Astudy: the number of young people choosing Italia for their studies abroad has risen by 75%

A total of 100 foreign secondary school students will choose Italia for a study abroad experience. Ahead of the start of the next academic year, enrolments have risen by 75 per cent compared with 2025/2026. This trend confirms the growing international interest in Italia, not only as a tourist destination but also as a place to enjoy an authentic educational and cultural experience. Students choose Italy to immerse themselves in the Italian language and culture, to attend a local school and to experience first-hand its unique way of life, from the central role of the family to the richness of its historical, artistic and cultural heritage

These are young people aged between 15 and 18 from the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and numerous European countries, who will spend a period ranging from around six weeks to ten months attending an Italian secondary school and living with a host family.

Astudy, an Italian organisation specialising in guidance and the organisation of educational programmes, stands out worldwide precisely because of its approach to hosting students with carefully selected host families. Unlike campus-based programmes, this model guarantees students total linguistic and cultural immersion, as well as significant personal development, within a safe environment.
With the start of the new academic year in September approaching, the selection process for Italian host families willing to accommodate foreign students is already well underway. However, Astudy is constantly on the lookout for new families across Italia who are ready to open their homes to share a cultural exchange experience lasting from six weeks to a full academic year.

“Italia continues to attract students from all over the world because it offers an experience that goes far beyond simply attending school,” says Beate Lenzbauer, Country Manager at Astudy – “Our model is based on perfect reciprocity: we apply the same rigorous standards and selection criteria both to foreign students hosted in Italia and to Italian students travelling abroad. Living with a host family isn’t just about having a place to sleep; it’s about finding a second home in the world. Unlike on a campus, where students tend to form groups with international peers and often speak their own mother tongue, living with a host family forces them to step out of their comfort zone, accelerating their personal growth and giving them emotional bonds that last a lifetime. Hospitality also becomes an opportunity for growth for Italian families, who can engage with different cultures, broaden their horizons and offer their children an international experience without leaving home.”

Astudy is part of the international Educatius group, a world leader in study abroad programmes, with over 20 years’ experience and managing 15,000 students a year across 60 countries worldwide. For this very reason, the organisation is able to develop structured selection and management programmes for both students and host families, through dedicated tutors who, in every single country, oversee the entire process step by step. This is a model of constant support and monitoring that comes into play not only when international students arrive in Italia, but also when Italian students decide to study abroad, as they can rely on a designated tutor based locally in their destination country.