TCU-In Sorrento offers students the experience of living in the small community of Sorrento, Italy, giving them access to rich cultural and historic heritage of the Campania region, with Naples, Pompeii, and Mount Vesuvius only short train rides away. Students in this program attend Sant’Anna Institute, an international institute focused on providing study abroad programming throughout the year to universities located all over the United States. Courses are offered in a range of subjects, including business, art history, humanities, social science, Italian, psychology, classical/cultural studies, and natural science.
Students are housed on campus in residence halls or in local neighborhoods in shared apartments. The TCU-In Sorrento program includes cultural activities and excursions, such as cooking classes and day trips. The academic courses generally also include a field trip component. No prior Italian language is required to participate in this program.
TCU-In Sorrento students take classes at the Sant’Anna Institute. There are no language prerequisites. Students will take 4 or 5 courses at SI, counting as 12 or 15 TCU credit hours. As part of the application, students must have their courses pre-approved through the The Course Approval System.
Credit returns as TCU credit and applies towards the TCU GPA. As part of the application, students must have 10 – 12 courses pre-approved through the Credit Approval Process. After admission, students will receive instructions from AUR on how to register for courses.
Internships
The TCU-In Sorrento program also offers credit-bearing internships in a variety of fields. Once a student has been accepted to the Sorrento program, they can apply for an internship.
Requirements:
A minimum overall gpa of 3.0
Rising junior or senior status based on earned credits
Already accepted into major of study
Successful completion of core course work in the major
A clean discipline record from the home university
Placements are not guaranteed. Please note that the internship has an additional course fee of $510, which covers the internship administrative fees.
As part of the application, students must have their courses pre-approved through the The Course Approval System.
While you are abroad, you are enrolled in 12 hours of coursework (identified as SABD) as a placeholder. Your classes will not be posted to your TCU recorded until 8 – 10 weeks after the semester ends, when the transcript from Sant’Anna is sent. Once the Registrar receives your transcript, they will record the courses using the department codes on your Credit Approvals (i.e., MARK, HIST) and a generic course code. Your dean’s office will apply these to your major / minor / electives / core as approved.
All coursework, regardless of program type, counts for grades and will be included in your TCU GPA.
For more information about how credits work, see our Study Abroad Basics page.
TCU students are required to live in Sant’Anna’s housing, which can either be a residence hall or shared apartments. Sant’Anna has a residence hall on their main campus. Rooms can be single, double, or triple occupancy, and include a desk, wardrobe/closet, window or shared balcony, and an ensuite bathroom. The residence hall has a large kitchen, garden, common spaces, and a laundry room.
Students can also be housed in a shared apartment. Like the residence hall, rooms can be single, double, or triple occupancy. Apartments can accommodate between three and six students and include one or two bathrooms, a full kitchen, a common area, and a washing machine. Apartments are located throughout Sorrento and vary in size and layout. Students will commute to Sant’Anna by walking, with commutes ranging from 5 to 25 minutes.
The third housing option in Sorrento is the Villa Yama, a modern residence hall with a meal plan. Rooms can be single, double, triple, or quadruple occupancy, and include a desk, wardrobe/closet, window or shared balcony, and an ensuite bathroom. The Villa has a large cafeteria/restaurant, common areas, large garden and outdoor spaces, rooftop with swimming pool, and laundry room.
The Villa has a compulsory meal plan that students will pay directly to Sant’Anna. The semester-long meal plan includes 104 breakfasts and 53 dinners and costs around $1,700.
For more details on housing options, visit the Sant’Anna Housing website.
Semester
Event
Date
Spring 2027
Program Start
January 24
Spring 2027
Orientation
January 25
Spring 2027
Classes Begin
January 26
Spring 2027
Spring Break
March 15 - 21
Spring 2027
Classes End
May 7
Spring 2027
Program End
May 8
Semester Costs for 2026-27
Sorrento Program Fee: Spring 2027 – $9,200 Pay $500 Non-Refundable Deposit to confirm your spot in the program after admission Program Fee is billed to your TCU Student Account before the semester begins ($500 deposit applied as a credit)
This includes:
— Housing
— Sant’Anna campus services and amenities
— Cultural activities & excursions
— TCU Sash
TCU Tuition: $33,260
Estimated Additional Expenses: For outside expenses not included in the program fee. Individual budgets are highly variable. This may include:
— Airfare: $1,400
— Italian Visa Fees: $100
— Books: $200
— Class Excursions: $300
— Meals/Groceries: $2,000
— Local Transportation: $200
— Personal Expenses: $1,000
— Travel Expenses: Highly variable
Visit the Scholarships & Aid page to learn about study abroad scholarships, through TCU and other organizations.
Withdrawal Penalties:
Financial penalties are assessed on a sliding scale, based on withdrawal date.
Deposit: Non-Refundable
Withdrawal Penalty
61-90 days prior to the start of the program:
25% of the Program Fee (inclusive of $500 deposit)
45-60 days prior to the start of the program:
50% of the Program Fee (inclusive of $500 deposit)
31-44 days prior to the start of the program:
75% of the Program Fee (inclusive of $500 deposit)
0-30 days prior to the start of the program:
100% of the Program Fee (inclusive of $500 deposit)
To withdraw from a program, you must notify TCU Global (studyabroad@tcu.edu) in writing. Study abroad scholarships and aid will be rescinded and cannot be used towards penalty amounts.
In the case that TCU must cancel the program, the program fee (including deposit) and tuition will be fully refunded. Study abroad scholarships and aid will be rescinded.
Financial penalties will be billed to your student account.
TCU Tuition refunds are subject to TCU policies :(See TCU Undergraduate Catalog: http://catalog.tcu.edu/undergraduate/, Bachelor’s Degree, Definitions and Regulations.)
How to Apply
Fall applications open in late January/early February
This step includes completing a course approval process for your courses abroad.
Students admitted to this program will have to apply to the American College of Greece directly. An application link will be provided to admitted students. Students must be admitted by both TCU and the American College of Greece to participate in this program.
TCU encourages all students, including students with disabilities, to actively participate in the Study Abroad programs offered by the University. In partnership with TCU Global, TCU Student Access & Accommodation helps to ensure the best possible study abroad experience for students with registered disabilities by providing reasonable and necessary accommodations during their time abroad.
Study Abroad programs include field components that require the ability to perform tasks beyond what is required in a typical classroom. Among other things, many programs require extensive walking and/or the ability to stand for extended periods of time; the ability to independently use public transportation; and/or sleeping in shared quarters. Program activities may take place in extreme temperatures (including excessive heat or cold). Housing facilities may lack central heat and air-conditioning, elevators, and other conveniences. In all cases, students should expect to transport and manage their own luggage through airports and public transportation centers. Prior to applying to specific Study Abroad programs, students should review the physical requirements for each program to ascertain whether they will be able to participate in all activities of the program. Students needing accommodations should follow the process outlined by Student Access & Accommodation.
Students requiring an accommodation to meet these or other program essential eligibility requirements must request any accommodation through TCU Student Access and Accommodation well in advance (suggest a minimum of 3 months) of the program departure following university procedures. TCU Student Access and Accommodation, located in The Harrison, Suite 1200, strongly recommends that students notify both Student Access and Accommodation as well as TCU Global early on to initiate the process of securing reasonable accommodations. If TCU determines that you do not, with reasonable accommodations approved through TCU Student Access and Accommodation, meet the essential eligibility requirements of the program, then you may not participate in the program. Each student’s request for accommodation will be looked at on an individualized, case by case basis, taking into consideration student documentation and the essential eligibility requirements of the program.
Managing your health and safety is an important component in having a positive experience abroad. TCU provides you with a number of resources to assist you:
Prior to departure, you will need to attend the mandatory orientation which covers specific health, safety, logistical, and cultural information.
Upon arrival, you will have an orientation to reiterate health, safety, logistical, and cultural information.
TCU provides you membership to On Call International, a premier Global Assistance program. You can call On Call for any kind of travel, health, safety, or emergency issues, including:
help replacing a lost passpor help translating and interpreting
help with lost luggage, along with reimbursement for items needed while luggage is lost
assistance finding general and specialty health care
Italy requires a visa for all TCU-In Sorrento students. Students will submit their visa applications directly to the Italian Consulate. TCU Global will provide guidance. You must have a valid passport that will not expire until at least 12 months after your return from Sorrento.
Students should not plan to travel outside the U.S. during the three months prior to the semester abroad because passports are surrendered with visa applications. Visa processing for Italy can take 4-12 weeks.
Before Departure
You must attend the mandatory TCU-In Sorrento orientation. You should also review the TCU-In Sorrento Handbook and Know Before You Go page.
Arrival and On-Site Information
We recommend that students arrive on the program start date at the Naples Airport (NAP). Sant’Anna provides airport pickup but students must provide arrival information. During the first few days in Sorrento, students will participate in the Study Abroad Orientation, a comprehensive and personal introduction not only to Sant’Anna but also to life in Italy.
Because students are not enrolled in TCU classes, the TCU system will show 12 hours of coursework as a placeholder during the semester abroad. Classes will not transfer back to TCU until 8 – 10 weeks after the semester ends. At that time, the correct credit hours will be posted to the TCU record.
