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Admission Requirements

Students registered in degree programs at one of VIU's Member Universities are eligible to apply for the Globalization Program.

Exchange students at Università Ca' Foscari Venezia, Università Iuav di Venezia and Università degli Studi di Padova are also eligible to apply. 

The Italian Language course is reserved for students who are attending at least two full term courses. 

Courses are open to students of both undergraduate (lauree triennali) and graduate degrees (lauree magistrali) and can be recognized for credit.

However, students must have completed at least the first year of their undergraduate degrees (lauree triennali) before attending the Globalization Program. 


Tuition fees
Students do not pay any tuition directly to Venice International University. However, students must be regularly enrolled in their home university and must pay regular tuition fees to their home university.

 

Applications
Procedures differ depending on which university you are from.

Students of the Italian member universities Università Ca' Foscari Venezia, Università Iuav di VeneziaUniversità degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Università degli Studi di Padova and Università degli Studi di Roma "Tor Vergata" may apply for the program directly with VIU by filling out the pre-registration form on VIU website (link to pre-registration form in the white box at the side of the page - published only in the application period).

Students from all other universities must apply through the relevant office in their home university, as listed below:

Boston College
Students must apply through the BC Office of Global Education.
Contact Kathryn Wright: wrightgu@bc.edu

Duke University
Students must apply through the Duke Global Education Office for Undergraduates.
Contact Mariah Anderson: mariah.henderson@duke.edu

European University at St. Petersburg
Contact Prof. Natalia Mazur: nmazur@eu.spb.ru

Korea University
Students must apply through the Office of International Affairs
Contact Hyunjoo Cho: outeurope@korea.ac.kr

KU Leuven
Students must apply through the KU Leuven International Office
Contact Laura Lenssen: laura.lenssen@kuleuven.be

Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität
Students must apply through the LMU International Office
Contact Prof. Hans Van Ess, Academic Advisor: vaness@ostasien.fak12.uni-muenchen.deContact Philippa Menzel, Administrative Advisor: Philippa.Menzel@verwaltung.uni-muenchen.de

Stellenbosch University
Students must apply through the Global Education Center
Contact Sarah Van der Westhuizen: sarahvdw@sun.ac.za

Tel Aviv University
Students must apply through the TAU Office of Interacademic Affairs
Contact Prof. Shira Betesh-Galili: acadaff@tauex.tau.ac.il

Tsinghua UniversityGlobal Environment Program office
Contact: Aina Jiang, jiangaina@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn

Université de BordeauxContact Prof. Laurent Servant, International Relations office: laurent.servant@u-bordeaux.frContact Anne Blassiau: anne.blassiau@u-bordeaux.fr

University of Exeter
Students must apply through the Global Opportunities Team
Contact: outbound@exeter.ac.uk

Université de LausanneInternational Relations Office
Contact: Emmanuel Cenuse, emmanuel.cenuse@unil.ch

Waseda University
Students must apply through the WU Center for International Education: cie-europe@list.waseda.jp
Contact: Emi ITOKAWA - cie-outbound04@list.waseda.jp


Registration

Following admission, students must complete a pre-registration form via the VIU website, and later a course registration form.
Visit registration page.

 

For further information:
Globalization Program
Tel. : +39 041 2719 511 
Fax : +39 041 2719 510
E: student-services@univiu.org

 

Academic Calendar

2nd Semester of AY 2025-26 (Spring 2026) 

Orientation week                     February 16-20
Opening Ceremony      February 19
Courses begin February 23
Midterm break April 6-10
Courses end May 22
Exam week May 25-29
Closing Ceremony May 28
   
National holidays April 6, April 25, May 1

 

Summer Session 2026 

Virtual Component                    July 1-31
Courses begin August 3
Courses end August 28
Papers due September 15
   
National holidays August 15

 

1st Semester of AY 2026-27 (Fall 2026) 

Orientation week                     September 7-11
Opening Ceremony      September 10
Courses begin September 14
Midterm break October 26-30
Courses end December 11
Exam week December 14-18
Closing Ceremony December 17
   
National holidays November 1, December 8
Municipal holiday November 21

 

 

2nd Semester of AY 2026-27 (Spring 2027) 

Orientation week                     February 15-19
Opening Ceremony      February 18
Courses begin February 22
Midterm break March 29-April 2
Courses end May 21
Exam week May 24-28
Closing Ceremony May 27
   
National holidays March 29, April 25, May 1

 

 

Internships and Mobility Program

VIU promotes international mobility by providing internship opportunities and scholarships to students of the member universities who attend the Globalization Program. Following the semester of courses at VIU, selected students are offered internships at research centers, universities, cultural organizations and companies in Italy and abroad.

Each semester VIU publishes a call for applications for:

Internships in Italy
The call is addressed to bachelor's and master's students from any of the member universities, including exchange students at Ca’ Foscari, Iuav, Padova, Tor Vergata and Milano-Bicocca who are attending the semester at VIU (at least three courses) and who wish to do an internship in a host organization in Italy following the semester.
Students selected for the internship in Italy are awarded a scholarship that will contribute to lodging and living costs.

 

For information regarding opportunities for Erasmus+ grants to support study and research, refer to the Scholarships section.  

Scholarships

VIU strives to promote excellence and diversity and to provide a powerful learning experience in which students develop their capacity for critical thinking and creative problem solving. VIU awards scholarships to talented, motivated students of the Globalization Program and the Intensive Graduate Activities, to support them in completing their study period in Venice, or to foster their graduate and professional studies and careers.

In essence, studying at VIU is a transformational experience – one that expands minds and empowers students to become thoughtful, culturally-aware leaders in an interconnected world.

In the VIU Globalization Program, students encounter new educational philosophies and learning styles, challenging their assumptions and encouraging intellectual flexibility. They often engage with global issues from alternative perspectives, gaining a more nuanced understanding of complex challenges such as sustainability, equity, governance, and innovation. Classroom learning becomes deeply connected to real-world contexts while the unique setting of Venice offers the opportunity for meetings, encounters, investigations and explorations of the city as a special laboratory, as a location that foregrounds the extraordinary culture of the past, the problems of the present, and the possibility of the future.

As a new environment for all students, VIU becomes a setting where students learn to study together in unfamiliar situations, to communicate across cultural and language barriers, and embrace ambiguity with curiosity, stimulating profound personal growth-strengthening empathy, confidence, and self-awareness. This peer-to-peer engagement fosters cultural humility and cross-cultural competence, helping students navigate and appreciate diversity in its many forms.

The friendships and professional networks students build while studying at VIU enrich their global outlook and often shape their future careers and aspirations. Many return home with a renewed sense of purpose, a commitment to global citizenship, and a desire to make a meaningful impact in their communities and beyond.

Students in the PhD Academies, Graduate Seminars and Summer Schools expand their knowledge, skills, and critical understanding of the major societal challenges faced by humankind today – whether environmental, social, cultural, or technological, and their impacts at local and global levels. Whether they will work within or outside academia, graduate students and young researchers must be able to develop and nurture a forward-looking vision of the challenges they face. By collaborating with peers from around the world, students explore transversal topics through innovative approaches, enriching their own research and perspectives through a dynamic exchange of disciplinary and cultural viewpoints.

 

Scholarship Fund

VIU welcomes donations from the extended VIU Community to the VIU Scholarship Fund: scholarships ensure equity of access so that deserving students know that they can apply for the programs without the concern of the financial burden of sustaining the living costs in their host city.  

Explore the VIU People Profiles to learn about the VIU experience through text and video interviews with students, researchers and professors. 

Donate to the VIU Scholarship Fund 
Donations can be made via bank transfer payable to: 

 

Beneficiary: Venice International University 

IBAN: IT03Q0306909606100000010945
Swift/Bic BCITITMMXXX 

Beneficiary's Bank name:  Intesa San Paolo SpA
Beneficiary's Bank branch and address: Piazza Mercato, 11/A, Venezia (Marghera) 30175, Italy
 
Purpose of bank transfer:   
"Donation to Venice International University" 
or
"Donation to VIU Scholarship Fund" 
 
VIU is a registered non-profit association, and donations to VIU are eligible for tax reductions or deductions in many countries. 
If you wish to receive a receipt for the donation for tax purposes, send a request to donations@univiu.org 
 
Major donors and legacy donors are invited to contact the Office of the President: president@univiu.org 
 
 

Globalization Program | RED (Residency-Excellence-Diversity) Scholarship

To promote excellence and diversity in the Globalization Program, scholarships are awarded to talented students to contribute to their cost of living in Venice for a semester. Under the guidance of Prof. Luca Pes, selected students actively participate in and collaborate on activities supporting diversity, inclusion, and a sense of belonging in the VIU community.

Globalization Program | Scholarships to support Internships in Italy

Two calls for applications are published yearly for the Internships in Italy Program. The call is addressed to students from any of the member universities, including exchange students at Ca’ Foscari, Iuav, Padova, Tor Vergata, and Milano-Bicocca, who are attending the Globalization Program semester at VIU (completing at least three courses) and who wish to do an internship in a host organization in Italy following their semester/academic year at VIU.
Selected students are awarded a scholarship that will partially cover lodging and living costs.

(Organizations interested in hosting VIU students for internships can write to globalization@univiu.org)


Intensive Graduate Activities |  Fee-waiver Scholarships and Travel Grants 

Full fee-waiver scholarships, travel grants and free accommodation are awarded to selected students in the PhD Academies and Graduate Seminars.  In the PhD Academy participants are advanced doctoral students or junior researchers. They receive training in a range of skills that will support them in developing their research and academic careers. In the Graduate Seminar, participants are early-career doctoral students. They receive support in defining and refining the research question of their research project.

Erasmus+ Grants Incoming 

Students from KU Leuven, Ludwig Maximilians Universität and Université de Bordeaux may be eligible for Erasmus+ grants during their studies at VIU. Interested candidates should consult the International Office at their own university, and should consider that they may need to apply 7-12 months in advance. 

Students from Stellenbosch University may be eligible for KA171 Erasmus+ grants to support their participation in academic programs at VIU. Refer to the program coordinator for information. 

Erasmus+ Grants Outgoing

Students of the Italian member universities should check the Calls for Application at www.univiu.org/erasmus for Erasmus+ grant support and mobility opportunities to study at VIU member universities for short or long mobility. Interested candidates should consider that they may need to apply 6 - 9 months before the planned mobility abroad. (In 2025, destination available: Stellenbosch University.)

 

VIU People Profiles also feature interviews with previous scholarship recipients.

 

Contacts
Globalization Program
globalization@univiu.org

Intensive Graduate Activities
phdacademy@univiu.org

Erasmus Office 
erasmus@univiu.org