Transform Your First Year with Journey to Italy!

The Â鶹´«Ã½ Journey Honors College invites you to be a part of our new study abroad program that combines academic excellence with international exploration. The Journey to Italy program will take flight in Fall 2025, with the first freshmen cohort exploring the historic streets and cultural richness of Montepulciano, Italy. 

Using the completely renovated former-Medici castle in Montepulciano as our home base, students will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to explore all the cultural richness Italy has to offer. This is your chance to gain global experience, make lifelong memories, and become the kind of student who doesn’t just learn about the world – you live it! 

Application deadline: February 1, 2026. 

 

Program Overview

Take Off from Atlanta, Touch Down in Rome

As part of Â鶹´«Ã½y's commitment to global education, Journey to Italy offers a select group of students the opportunity to dive into their honors education with an expense-paid trip to Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s international learning center in Montepulciano, Italy.  Learn more about each semester below.

 

atlanta

Fall Semester

Students will start their adventure on the Â鶹´«Ã½y campus, adjacent to the vibrant global city of Atlanta, where the fall semester Honors 1100 course will focus on building essential skills for today’s global world. 
italy study abroad program

Spring Semester

In the spring semester, students will dive deeper into their global education with an all-expense paid spring break trip to Italy. Students will fly nonstop from Atlanta into the ancient city of Rome where they will have an opportunity to walk where gladiators once stood in the Colosseum, tour the Roman Forum like the emperors, and experience one of the world's most holy places in Vatican City.

From Rome, students will be transported through the stunning Val d'Orcia - a 2004 UNESCO World Heritage Site - to their home base in Montepulciano 
 
This unforgettable experience is rooted in Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s 25-year relationship with Montepulciano, a stunning hilltop town in the heart of beautiful Tuscany. Airfare, ground transportation, lodging, and excursions will be covered for program participants!  

 

 

Experience Montepulciano

Imagine walking medieval cobblestone streets, sipping espresso in a hilltop piazza, and discussing philosophy in a renovated Medici castle.

 

Montepulciano isn’t just your classroom—it’s your adventure. With sweeping Tuscan views, rich history, and immersive experiences, this is learning redefined. 

Learn more about Â鶹´«Ã½ abroad in Italy! 

italy study abroad program

 

 

Program Benefits

  • Take your classroom global in a stunning, centuries-old fortress turned international campus.
  • Experience Italian culture firsthand with excursions to surrounding towns, scenic countryside, and cultural landmarks while building lifelong memories with your cohort. 
  • Out-of-state students are eligible for a renewable out-of-state tuition waiver that reduces the cost of Â鶹´«Ã½ tuition. Learn more about tuition waivers here. 
  • Airfare, ground transportation, lodging, and excursions are covered for program participants.  
  • Enjoy all the benefits of the Â鶹´«Ã½ Journey Honors College; including, priority registration, access to Honors lounges, and scholarship opportunities.  

 

 

journey to italy study abroad program

 

 

How to Apply

Journey to Italy is open to first-year students of any undergraduate major accepted on or before February 1, 2026, into the Â鶹´«Ã½ Journey Honors College.  

  • STEP 1: Review all the criteria and eligibility to participate in the Journey to Italy Cohort (JTI).
  • STEP 2: On your Â鶹´«Ã½y Application, indicate interest in the Â鶹´«Ã½ Journey Honors College. Complete all related questions in the Â鶹´«Ã½ Journey Honors College tab of the application and indicate interest in the Journey to Italy Cohort.
  • STEP 3: Complete the essay prompt.

 

IMPORTANT DEADLINES

  • For JTI consideration, you must be accepted to both Â鶹´«Ã½y and Â鶹´«Ã½ Journey Honors College on or before February 1, 2026.
  • Students accepted to Â鶹´«Ã½y and Â鶹´«Ã½ Journey Honors College after February 1 will not be considered for the JTI Cohort. 
  • We recommend students apply to Â鶹´«Ã½y and the Journey Honors College by the priority deadline of November 1, 2025.

 

HONORS INTERVIEW DAY

  • Top JTI applicants will be invited to attend Honors Interview Day where they will interview for one of the Fall 2026 JTI Cohort seats.

 

APPLY NOW

APPLY TO Â鶹´«Ã½ AND HONORS VIA COMMONAPP

 

Already accepted to Kennesaw State?

Apply for Â鶹´«Ã½ Journey Honors College and the Journey to Italy Cohort below. 

APPLY TO Â鶹´«Ã½ JOURNEY HONORS COLLEGE