Pre-Departure with Marist Italy

What is Pre-Departure?

Pre-departure is a term that encompasses the period before students attend their abroad program. Pre-departure with Marist Italy takes place primarily online. Students have access to resources, documents, and learning material through a pre-departure website. First-year students are invited to an Orientation on the Poughkeepsie campus, which is scheduled for mid-June. All Marist Italy students will receive bi-weekly Marist Monday Newsletters. Marist Italy students will be assigned a Coordinator that will guide students through the pre-departure process. The Marist Italy staff is here to prepare students for: Italian student visas, health and wellness, packing suggestions, academic registration, cultural adjustment, travel tips, safety information, traveling to Italy, and more.

Once students have been accepted to their Marist Italy program and have sent in their deposit and enrollment form, they will be granted access to the pre-departure website. The Marist Italy Coordinator will send a welcome email with instructions on how to log-in to the website.

Passports

All Marist Italy students, are required to have a valid passport. The passport should be valid at least 6 months after their program end date. Ideally, students should have their passport ready by the beginning of May in order to start the visa process. 

To apply or renew a US passport, please visit travel.state.gov

If a student has citizenship outside the US, they should contact their embassy in order to apply or renew their passport if necessary.

The Italian Student Visa

Marist Italy students are required to have an Italian student visa. Students that have EU citizenship do not need to apply for a student visa. Marist Italy offers a unique service to its students by arranging a “Group Visa Appointment,” where a staff member represents the students at the New York Consulate during the month of June. Students do not need to be present at this appointment. Students are eligible for the Group Visa Appointment if they are:

• 18 years of age by the date of the visa appointment
• have a valid US passport
• are living with Marist Italy housing
• can surrender their passport for 4-8 weeks
• can submit the required visa documentation by the due date listed on the pre-departure website.

If students cannot participate in the Group Visa Appointment, they must schedule an individual visa appointment at the proper consulate in their regional jurisdiction. Marist Italy will provide students with proper documentation required from the College.

Each US Italian Consulate has its own requirements for a student visa; however, generally, students are required to submit:

• Valid US Passport
• Passport style photograph
• 4-page visa application
• Color copy of the data page of passport
• Color copy of a license or state ID card
• Bank letter of financial soundness

Students that are not citizens of the US or the EU will work with the Italian Consulate in their country to obtain a student visa. The visa application materials vary from country to country. Marist Italy will provide students with proper documentation required from the College.

Academics

Pre-departure also covers the academic policies, manuals, and catalogs that students should become familiar with prior to their program start date. Students will receive information on how to sign up for classes during the pre-departure process.