ACADEMIC YEAR 2019-2020 in Italy
HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAM for individuals
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PROGRAM
The secondary school program in Italy is available from September 2019 to June 2020 with a high school attendance from a min. of 1 month to 9 months maximum. It is strongly recommended to start the program either in September or in January, even if some schools accept exchange students at any time during the school year (as long as application reaches this office 3 months before students’ arrival date). The deadline for September entry is 30th April 2019 and for January 2020 entry is 30th September 2019. Late applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Academic performance and regular school attendance are fundamental aspects that guarantee a good exchange program.
DETAILS
The program is open to students aged 15-17. We accept almost all levels of Italian speakers, but a minimum knowledge of Italian language is required. Host families are carefully selected by our network of local coordinators all over Italy, excluding big towns like Rome, Milan, Venice and Florence. Schools can either be public or private (in this case will be asked to waive tuition fees or the student will be asked if he/she is prepared to pay the fees). Public schools are non-religious, whereas private schools are very often Catholic. No uniforms are worn in Italian high schools. Schools can have an emphasis on languages, scientific studies, classical studies (including Latin and Greek) or technical skills. Exchange students are usually placed in the school year on the basis of their most recent school report but often attend some classes in other years depending on their Italian skills. The issuance of a transcript by the school can not be guaranteed. Should the student require credits for his/her Italian school, it is his/her responsibility to ask the foreign school secretaries for school certificates.
An arrival orientation covering program issues, cultural introduction to life in Italy and rules of the program will be held within the first weeks of arrival in the host community by the local coordinator. The local coordinator is ready to assist the student and the host family should they need advice, assistance or have questions/problems.
- For non-EC citizens we must receive the complete dossier of the student at least 4 months before arrival because we have to send it, with the host family details and the school letter to the Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs, in order to obtain its approval, no later than TWO months before the student arrives in Italy.
The Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with the Italian Ministry of Education, has added the Experiment Italia Organization to the list of the “authorized associations” for what concerns Visa issuing for non-EC students. For this reason, we need to submit all the documents requested in time. The Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs is the only authority responsible for communicating the list of the non-EC students allowed to obtain the Visa to the different Consulates in the world.
A visa is needed to enter Italy and stay for over 90 days (for non-EC students). A certificate of enrollment in the
program will be issued by this office to be submitted to the Italian Embassy/Consulate.
It is the duty of the sending office to make sure students arrive with a Visa. Non-EC-students arriving without a Visa will be repatriated.
More details in the document attached.
