on public transit (metro, bus, etc.) at times. A brief transit demo will be conducted as part of your Orientation Program.
First, check with your home service provider about the various travel plans they may offer. However, such plans can cost up to $10 USD / day, and often provide worse coverage than a local plan would.
If you’d like to save money or get the best local coverage, consider purchasing a local SIM card or e-SIM instead. The most common Italian providers include WindTre, TIM, Vodafone, and Iliad, and many of these providers offer plans specific to foreign tourists. Prices typically range from 20-50 Euro total for 2 months of usage, and can be purchased either at the airport or upon your arrival in Rome.
Select e-SIM plans may also be available online prior to departure – a great advantage of using an e-SIM is that you can typically keep both your existing phone # and your new Italian # active simultaneously.
In order to purchase a local cell plan in Italy, you must first confirm that your phone is unlocked from your home provider. Typically, if you purchased a subsidized phone alongside your service contract, your phone may be locked to your home provider for 2 years or more. Contact your provider to confirm whether or not your phone is unlocked, and to request information about unlocking it if necessary.
Whatever you do, DO NOT plan on using your phone with WiFi connection only. This might be a good enough solution for a short term stay, but will quickly become a huge convenience over the course of a 4 or 6 week program.
Though emergency care is often provided free of charge in Italy, we recommend that all participants enroll in a travel health insurance plan for the duration of their stay. For more information, visit our Healthcare & Travel Insurance page.