Search Programs

About ISI Abroad

ISI Abroad is a study abroad program provider based in Orlando, Florida which owns and operates two Institutes of higher education in Italy: ISI Florence (since 2001) and ISI Perugia (Umbra Institute, since 1999). Both Institutions are members of AACUPI (the American Association of College and University Programs in Italy) and accredited by the Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges through their partnerships with Roger Williams University (Bristol, RI) and Arcadia University (Glenside, PA). ISI Abroad works with top-tier US and international colleges and universities to provide students with affordable, safe, inclusive, and rewarding study abroad experiences.

In 2004 the ISI Consortium for State Universities was established in cooperation with the University of Connecticut and Pennsylvania State University. The Consortium now has six members that cooperate to promote their common mission in the development of unique and inspiring international educations opportunities for students, faculty and staff.

Since 2018 ISI Abroad programs have offered students the option to take a remote courses through its iStudy initiative. Once the pandemic hit, ISI formalized and expanded its online offerings through ISI Online. For more information, click the logos below to visit the websites of the programs.

Meet Our Team

Meet Our Institutional Relations Administrators

ISI Abroad is supported by the Institutional Relations staff in the US and Italy. Both teams work closely with students, advisors, educators and on-site staff to support program development as well as the student experience before, during, and after their time abroad.

Ashley Ipakchi

Director, US Office

ISI Abroad - Virginia

Stefano Baldassarri, Ph.D.

Director, ISI Florence

Florence

Zachary B. Nowak, Ph.D.

Director, ISI Perugia (Umbra Institute)

Perugia

Caterina Brogi

Associate Director
ISI Florence

Florence

Jacopo Bernardini, Ph.D.

Associate Director
ISI Perugia

Perugia

Tatum Marino

US Office Team Member

ISI Abroad - Pennsylvania

Gianna Pinto

US Office Team Member

ISI Abroad - Pennsylvania

Our Mission

ISI Abroad’s mission is to guide students through their study abroad experience in ways that promote exploration and an embrace of new cultures and experiences; promoting a desire in students for life-long learning and encouraging essential skills in intercultural competencies. Our student-centered and community-facing programs give students ample opportunity for immersion and co-curricular activities that invite students to consider how their education complements their career ambitions. ISI Abroad and its Consortium partners are committed to:

Outstanding Academic Curriculum
The development of an outstanding and diverse academic curriculum with a core in the liberal arts and sciences with emphasis on:

Instruction: ISI Abroad pursues academic excellence (both in the liberal arts and scientific disciplines) by selecting faculty on the basis of credentials, career records, professional profiles, teaching expertise, and acknowledged scholarly accomplishments.
Innovation: ISI Abroad is dedicated to the development of academic and intercultural programs that embrace interdisciplinary approaches and incorporate creative and pioneering pedagogical methods. Innovative international-scope research and scholarship further invigorate curricular offerings.
Transformation and Intercultural Competence: ISI Abroad seeks capitalizes on Italy’s outstanding cultural resources to enable a truly transformative student experience. To this purpose, it merges academic enterprise with a strong focus on global awareness to facilitate students’ progressive intercultural skills and knowledge.

Community Engagement
ISI Abroad is united in supporting and collaborating with the communities where ISI Abroad operates to provide students with unique and culturally immersive opportunities for community engagement and service learning.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
ISI Abroad recognizes that an essential part of the study abroad experience is embracing cultural differences and being open to people, views, and practices that may be different from one’s own experiences. It and its members, therefore, commit to fostering and promoting a diverse and inclusive learning environment.

Sustainability
ISI Abroad strives to be socially and environmentally responsible. Consortium member practices and academic offerings encourage the research and study of sustainable travel, consumption, and education.

Accessibility/Affordability
In keeping with its public status mission, ISI Abroad is committed to offering affordable and competitive rates, thus making this unique learning experience in Italy accessible to the largest cohort of students.

ISI Abroad meets the goals above through its interdisciplinary academic offerings and by actively creating opportunities for students to explore themselves and their new environment. ISI Abroad welcomes students of all backgrounds, seeing the diversity of thought and experience as some of the most powerful contributors to academic, personal, and professional development.

Become part of the ISI Abroad team

Become an Affiliate Jobs & Internships

Accreditation & Memberships

Both institutes are members of AACUPI (the American Association of College and University Programs in Italy) and courses are accredited by the Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges through their partnerships with US Colleges and Universities as well as local Italian Institutions. Arcadia University and Roger Williams University support the Umbra Institute and ISI Florence (respectively) as underwriters for our academic programs in-person and online. In addition, ISI Abroad is an active member of the ISI Consortium. NAFSA, The Forum on Education Abroad, and EduItalia.