The American University of Rome

The American University of Rome prepares students to live and work across cultures as skilled and knowledgeable citizens of an interconnected and rapidly changing world. AUR is a private, independent, not-for-profit institution of higher education, primarily offering undergraduate liberal arts and professional programs to degree and study abroad students from around the world.

Taking the best of the American approach to interdisciplinary, student-centered learning, our international faculty and staff use Rome as our classroom and Italy and Europe as invaluable resources. AUR’s innovative programs promote intellectual excellence, personal growth and an appreciation of cultural diversity in an international environment.

The goals of The American University of Rome emanate from its culture of assessment and continuous improvement as it strives to be known as a leader among American international universities outside of the United States.

Primary among its goals is the quality of its liberal arts and professional academic programs, taught by a highly qualified international faculty and supported by advanced learning resources and technology so that student learning will reach the highest levels of excellence.

Enrollment and development plans seek to match an increasingly diverse student body to its caring, student-centered environment that broadens perspectives and enables communication across cultures through the curriculum, faculty scholarship, co-curricular activities and campus life.

The American University is a first choice university for degree students seeking an international learning experience through well-established programs and as a destination for study abroad students. AUR excels in international higher education working with renowned education institutions in the U.S. to provide a range of exciting and challenging programs that meet the needs of study abroad students and are fully integrated with their home programs.

Embodying a global breadth of vision in its work, The American University of Rome is firmly rooted in the local community, with strong links to Italian and European institutions. Its highly qualified faculty are active researchers with established or growing reputations and expert teachers using the best pedagogy to create the most effective learning environments.

Study abroad students return to their home institutions enriched and inspired by the distinctive AUR experience, while our graduates become globally conscious leaders and ambassadors for cross-cultural understanding.

The American University of Rome is one of Italy's oldest american degree granting institutions. The American University of Rome (AUR), founded in 1969 as an institution for study-abroad students, was incorporated in the District of Columbia in 1970, as a result of the work of David Colin, an American journalist who settled in Rome after World War II. Colin became an important figure in Rome’s literary and artistic circles and as American students and professors began visiting Rome, he was instrumental in fostering cultural exchange between young Americans and their Italian counterparts.

For nearly 25 years the University operated out of several locations in apartment buildings in the center of Rome, until it moved to its current location on the Janiculum hill in 1993.

AUR has been accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) since August 1992 and the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) since March 2010. It is also registered as a legal entity with the Rome Tribunal and authorized to operate in Italy by the Ministry of Universities and Scientific and Technological Research.

The American University of Rome is home to a highly diverse student body representing over forty countries on campus. We recently conducted a language survey and discovered 28 native languages amongst our faculty and students - although all teaching is conducted in English. In reflection of this eclectic student body, our professors respect and draw from different points of view, ideas, and real-world experiences, enriching the dialogue within the classroom. Moreover, both faculty and students bring to the table a diversity in perspective that contributes and supplements the clarrsoom experience.

Rome is our classroom. Our professors frequently complement their lessons with on-site visits around the city, using Rome as a classroom and guiding student through the richly layered experience that is Rome while highlighting its global context throughout the ages. Rome constantly conjures up vivid reminders of its glorious past as the city that built the greatest empire the world has ever known. With its sunny climate, stately umbrella pines, and an unparalleled wealth of history around every corner, Rome’s beauty quickly overtakes all who enter its ancient walls. A walk or bus ride through even the most commonplace quarters of the city yields encounters with innumerable monuments, towering pillars, and major imperial buildings that still stand imposingly just as they have for over 2,000 years.

One of the most effective ways of developing work skills and increasing job prospects is to undertake an internship. At your internship, you gain critical experience, build important connections, and see if you are a good fit for the organization. AUR undergraduate and graduate students all have the opportunity to undertake internships with organizations in their field. We have relationships with over 50 organizations, ranging from the local to the global. A remarkable 78% of the students at AUR have undertaken an internship, far above the U.S. national average of 50%. Even more notably, over a quarter of those students have participated in more than one internship, demonstrating the real value that these experiences have had on their time at university.