CIMBA Italy Program
- Earn business credits abroad: Take business courses in English that are pre-approved to transfer back to KU, with flexible 4-week summer and 12-week semester options.
- Live in the heart of Italy: Make Pieve del Grappa your home—a beautiful Italian village nestled at the base of the Italian Alps, about an hour from Venice.
- Travel beyond the classroom: Take advantage of built-in travel breaks to explore Italy and other exciting European destinations.
- Experience Italian culture: Go beyond sightseeing with hands-on experiences like pizza and pasta making, company tours, gourmet dinners, and more.
- Build your leadership skills: Grow personally and professionally through CIMBA’s unique semester leadership development programs, designed to challenge you and prepare you for your future career.
- Know before you go: Visit the Further Reading section for details on how to apply through both KU Study Abroad and CIMBA.
Semester Program
The CIMBA Italy semester program is a 12-week immersive experience centered around academic and personal growth and exploration. You’ll complete between 12 and 18 credit hours in small, personalized classroom setting. The CIMBA Italy study abroad program offers a dynamic mix of core and elective business courses, all accredited by the University of Iowa's Tippie College of Business.
Outside of the classroom, you’ll be immersed in the daily life of an Italian village. Walk down the road to grab gelato or espresso. Stop by the corner shop for a snack and chat with the local owner. Hop on a local bus to nearby Asolo or Bassano del Grappa. The opportunities are endless! CIMBA's semester program also provides ample time for independent travel to further destinations through several long weekends and a 9-day spring or fall break. Explore picturesque Pieve del Grappa, the rest of Italy, and beyond! For travel inspiration from current students, check out CIMBA’s Instagram!
Summer Program
The “short and sweet” four-week summer session is a great way to dip your toes in international waters! Students pick two courses for the summer program - from a mix of business, engineering, and elective options.
Outside of the classroom, you’ll be immersed in the daily life of an Italian village. You’ll also have ample opportunity to travel and experience Italian culture through CIMBA Italy’s daily excursions, which are available to all students. CIMBA Italy’s summer program provides eight days of independent travel to explore Italy and the rest of Europe.
This program is ideal for first-time travelers, as CIMBA Italy organizes local trips and activities as part of the summer program schedule. Students will get to experiment with their planning skills for the travel weekends and will also have the opportunity to arrive in Italy earlier and stay after the program ends.
Imagine spending your semester surrounded by rolling hills, historic villas, and the breathtaking Dolomite Mountains. CIMBA’s campus is located in the charming village of Pieve del Grappa, just 55 miles north of Venice, offering students an authentic Italian experience with Europe at their doorstep.
With more than 25 days of independent travel built into the semester and 8 days in the summer, you'll have plenty of opportunities to explore. Venice offers affordable flights to cities like Paris, London, Dublin, and Budapest, while overnight trains make destinations such as Vienna and Munich easily accessible.
The Veneto region of Italy is known for being very entrepreneurial and its thriving business community including globally recognized brands like Benetton, Diesel, North Face, and Tecnica. Through company tours and CIMBA’s business connections, you can take your earning beyond the classroom and experience European business firsthand, all while traveling throughout Italy and making memories that last a lifetime.
CIMBA Italy offers both intro- and upper-level business courses as well as several non-business courses, which are taught in English. Courses are led by highly ranked professors from institutions across the United States and Europe. CIMBA welcomes students from all majors. While much of the curriculum follows a standard business track, you do not have to be a business major to participate. You'll simply want to make sure there are courses offered that are of interest and will help you progress toward graduation.
CIMBA students enroll in 12-18 credits during semester programs and 6 credits during the summer program. Courses are very similar from spring to spring and summer to summer so if the courses are not yet available for your term, refer to the prior year.
Satisfying the Global Culture Goal of KU's Core 34
The Global Culture Goal can be satisfied through study abroad and co-completion of UNIV 342, an online, asynchronous, course taken during your term abroad. You will receive instructions for requesting access to UNIV 342 before your program begins and will then be added to the course in Canvas. Upon completion, Core 34 students will have UNIV 342 posted to their academic record along with the course registration fee (currently $50, subject to change).
Students in the original core should review the information available on the study abroad website for completion of Goal 4.2
CIMBA’s gated campus provides everything you need to live, learn, and make the most of your time abroad. You'll stay in comfortable double-occupancy residence hall rooms with private bathrooms, with single rooms available for an additional fee. Housekeeping is provided twice a week, with fresh towels and linens each week,.
The full-service campus features a cafeteria (meals are included and breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served daily), recreation room, laundry facilities, and impressive athletic amenities, including an indoor swimming pool, cardio and weight room, and outdoor courts and fields for tennis, basketball, and soccer. With CIMBA staff located right on campus and a nurse available for minor illnesses and injuries, support is close by whenever you need it.
All students have unique things to consider when studying abroad. A Traveler Profile is a set of personal factors, characteristics or life experiences that could impact daily life abroad. Your individual Traveler Profile may include things such as your age, foreign language proficiency, gender, medical history, medication use, mental health, mobility, piercings and tattoos, travel experience, and more.
SAGE is dedicated to creating international engagement opportunities that meet the needs of all our students and providing resources to support you through the process of studying abroad. Before selecting a program, consider how your Traveler Profile may impact your experience abroad in unique ways and talk with your Program Coordinator about any program-specific concerns. Students with documented disabilities should discuss any accommodation needs with their Program Coordinator early in the planning process.
Check our Traveler Profile pages linked below for information specific to you and other students who may be on your program.
- Adult Learners and Non-Traditional Students
- First Generation Students
- Physical and Mental Health Histories
- Religious, Spiritual, and Non-Religious Students
- Sexual and Gender Diversity
- Students of Color Abroad
- Students with Children
- Students with Financial Need
- Veterans, Active Duty, and ROTC
- Visible and Invisible Disabilities
- 18 years or older
- Sophomore status and/or required prerequisites
- 2.5 GPA or higher (2.5-2.74 require steps)*
*If your GPA is below 2.75, you will also be asked to respond to a short-answer question explaining what contributed to the low grades, what your plan is for future success and how the CIMBA Italy program fits into this plan.
Program Cost for Fall Semester in CIMBA, Italy
Program Cost for Spring Semester in CIMBA, Italy
Program Cost for Summer in CIMBA, Italy
CIMBA offers several financial awards and leadership opportunities to help offset the cost of attending CIMBA. Visit CIMBA's website to learn more about the scholarships.
For more information contact Kate Gerken in KU Study Abroad:
Email: kategerken@ku.edu
Book an in-person appointment
Book an online appointment
You can also contact CIMBA directly at:
Email: cimba-italy@uiowa.edu
Phone: 319-335-0920
To learn more, schedule schedule an appointment with Kate Gerken in KU Study Abroad and visit www.cimbaitaly.com!
Application Instructions:
Applicants must apply through both CIMBA/University of Iowa (CIMBA’s school-of-record) and KU Study Abroad by following the instructions below:
- Complete the CIMBA/University of Iowa application. CIMBA is currently accepting applications for Spring and Summer 2027. Once at the link, click “I am an undergraduate student at another university (non-University of Iowa)” and follow the instructions. Your application will be complete and ready for review once you have submitted the application, paid the $40 application fee, AND your transcript is received by CIMBA. To have an official KU transcript sent to CIMBA, visit KU's registrar website. Choose the electronic transcript option ($15) and enter “University of Iowa” and “Admissions Office” for the school and department you are sending your transcript to.
- Complete the KU CIMBA application by the KU application deadline. Once there, click “Apply Now” and login using your KU password and online ID (the same login used to access Enroll & Pay). Please note that there is no “Submit” button. Your application will be complete when all requirements have checkmarks next to them. You will be accepted by KU Study Abroad after the KU application deadline provided that your application is complete, your cumulative GPA is 2.5 or above, and once you have been accepted by CIMBA/University of Iowa.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR SUMMER APPLICANTS:
The summer CIMBA/University of Iowa application (step #1 above) is open and early applications are encouraged because there are a limited number of spots available on the summer program. Summer applicants are being admitted on a rolling basis. If the limit is reached, CIMBA will maintain a waitlist and students will be added to it in the order that applications are received.
The KU CIMBA application (step #2 above) must be completed by the KU CIMBA application deadline. Please note that KU typically opens its summer study abroad application cycle (for all programs) in late October/early November. If you start the application and the “Summer” term is not yet an available option, this is because KU has not yet opened the summer cycle. This is not a problem given that applicants can be admitted by CIMBA/University of Iowa prior to completing the KU CIMBA application.