Location
  • Italy
    • Rome
Term
Fall, Spring, Summer
Need-based funding, Merit-based funding, General grants/scholarships, 529 Plan eligibility
Health & Safety

Program Details

Program Type
Provider
Degree Level
Associates Bachelors
Housing
Apartment
Language
English

Pricing

Starting Price
7100
Price Details
Program cost includes tuition, housing & SAI's 360° Services
What's Included
Accommodation Activities Airport Transfers Classes Travel Insurance Wifi
Mar 14, 2023
Jun 29, 2023
24 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

SAI invites students to experience the sweep of Italian history by spending a semester or summer in the heart of Rome! In partnership with John Cabot University (JCU), SAI offers students the opportunity to pursue an exceptional academic and cultural education in one of the most inspiring cities in the world. JCU offers a US-accredited liberal arts curriculum taught entirely in English and the school draws professors from around the world. Semester and summer programs offer students the option to enroll in a wide range of rigorous, elective courses. SAI oversees and coordinates all aspects of student enrollment, including application processing, course selection and credit, housing, visa advising, student health insurance, and transcripts. In addition, SAI provides comprehensive student services, from the moment of application, through the on-site experience, until students return home.

Video and Photos

Impact

Ethical Impact

SAI conducts its programs in an ethical manner in accordance with the best practices in the field of study abroad. SAI acts within the best interest of students, institutions, and partner institutions abroad. SAI maintains open communication with all stakeholders as well as respect to privacy of student data, institutional policies and procedures, and local laws and cultural practices.

Program Highlights

  • Study abroad at a US-accredited University
  • Learn in small classes; JCU’s classes average 15 students.
  • Enjoy SAI's 360° Services
  • Option to complete an internship in the summer and semester

Program Reviews

4.96 Rating
based on 52 reviews
  • 5 rating 96.15%
  • 4 rating 3.85%
  • 3 rating 0%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Academics 4.35
  • Support 4.85
  • Fun 4.7
  • Housing 4.9
  • Safety 4.8
Showing 1 - 8 of 52 reviews
Default avatar
Samantha
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Summer 2023 SAI Rome

I highly recommend choosing a program like SAI for your study abroad experience because it offers you much more flexibility and opportunity for free time unlike university sponsored trips. I was able to travel to different cities around Italy whenever I wanted by simply taking the train after class. We also had very free weekends to do anything we wanted, like travel to other countries (I went to 4 others in only 5 weeks!). My experience was even greater than I expected because SAI helped make everything go so smoothly and I was never stressed out about anything. They also had plenty of activities for us to get to know each other before classes started which helped with making friends and getting familiar with the city in general a ton. They take care of your transcript forms at the end and everything too! I can’t recommend them enough!

Pros
  • Very organized and smooth transitions
  • Great introduction activities to get to know the area and people in your program
  • Extremely local location for university and housing (non-touristy)
23 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Madison
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

The Most Beautiful Experience

My experience consisted of fun weekend trips to other countries, eating the most delicious pasta ever, learning that everything is walking distance in the city, and making memories with new friends in a new city. I knew I was going to love Rome, but I did not think I was going to miss it everyday like I do now. I had a such a fun time at the university there, taking very fun classes and exploring the neighborhoods of Rome. The food was amazing obviously and I never got sick of pasta. The people there are very different than the people are where I am originally from, so it was nice to experience people from a different culture and learning their ways of life.

Pros
  • They plan many events for you and the program
  • They introduce you slowly into the culture
  • They are around most of the time for chatting or getting questions answered
37 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Mikayla
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Amazing Experience

I spent spring 2022 in Rome and had the best semester of my life. My housing was a cute little apartment and under ten minutes from campus and my assigned roommates ended up being my best friends. I tried to go to almost all of the SAI excursions and they were always so much fun and the on-site staff was great. Even when not on SAI travel, they always had awesome recommendations for where to go and where to stay. I also ended up having to see a doctor while I was there which was super nerve-racking, but they were amazing at helping me find an English-speaking doctor and helping me organize everything. If you have a chance to study abroad with them, you won't regret it.

Pros
  • Included Excursions
  • Nice Housing
  • Partial University Meal Plan Included
48 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Caroline
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Best two months of my life!!

Studying abroad with SAI is the best decision that I've ever made. SAI helped me throughout the entire process, from pre-departure, while in Rome, having to come home in the middle of the semester due to COVID-19, and afterward. SAI provides you with a ton of resources to make the process of applying for visas, booking flights, and obtaining a permit to stay as easy as possible. While in Rome, SAI gave us many opportunities to get to know the other students in the program and learn more about the city and country that we were staying in. The amount of students was perfect because there was a small enough group to where we all knew each other's faces but a large enough group to where we could meet new people and have different friend groups. COVID-19 put a huge amount of stress on the students in the program, but the on-site staff helped us through the entire process by providing assistance in arranging flights and reassuring us and giving us kind words throughout the entire process. SAI made the difficult (but responsible and correct) decision to send all students home when some universities did not make the decision for themselves. When I arrived home, SAI staff reached out to make sure that I had settled back into life in the United States and worked to provide us with as much of a refund from the time that we had to leave early. I loved every moment that I got to spend in Rome and without SAI I would not have been able to enjoy my experience as much as I did.

What was the most nerve-racking moment and how did you overcome it?
The most nerve-racking moment was when I first arrived in Rome. Rome is a huge city and the airport was so big. I instantly felt at ease when an SAI staff member greeted me outside of the terminal and led me to where I ended up meeting the most amazing people who would change my life forever!
94 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Theresa
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Rome Sweet Rome

I studied abroad for an entire semester in Rome through SAI and it was undoubtedly the best experience I've had in my life. I ate some incredible food, witnessed incredible places, met and connected with people who have changed my life, and learned much about myself. It was a semester of self-exploration and global-exploration! I have come back to the States as a culturally competent and well-rounded person who is able to adapt to situations. I became close friends with Alessandra and Jordan, the coordinators from SAI, and I truly enjoyed their company and learning from them. During my time abroad, I pursued the Global Leadership Certificate SAI offers which has supplemented my resume.

If you did this all over again, what's one thing you would change?
I wish I learned the language more before I traveled to my host country! For me, I find joy in adapting to new cultures and connecting with others of different personalities and backgrounds. With that being said, I recommend learning the basics of the language of whatever country you are studying in/traveling to! Saying basic phrases such as “hello,” “how are you,” and “thank you,” in the local language allows you to dip your toes in the country’s culture and is often appreciated by the locals and workers. As a tourist and visitor, rather than trying to expect the locals to accommodate to you by speaking English, I encourage you to respect their culture and make an effort to interact with people such as waiters, cashiers, and taxi drivers in the local language!
87 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Brianna
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Amazing experience

I learned so much during my time abroad. I had the ability to travel a LOT which was incredible, I learned so much about other countries and was able to do it with amazing friends. I had so much fun with everyone I met and being in a program helped me significantly when it came to simple questions to questions about visas and passports. An awesome thing about SAI is we had so many awesome excursions we were able to do including cooking classes, tours, etc. I loved my experience and would do it again in a heartbeat. There were a bunch of very funny experiences as well, relating to traveling and friends. One piece of advice is to check twice, buy once. We had so many mess-ups with traveling which at the time sucked but looking back is pretty funny. I would say if I have any recommendation, say yes, say yes to exploring the city, take the time to really get to know your home city and know that once you get home you'll want to be back.

If you did this all over again, what's one thing you would change?
I would learn the language before I went. It was hard to make connections with locals because I didn't speak Italian and I really wish I would have.
96 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Mariana
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Choose Rome

SAI made it very easy for me to transition to life in Rome. They relieved so much of the stress of applying for housing, getting health insurance, and getting a meal plan. I was able to focus on school and adjusting to a new culture. They had cooking classes for us to participate in. A native Roman taught us how to prepare local dishes and we were able to take home what we made! We also went on excursions as a group. This was a great way to meet other students that were also studying abroad. We visited places that were not easily accessible compared to major cities. I was able to visit the beautiful region of Umbria and tour Assisi. Overall, I had an amazing time and met so many new people abroad! Rome was a very safe city and had so much culture. I would definitely do it all over again!

87 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Christina
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Once In A Lifetime!

I can't put into words how much I would encourage study abroad. SAI made me feel so comfortable and safe in such a scary experience! I would go back in a heart beat. I gained so much confidence and Independence through this experience that have already shaped so many of my career choices. Make sure you take advantage of traveling and meeting people throughout the country you are living in and try new foods! We lived in an apartment and the rest of the apartment building was all people who lived in Rome, really allowing us to be immersed into the culture. SAI also taught us all about public transportation and we really did become experts which helped when exploring Rome and feeling safe by yourself. There was a language course provided for a day during the first weekend there which was optional but it also helped so much!

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Try to do a day trip by yourself! It is amazing how much you can do and learn about yourself!
93 people found this review helpful.

Questions & Answers

Sai offers premium housing every semester that offers a more central location and often newer interiors. It does cost extra money, but those are the best apartments. However, all the apartments are great! Sai does a great job of getting apartments in the area and they're all nice. The farther you get from JCU usually the larger the apartments. The closer you are normally it's slightly less space...

Apartments are located all over the neighborhood Trastevere which is where John Cabot is located. They're all totally different and some are two blocks away while others are a little over a mile. My apartment was one of the farther ones, but I was still able to walk there in fifteen minutes without taking any public transportation. Everyone had between 4-5 people total living in their house. I...