Spring 2025

Florence is an exciting city in which to live and study. On an afternoon stroll through the streets of Florence, which is set amidst the golden hills of Tuscany, you can admire the architecture of Giotto and the Baroque sculptures adorning the fountains of the city; linger at the Uffizi Gallery with its vast collection of paintings and sculpture; view the magnificent Santa Croce where Galileo, Michelangelo, and Machiavelli are buried; discuss art with Florentine painters in their studios and explore the bookshops near Via Cavour; and visit one of the most popular spots in Florence, the Ponte Vecchio, a 14th-century bridge spanning the River Arno.

Florence 2025 information 

Applications for Spring 2025 Florence Program are now closed.

Program and Meetings Dates 

• Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025:  Depart U.S.
• Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025:  Arrive Florence
• Monday & Tuesday, Feb. 3-4, 2025:  Orientation and workshops
• Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025:  Classes begin
• Saturday, March 15 to Sunday, March 23, 2025:  Mid-Semester Break
• Monday, April 21, 2025: Easter Monday (no classes)
• Thursday, May 1, 2025:  Last Day of Class
• Friday, May 2, 2025:  Depart Florence

Important Dates

• Priority Application Deadline: Friday, September 20, 2024
• General Application Deadline: Friday, November 1, 2024
• Mandatory CCCCD Student Meeting: TBA at Diablo Valley College
• Mandatory Pre-Departure Meeting: A Saturday (Approx. 9:00am -12:15pm) In January 2025 Date& Venue TBD 

Program Costs and Payment Schedule (PDF)    

The AIFS program costs for Florence Spring 2025 will have a base price of $8,345. These costs will include all lodging, medical insurance, and AIFS services. They will not include airfare (there will be a group flight option for an extra fee), class tuition, books, and day-to-day expenses such as food.

Minimum qualifications for CCCCD's Study Abroad program

To apply for the Florence Study Abroad Program, the student must have a cumulative GPA of 2.25 and have completed at least 12 college units after high school graduation, and at the time the student applies to the program. In addition, the student must be 18 years of age at the time of boarding the airplane.

Provisional Student Enrollment Deadline TBA

Students who do NOT meet the application criteria (of at least 12 units and at least a 2.25 GPA) may use their current semester progress report to assist with meeting the criteria. Students will be approved to the Study Abroad Program after the progress report was review by the Dean of Study Abroad Program. Contact email to htakanashi@4cd.edu by September 20, 2024. Provisional students who finish the semester without meeting any of the minimum requirements will be dropped from the program.

Florence Spring 2025 Application Process

Enroll online to complete your application. Once you have applied online through AIFS and have placed your $450 deposit, you will be contacted by CCCCD’s Study Abroad Office, Harue Takanashi htakanashi@4cd.edu

Forms to turn in to the Study Abroad office

Agreement Between the Foreign Study Student and the Northern California Study Abroad Consortium (PDF TBP)

Financial Aid office

• Contact Sonya Castro at the DVC Financial Aid Office scastro@dvc.edu
• Complete the FAFSA form before making an appointment with Sonya
• Financial Aid process information (PDF)/ AIFS Financial Aid form (PDF) 

Scholarship information

• AIFS Scholarships Application DEADLINE: November 4, 2024 (request application Harue Takanashi after you're approved to the spring 2025 Florence program) 
• Gilman Scholarship DEADLINE: Thursday, October 10, 2024, at 11:59pm Pacific Time
• Contact Scholarship office: CCC / DVC /LMC 

AIFS Refund Policy

Refund requests must be done in writing to AIFS. They accept emails and that is generally the easiest way (customizedfacultyled@aifs.com). See official AIFS refund policy on your Agreement & Release form on AIFS application. Dates to remember regarding AIFS refunds once you are enrolled in the program:

• Friday, November 8, 2024: Last day to request refund of $450 deposit less $150 processing & non-refundable deposit fees. After Nov. 8, AIFS will not refund any of the $450 deposit. Students may also be subject to any nonrefundable canceled reservation fees by AIFS after this date. Details on AIFS Agreement & Release form on your AIFS application.
• Friday, December 6, 2024: Total program fee is due. NO REFUND OF PAYMENTS after this date.

You are responsible for checking the AIFS Agreement & Release form about any refund dates and potential cancellation fees! Students who withdraw after December 6, 2024 could be liable and billed by AIFS for any cancelled bookings they signed up for (such as airfare & Scotland excursion, etc.). Students should therefore inform AIFS as soon as possible if they need to withdraw from the program.

AIFS Program Cancellation Policy

Please click here for a summary of the AIFS program cancellation policy.

Spring 2025 Classes

• Chart of Class Schedules (PDF)
• Course Descriptions and Bios (PDF)
• Course Preference Sheet (PDF)
• Transferability of Proposed Courses (PDF)

* All students will take at least 4 classes from the course list and must carry a minimum of 12 units for the duration of the program. Everyone is required to take the INTD 100 Italian Life & Culture class and at least one other class offered through DVC, and then any two others from DVC or other colleges.

Academic Counselor Drop-in Hours for Study Abroad Program

• Drop-in Hours and Dates: DVC FO 219: Fall 2024 Semester Every Monday 3:30 -4:30 PM, contact htakanashi@4cd.edu to make an appointment. 

• Questions or Request a Zoom meeting, please contact a DVC Academic counselor,Christie Jamshidnejad at cjamshidnejad@dvc.edu

You can meet any DVC, CCC or LMC counselors at their available time. Counseling Office: CCC/ DVC / LMC

Florence 2025 Proposed Class Offerings

All students will take at least 4 classes from the list below and must carry a minimum of 12 units for the duration of the program. Everyone is required to take the Italian Life & Culture class and at least one other class offered through DVC, and then any two classes from DVC or other colleges. 

Contra Costa Community College District (CCCCD) Diablo Valley College DVC -  HOPI BRETON

ART 005 – The Visual Arts (LMC Course)
ART 151 – Visual Theory and Practice – Ceramic Art (DVC Course)
INDIS 100* – Italian Life and Culture (DVC Course) 

Santa Rosa Junior College – Brian Antonson

MEDIA 4 – Introduction to Mass Communication
MEDIA 10 – Film Appreciation
JOUR 5 – Non-Fiction Digital Storytelling

Los Rios Community College District – Joseph Steever

MATH 300 – Introduction to Mathematical Ideas
MATH 320 – Symbolic Logic
STAT 300 – Introduction to Probability and Statistics

San Mateo County Community College District – Evan Kaiser

ENGL 100 – Composition and Reading
ENGL 110 – Composition, Literature, and Critical Thinking (PREQ – College Composition)
LIT 154 – Introduction to LGBT Literature

For more information, review the Florence Spring brochure and AIFS FAQs web page.

If you have questions, please contact the Study Abroad Office, email htakanashi@4cd.edu .

Visit the American Institute for Foreign Study (AIFS Link)