Overview
The University for Foreigners of Siena is the smaller of Italy’s two specialist state universities for international students and the one with the stronger emphasis on linguistics. It teaches Italian language and culture to students from abroad through courses that start throughout the year, and it offers a compact set of bachelor’s and master’s degrees in areas such as Italian language and culture, linguistics and teaching Italian as a foreign language, translation and interpreting, and intercultural communication. It also runs its own Italian certification exams and has a research centre on Italian as a second language.
For South Asian applicants, the typical path is a preparatory language course before an Italian-taught degree at another Italian university, or a degree here leading to work as a language teacher, translator or intercultural mediator. The teaching is intensive and the classes are international, with students from dozens of countries, which creates a genuinely mixed environment in which Italian is the common language.
The university sits in a modern building near Siena’s railway station, below the medieval centre, and most students live either nearby or inside the walls and take the bus or escalators up the hill. Siena is small, safe and beautiful, with the Piazza del Campo at its heart and a lively student scene thanks to the University of Siena. Costs are moderate for Tuscany, though housing is limited and should be arranged early.
Who it suits
This university suits students who want to learn Italian properly before another degree, future teachers of Italian, translators and interpreters, and applicants in linguistics and intercultural studies who can study in Italian in a small specialist institution. It is not the right choice for students seeking engineering, science or business degrees.
What to check before applying
- Decide whether you need a language course, a degree programme or both, since they have separate applications and fees.
- Check language-course start dates and the visa implications of your chosen course length.
- Review the Italian level required for admission to degree programmes.
- Apply to DSU Toscana for housing and grants if you enrol in a degree.
- Confirm that the certification you will earn is accepted by your target university.