Florence, Italy
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 Baroque sculptures adorning the fountains of the city. You can linger in at the Uffizi Gallery with its vast collection of paintings and sculptures, and 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.
Spring 2026 Program Dates
Depart U.S.: Sat., January 31, 2026
Arrive in Florence: Sun., February 1, 2026
Mid-Semester Break: March 14 - 22, 2026
Depart Florence: May 1, 2026
Attend an info session to learn more about the Florence study abroad program or how to apply for scholarships to pay for study abroad.
Attend an Info SessionCan't make the info session or have more questions? Please contact Professor Maureen Wiley
Office Hours: Tuesdays, 1:00-2:00pm
Location: Cañada College, Building 3, Room 243
Zoom Link: https://smccd.zoom.us/my/maureenwiley
Email: wileym@smccd.edu | Phone: (650) 306-3416
Application Process
Ready to apply? Watch this four-minute video on how to complete the application.
You can also watch the recording of our latest Spring 2025 info session as a reference.
In order for SMCCCD Study Abroad to review your eligibility, you must select “San Mateo County Community College District” as your home college on the application. Learn more at the NCSAC Florence website.
Application Checklist Application OpenAbout this Program
This program enables you to study abroad while making normal progress toward your degree objectives and earning fully transferable units in courses taught by community college faculty and guest lecturers. The program is offered in cooperation with the Contra Costa County, Los Rios County, San Mateo County and Santa Rosa Junior College, and with the American Institute for Foreign Study (AIFS), which arranges transportation, living accommodations, and a wide range of student and instructional support services.This program is part of the Northern California Study Abroad Consortium (NCSAC). Units earned in Florence will appear on your transcripts issued by the participating colleges.
Visit the NCSAC program page for a list of Frequently Asked Questions.
Courses OfferedProgram Deadlines
- Friday, September 19, 2025: Priority Application Deadline
- Friday, October 31, 2025: Application/Deposit Deadline (closing early due to capacity limits)
- Friday, December 5, 2025: Final Payment Deadline
Program Eligibility
Students need not be currently enrolled at one of the sponsoring colleges in order to participate.
Program eligibility requirements:
- Be 18 years of age or older.
- Have a cumulative GPA of 2.25 or higher.
- Have completed a minimum of 12 units of college level coursework.
Provisional Student Enrollment
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 transcript in progress to assist with meeting the criteria, BUT MIGHT NOT BE ALLOWED TO ENROLL in the Study Abroad Program until after they receive their mid-term grades AND can demonstrate they are likely to meet the minimum qualifications.
After meeting these criteria, students may be allowed to be enrolled for the AIFS-SMCCCD Study Abroad Program under “Conditionally Accepted” status. Provisional students who finish the semester without meeting any of the minimum requirements will be dropped from the program.
Please read the Provisional Student Advisory, sign and submit it to studyabroad@smccd.edu if it applies to you.
Financial Aid
If you are receiving financial aid and would like to apply this towards the Spring 2026 Semester Abroad Program in Florence, you MUST complete the 2025-2026 FAFSA at studentaid.gov and work with the Financial Aid Office to complete all steps of the Financial Aid checklist.
Scholarships
SMCCCD Study Abroad offers a limited number of scholarships for students to study abroad. Visit our How to Pay section to learn more about applying to these opportunities.
Gilman Scholarship
Gilman Scholarship
AIFS Scholarships
Due Friday, November 7, 2025
View SMCCCD ScholarshipsProgram Costs
The fee per person is $8,745.
Optional group airfare: $1,235.
The above fee excludes airfare, passport or visa fees if applicable, meals other than those listed, personal expenses, any California Community College tuition or administrative fees, textbooks, additional field trips or excursions to those listed, anything not specified.
Refund Policy
- If a student withdraws on or before Friday, November 7, 2025, a full refundwill be made less $150, plus any non-refundable deposits paid either by thestudent or by AIFS on the student’s behalf.
- If a student withdraws after Friday, November 7, 2025, but on or beforeFriday, December 5, 2025, the $450 deposit fee is forfeited, along with anynon-refundable deposits
- If a student withdrawing voluntarily for any reason after Friday, December 5,2025, there will be no refund.
- If a student withdraws once the program has begun, there is no refund.
More Information or Questions?
For additional information or questions, please contact:
Professor Lisa Palmer | palmer@smccd.edu | (650) 306 - 3221
Kelly Li | studyabroad@smccd.edu | (650)738-7159
Follow us on Instagram @smcccd_study_abroad and like us on Facebook to get regular updates, learn more about the program, and connect with other students studying abroad all across the world.
FLORENCE 2026 CLASS OFFERINGS
SANTA ROSA JUNIOR COLLEGE – LAURA SPARKS
ASTRON 3 – Stellar Astronomy
ASTRON 4 – Anatomy of the Solar System
ASTRON 42 – Life in the Universe
INTDIS 90* - Italian Life and Culture
CONTRA COSTA COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT – NICOLE WHITE
ARTDM 136 – Introduction to Digital Photography
ARTHS 196 – History of Medieval and Renaissance Art
INDIS 100* - Italian Life and Culture
LOS RIOS COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT – NAOMI BAHM
PSYC 356 – Human Sexuality
PSYC 372/ECE 312 – Child Development
BIOL 300 – The Foundations of Biology
INDIS 351* - Italian Life and Culture
SAN MATEO COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT – LISA PALMER
ENGL 110 – Composition, Literature, and Critical Thinking (PREQ: College Composition)
ENGL 164 – Creative Non-Fiction (Memoir Writing)
LIT 441 – Survey of Film
GBST 650* - Italian Life and Culture
*Student must enroll in the Italian Life & Culture course offered by the campus that processes their program application. This class is the same class for all four schools.
Meet Your SMCCCD Faculty Teaching Abroad in Florence:
Professor Maureen Wiley | wileym@smccd.edu | (650) 306 - 3416
After graduating from UC Berkeley with a degree in history, Maureen Wiley bought a one-way plane ticket to Spain and spent 3 months backpacking around 15 countries, spending Christmas in Ireland with her second cousins and eventually settling in Berlin, Germany. Maureen spent the next year studying German and making friends that she still keeps in touch with. After deciding that she wanted to work in education, Maureen spent a year living in Galicia, Spain, teaching English as an Auxiliar de Conversación, a program for native English speakers through the Spanish Ministry of Education. She spent that year learning Spanish, eating octopus, and honing her teaching skills.
After returning to California, Maureen worked as an English tutor and later adjunct faculty member at Santa Barbara City College. She was hired as a full-time instructor in the English Department at Cañada College in 2017, and since then, she has traveled almost every summer and winter break throughout Mexico, Canada, Greece, Norway, Sweden, and most recently, Japan. Maureen is a passionate language learner who speaks Spanish, German, French, and a little Italian, which she is hoping will become molto italiano by the end of the spring semester in Florence. She holds two master’s degrees: one in education and one in English and creative writing. Outside of teaching and traveling, Maureen is an avid reader who writes historical fiction novels, and she hosts a weekly online meetup group for aspiring novelists. She hopes to read a lot of Italian fiction (possibly in Italian!) while in Florence.
Maureen has taught composition, literature, and film studies for over a decade. She is delighted to spend the spring semester in Florence and to share her passion for travel and languages with the students who will be joining this fantastic opportunity. Maureen hopes to encourage the students to expand their horizons not only in terms of language and culture, but also in their sense of self-trust and resourcefulness, two qualities that she has honed from many years of travel and living abroad. She and her students will visit sites that are featured in the texts they read and go to places associated with the writers and filmmakers they study. They will also blog, to describe, process, and share the life-changing experience that is studying abroad. Finally, Maureen’s courses are ZTC (Zero Textbook Cost), so students don’t have to pay for or transport textbooks.