Italian
Increase your language proficiency, build your cultural fluency, and experience Italian language and culture 24/7 in a unique, time-tested full immersion environment.
Spend a summer at the Italian School and you’ll experience the single most effective method for rapid language acquisition: a total immersion environment with the Language Pledge®—a promise to read, write, listen, and speak only in your language of study.
Italian Program Options
The Italian School is located on the Bennington campus, along with Arabic and Portuguese. Application and scholarship/financial aid processes are identical to those for the Middlebury campus. Programs are open to undergraduates, recent graduates, graduate students at other institutions, and professionals of all ages.
Apply to a program based on your language proficiency. High school graduates to 80+ years old are eligible.
- 7-week immersion program for beginner to advanced students who want to improve language proficiency as rapidly as possible. Please see summer Dates and Fees.
- Graduate program options for students seeking a degree or graduate-level courses. Please see graduate Dates and Fees.
Live in Language
Summer after summer, the Italian School continues to deliver on its reputation for combining rigorous expectations with unmatched support.
During the Italian language classes, you’ll rapidly build proficiency with the help of our dedicated faculty. Daily contact with faculty extends beyond the classroom to include office hours, discussion groups, and lectures. In between, you’ll join them in organized cocurricular activities—including Italian films, concerts, games, cooking, and soccer—each designed to help you build new vocabulary while developing cultural fluency.
Funding
Thanks to the support of generous donors (including Language Schools alumni) and Middlebury’s commitment to provide an opportunity for as many students as possible, we are pleased to offer need-based financial aid and merit-based fellowships and scholarships.
Students can also apply to outside funding opportunities including the Boren Fellowship, Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship, and VA Benefits.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q How is Italian taught at Middlebury?
The Italian School offers two very different program options: a summer immersion program and an MA degree.
Our Italian immersion program is designed for students with a beginner to expert command of the Italian language who want to dramatically increase their proficiency in just 7 weeks. The program takes place at our Bennington campus and students are required to only speak, read and write in Italian for the duration of the program.
Check out the information on our Master’s Degree in Italian and our Master’s in Applied Languages in Italian to learn more about the specializations and formats for each of these master’s degree options.
Q Are there any prerequisites for enrolling in the Italian immersion program at Middlebury Language Schools?
The Italian immersion program accepts students of all levels. You will have to be a high school graduate to apply. Students can apply their high school senior year to start the following summer.
All students will be required to take a language placement test prior to the beginning of the program (although the test is not part of the application process). This test will determine in which class level you are placed.
Q Is there an abroad component in Middlebury Language Schools’ Italian programs?
Our Italian immersion program takes place at the Bennington, Vermont campus and does not have a “study abroad” component.
Our Master’s Degree in Italian does offer the option of studying in Florence, Italy for a full academic year.
Q Are there any cultural activities or excursions offered as part of the Italian programs at Middlebury Language Schools?
During our 7-week Italian immersion program, you will have four hours of classroom instruction plus three to five hours of homework. Co-curricular activities are also an integral part of the program. Activities include film screening, cooking lessons, wine seminars and an Italian for Singers program, among many others.
Q Are scholarships or financial aid available for the Italian programs at Middlebury Language Schools?
Several need-based and merit-based scholarships are available for both our summer immersion programs and our MA programs. Please note that in order to apply for financial aid you must first submit a full application.
Immersion students can receive partial funding in need-based financial aid, while graduate students can receive up to 100% funding in need-based financial aid.
Q What Is the best way to learn Italian?
Learning a new language can be extremely rewarding. With the right approach, Italian can be a fun and relatively easy language to learn. But what’s the best way to learn Italian? It really depends on your learning style and goals.
One of the best ways to learn Italian is through language immersion programs like those offered at Middlebury Language Schools. Our programs offer an intense, immersive learning experience that can help you reach a high level of proficiency in a short amount of time.
If you want to learn Italian on your own, there are also a number of self-study resources available, such as textbooks, apps, and websites. These resources can be helpful, but they often require more motivation and discipline than other methods of learning.
The best way to learn Italian ultimately depends on your goals and learning style. If you’re looking for an immersive experience that will help you reach a high level of proficiency quickly, you may want to consider a language immersion program offered by Middlebury Language Schools.
Whatever approach you decide to take, the most important thing is to stick with it and be consistent in your studies.