The University for Foreigners of Siena (Università per Stranieri)

What is the University for Foreigners of Siena?

Like its counterpart in Perugia, the Università per Stranieri di Siena is a respected institution devoted to teaching Italian language and culture to foreigners. Set in the historic Tuscan city of Siena, it stands strong in Italian teaching, linguistics and intercultural studies, running Italian courses at every level and academic programmes besides — and it is the home of the CILS (the Certificazione di Italiano come Lingua Straniera), among the most widely recognised Italian certificates in the world. For language learning and a life woven into Italian culture at once, Siena offers the international student rich ground; its specialised structure focuses on the foreign student’s needs.

The courses and the academic structure

The university runs Italian courses of varying lengths and levels, from beginner to advanced, the intensive ones aimed at visible progress fast. Alongside them stand academic programmes in Italian teaching (teaching Italian as a foreign language included), linguistics and intercultural communication — which makes Siena attractive not just for learning the language but for a career in Italian teaching or linguistics. The courses take the whole-language approach — grammar with speaking, culture and daily practice — and studying at Siena on the MAECI language grant can be possible.

Student life in Siena

Siena is among Tuscany’s most beautiful medieval cities — the famous Palio, the Piazza del Campo, the preserved architecture. With its two universities (the University of Siena and the University for Foreigners) the city holds a lively student population, and Florence’s closeness eases the cultural excursions. Life in Siena is calm but intellectually rich, wrapped in history and beauty; the costs balanced beside the metropolises, and the international students making good ground for Italian practice. Learning Italian in Siena means experiencing the language by immersion, in Tuscany’s cultural air.

The CILS certificate and Siena

The University for Foreigners of Siena is the official home of the CILS — the certificate measuring your Italian from A1 to C2, among the most widespread there is, accepted broadly by Italian universities and institutions. Studying in Siena, preparing for and sitting the CILS certifies the level reached — valuable in the university and scholarship applications. The certificates in detail are on our CILS/CELI/PLIDA page; Siena offers the language learning and the official certificate as one dependable solution.

Notes for Turkish students

For the Turkish student learning Italian, the University for Foreigners of Siena is the strong alternative beside Perugia: the specialised teaching, the CILS at home, and Tuscany’s cultural wealth. Weigh studying there on the MAECI language grant and certify your level with the CILS; for life in Tuscany and the DSU provision, the DSU Toscana pages help. For anyone heading into Italian teaching or linguistics, Siena’s academic programmes are the extra advantage — a valuable option for the language and the culture experienced together.

Siena and Tuscan culture

Siena sits at Tuscany’s heart, full of Renaissance and medieval inheritance — the world-famous Piazza del Campo, the historic Palio, the graceful architecture, a cultural setting of unusual richness. Tuscany counts, besides, as the “cradle” of the Italian language: standard Italian’s roots run to this region, which lends learning Italian in Siena a meaning of its own. The city’s calm, intellectual air is ideal for immersion in the language and the culture; to learn Italian in Siena is to experience the language at its historic and cultural origin, woven with Tuscany’s beauty — efficient and unforgettable at once.

The linguistics and teaching road

What sets the University for Foreigners of Siena apart: beyond teaching Italian, it runs academic programmes in Italian teaching (teaching Italian as a foreign language) and linguistics — a particular opening for the student who aims not just to learn the language but to teach it, or to research in linguistics. Specialising in those fields, Siena grounds you strongly; the language learning can turn into a career road outright. That academic depth makes Siena less a language school than a serious centre of education in Italian and linguistics.

Practical tips

To take the most from Siena: attend regularly, and join the city’s cultural life besides — the museums, the events and the local community are all language practice. Plan the accommodation early; Siena being mid-sized, the options reward early attention. Learn the CILS calendar and prepare against it, and settle the MAECI grant’s conditions if you arrive on it. Florence’s closeness makes the weekend trips easy. The practical groundwork keeps the Siena experience efficient and enjoyable — the city used as school and life at once.

From the course to the full degree

Learning Italian in Siena is usually the start of a longer Italian journey. The level reached, certified with the CILS, can meet the language requirement for a bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate; moving to a full degree in Siena or at Tuscany’s other universities (Florence, Pisa) is entirely possible. The Italian experience, the academic network and the cultural fit banked in the course period strengthen the applications after. Treating the Siena language stint as the first rung of a long Italian education plan is what takes its highest value — and lays the ground for what follows.

A short checklist

• Choose the course or programme fitting your level
• Interested? Examine the linguistics/teaching programmes
• Learn the CILS exam calendar and prepare
• Plan the accommodation and living costs in advance
• Use Tuscany’s cultural life as language practice

Frequently asked questions