Our goal is to offer every course every term, but sometimes factors like faculty availability, student course rankings, and program enrollment keep us from reaching that goal. If you’re concerned about needing to enroll in one particular course, please contact us!
CET Florence Study Abroad
CET Florence: At-A-Glance
Fall
- Arrival: 09/01/2027
- Departure: 12/18/2027
- Recommended Credits: 12–15
- Fee: $23,690
- Application Deadline: May 1
SPRING
- Arrival: 01/19/2028
- Departure: 05/06/2028
- Recommended Credits: 12–15
- Fee: $23,690
- Application Deadline: October 1
Fall
- Arrival: 09/01/2027
- Departure: 12/18/2027
- Recommended Credits: 12–15
- Fee: $23,690
- Application Deadline: May 1
SPring
- Arrival: 01/19/2028
- Departure: 05/06/2028
- Recommended Credits: 12–15
- Fee: $23,690
- Application Deadline: October 1
CET Florence study abroad students are looking for engaging academics and adventure. Our on-site team goes the extra mile to arrange plenty of hands-on activities and excursions—you’ll get to know Florence and surrounding cities beyond the surface level. For housing, choose between deeper cultural immersion at a homestay or a shared living experience with CET peers in an apartment. For your course schedule, enroll in one Italian language course and after that, it’s up to you. Check required classes off your list or try something new like History & Culture of Italian Wine.
Academics in Florence
Semester
Snapshot
- Pre-requisites: None
- Wide variety of English-taught elective options
- Italian language classes for all levels
- Engaging classes with excellent professors
- Out-of-class learning and assignments
Curriculum & Syllabi
You take 3 credits of Italian language and three or four electives to meet a total of 12 to 15 recommended credits.
Electives
Choose three or four 3-credit electives to meet the total of 12 to 15 recommended credits (including your language component).
Art & art history
- FL/ARTH 250 Passion, Power and Pestilence: Art in Italy 1500-1650
- FL/ARTH 258 Renaissance Art and Architecture
- FL/ARTH 260 Heroines and Heroes: Signs and Symbols in Italian Art
- FL/ARTS 266 Florence Sketchbook (fall only)
Business, Finance, & marketing
- FL/BUSN 387 Leadership Development
- FL/FINA 320 Corporate Finance
- FL/MKTG 325 International Marketing
- FL/MGMT 321 International Management
Economics
History, Political Science, & International Affairs
- FL/HIST 340 What is Europe? History, Societies, and Representations
- FL/HIST 372 Money & Banking: A Historical Perspective
- FL/JWST 360 Jews in Modern Europe: National Contexts, Shared Histories
- FL/POLI 375 Italian and European Politics
- FL/POLI 377 International Energy Policy: Oil, Gas, & Green Technologies
Area Studies
- FL/CLTR 355 Narrating the Italian Mafia: Beyond the Godfather
- FL/GLBS 280 Intercultural Communication: Cultural Engagement in Florence and Beyond
- FL/ITLS 245 Food and Culture in Italy
- FL/ITLS 273 History of Modern Italy
- FL/ITLS 274 The Medici: History and Legend of an Italian Dynasty
- FL/ITLS 330 Italian Cinema
- FL/ITLS 347 Wine Studies: History and Culture of Italian Wine
Psychology
Note: Because elective courses are based on total program enrollment and faculty availability, not every elective is offered every term.
Italian Language
You are placed into one of these 3-credit courses, according to a placement test or previous coursework you have completed.
Choose your adventure in Florence
Electives for everyone. Need classes that fulfill major requirements back home? Try European Banking or International Marketing for business majors. Interested in something uniquely Italian? Try Food and Culture in Italy or Narrating the Italian Mafia. And you won’t just be in the classroom—many classes have field-based components in the city. Take an art history class and have at least half of your sessions in a museum, church, or piazza. It’s what study abroad is all about.
Work that’s rewarding. Florence is known for easy living, but that doesn’t mean easy A’s. Your courses challenge you. Your professors push you during in-class discussions. Your assignments ask you to think critically. All of this work ensures you leave Florence with a global perspective that will serve you for a lifetime.
Housing and Meals
Choose your housing preference:
- Homestay
- Live with a local household in an apartment
- 1–3 students/homestay
- 1–2 students per room
- Shared common areas, bathroom, laundry done 1x/week by your homestay
- Wifi, fan, basic furnishing, linens, weekly room cleaning
- Breakfast and dinner included Monday–Friday
- Apartment
- Off-campus housing with CET peers
- 2–9 people/apartment
- 2 people/apartment room
- Kitchen, common room, shared bathroom per 2–4 students, in-unit washer, A/C unit
- Wifi access, linens, basic furnishing, kitchenware, iron, hair dryer, regular cleaning service for common areas
Living Like a Local
Connecting locally. Engage in some friendly competition during a basketball or soccer tournament with classmates and locals. Not into sports? Befriend a University of Florence student at one of CET’s aperitivi (a happy hour with appetizers). Or have a CET-arranged dinner with a local family for a night of cultural exchange. Our Florence-based team works hard to deliver a program that goes far beyond a tourist’s experience of Italy—and that includes ensuring you have no shortage of opportunities to meaningfully connect with the community around you.
Eating in Florence. Enjoy of some of the most famous cuisine in the world. You’ll love the pastas, the sauces, the hors-d’oeuvres. Fan of steak? Try bistecca alla Fiorentina—a beautifully charred steak meant for sharing with friends. Need a treat? Try every gelato shop in the city and find your favorite flavor combo. Learn more about accommodating your dietary needs in Italy.
Life in Florence
- Known locally as: Firenze
- Population: 382,258
- Local Currency: Euro
- Famous for: Duomo, Ponte Vecchio, world-class art museums, birthplace of the Renaissance, international city, leather goods
Not only is Florence one of the world’s most walkable cities, it’s also one of the most beautiful. And because you live in the historic city center, you have easy access to everything. Stroll along the Arno River, chat with locals over a cappuccino… even grabbing groceries at an open-air market is an adventure. The rest of Italy and all of Europe are at your doorstep, too. Each Friday morning, head to a new destination—check out the art scene in Berlin, have a croissant in Paris, explore the Italian coast, from Cinque Terre to Amalfi. The Italian train system couldn’t be easier, and the airport is just 30 minutes away.
Experience Italy with CET
Around the city. We offer different activities that help you explore Florence and Italian culture, or simply unwind alongside your peers. Refine your palette with an olive oil tasting at a local mill. Compete in a beach volleyball tournament. Head to an urban garden and learn to make pesto. Take a boat ride down the Arno River. Visit a leather workshop. And there’s even more to see on your own.
Explore Italy like a local. Let us help you go beyond the surface of a typical Italy travel itinerary. Each term is different, but you might spend the day in the Umbrian hilltop town of Orvieto, enjoy the beaches of Baratti in the fall, or learn to make chocolate in Perugia.
Volunteer in Florence. Give back to the community by opting to volunteer 2 to 4 hours each week with a local organization. Lend a hand at a community garden, distribute food and other goods to those in need, teach English to migrants and refugees, or help organize cultural events for the community.
Every program tells a story
See Italy through the eyes of students and staff.
Student Resources
Explore more resources:
On-the-ground support
Navigating a new city, country, and culture is a big challenge worth taking—and we’re here to help you along on this adventure. Our on-site team is bilingual, provides round-the-clock support, and is passionate about sharing their love of Florence (and Italy!) with you.
Program Fees
Fall/Spring
$23,690
What's Included
Tuition
All of your classes and program-related learning are included with your tuition.
Housing
If you choose to live with a local roommate in an apartment, your housing is covered. If you opt for a homestay, there is an additional fee to help cover the costs of an extra member in the household.
Visa Support
We guide you step-by-step through the visa process. You do the legwork, but we’ll make sure you have the documentation and information you need, when you need it.
Staff Support
From pre-departure to orientation, from on site to re-entry, CET provides you with the support you need every step of the way.
Insurance
You’re provided with a comprehensive insurance plan that even includes medical evacuation coverage.
Activities & Excursions
The activities and excursions that we arrange are included in your program fee.
Course Materials
Your textbooks and course supplies are covered and waiting for you on site.
Transcript
At the end of your term, you’ll receive academic documentation as proof of all you’ve accomplished abroad. Depending on your home institution, you will either get a CET grade report or a School of Record transcript from the University of Minnesota.
More on finances
Program Fee Breakdown. Of the total program fee, $18,490 goes to tuition and fees, and $5,200 goes to housing and other student life fees.
Local Cost of Living. The cost of living in Florence is similar to other major American cities. Some things might be cheaper (e.g. groceries, coffee, bus tickets), but other things can be much more expensive (e.g. utilities, taxi rides).
Estimated out-of-pocket expenses:
- Round-trip Airfare: $1,000–$1,600
- Meals: $1,400–$2,400 (homestay) or $2,800–$3,800 (apartment)
- Homestay Fee: $1,550
- Personal Expenses: $1,000–$2,000
- Visa-related Fee: $115
View the CET Florence budget sheet for a more detailed estimate of costs.
additional resources
How to Apply
Eligibility
- • Pre-requisites: None.
- • Must be 18 or older at the time of program participation
- • Open to students from any US college or university
- • GPA: 3.0 or higher is recommended, students with lower GPAs will be asked for a faculty recommendation to supplement their application
Online Application Form
This is a brief form that asks for basic information and has a few short answer questions about why you want to study abroad.
Passport Information
Upload a scan of your passport to your CET Compass account. This should be a single scan that includes the signed signature page and the photo/personal details page. Don’t have a passport yet? Let us know and we can help advise you.
Study Abroad Office Recommendation
This is an online form that your study abroad office completes to let us know you meet the requirements to study abroad. To send the electronic form request, simply enter the name and email address of your study abroad advisor in the designated fields of your CET Compass account.
Official Transcript
Your online CET account has specific instructions for submitting an official transcript.
Have a question? Get in touch!
Karen "K" Olivas
Senior Student Services Coordinator
202.349.7321
[email protected]
Price Subject to Change:
CET reserves the right to increase quoted charges at any time without prior notification, based on increased instruction costs, exchange rate fluctuation, or other cost increases beyond CET’s control.