For information on Air Fare Options, please click here.
COSTS
Tuition Fee
Both FACS 2800 and FACS 3800 are six-credit courses. Your tuition fee will be equal to the cost of any six-credit course you would enroll in on campus and will be payable to York University’s Office of Student Financial Services. Check the York’s Fee Table for up-to-date information.
Program Fee
The program fee is currently pegged at $3500.00. This is the fee you pay to cover the costs of mounting the course in Rome. The program fee includes accommodation from 1-27 June 2008 (with breakfast and regular housekeeping), museum/gallery/site entrances and tickets to performance events associated with the course, guest presentations, and field trip travel costs. This fee is payable to York International, the office that oversees study abroad courses. (The office can be contacted in person at 108 Vanier College, by telephone at 416-736-5177, or via the website at http://international.yorku.ca)
Airfare
For these courses, you should book your flights to Rome and back on an individual basis. The cost of your return ticket will depend on how well you shop, how early you book, and how late into the high season you stay in Europe. However, I am estimating a cost of about $1100.00. All students enrolled in the course will be eligible for a York International Mobility Award to defray the cost of airfare. Generally, this covers 80-85% of the total price of your return ticket. Watch this page for more details.
Booking Flights
You are advised to book your return ticket individually to allow you the option of arriving in Europe early or staying on after the course ends should you want to do additional travelling. Alternatively, you may want to book your ticket so that you are travelling with one or more students also enrolled in the courses. A meeting will be held in February for all students who have paid the deposit fee by 1 February 2008 so that you can get to know each other and, among other things, consider this option.
Every student enrolled in FACS 2800 or FACS 3800 is responsible for booking his/her own air ticket. However, group options are available and are typically somewhat less expensive than booking on an individual basis. Generally, a minimum of ten students is required for a group booking. Whether you book individually or as a group, the longer you wait to book your flight, the more costly it is likely to be.
The reasonably-priced options listed below are available as of Wednesday, 12 March 2008. Please keep in mind that this list is not complete and is subject to change; take it as a reference rather than as gospel! You are welcome to seek out other options, especially if you wish to arrive overseas early or stay on after the course ends.
Note: If you are interested in any of the options listed below via Expedia (an online flight booking service at www.expedia.ca), please move quickly as the prices on this site fluctuate frequently.
A piece of advice. Unless you need to return to Toronto immediately, try to avoid booking your return ticket on Saturday, 28 June. A day to wind down after the course ends is recommended, either in Rome or nearby. Also, there is an end-of-course banquet planned for Friday night, 27 June so please don’t make travel plans until Saturday morning at the earliest.
Zoom
Travel Cuts is offering a round trip fare on Zoom, direct from Toronto to Rome as follows:
Depart Saturday, 31 May 2008; return Sunday, 29 June 2008: $1050.00 including all taxes and fees.
The price quoted above is a group rate for students but you may be able to come close to matching it even when booking on an individual basis as Zoom offers a student discount on its flights. If you’re interested in exploring this option, please contact Michelle Wattley in the Travel Cuts office on campus in York Lanes. Michelle’s contact information: mwattley@travelcutsw.com or 416-661-0661 x 226.
For your reference, the following Zoom option appeared today on the Expedia website:
Depart Saturday, 31 May 2008; return Sunday, 29 June 2008: $1080.00 including all taxes and fees.
Note: Book by 15 April 2008 and receive a $100.00 discount on your ticket price.
Air Transat
Air Transat is a charter airline which offers a student discount on its flights to Europe. Again, Michelle Wattley at Travel Cuts can assist you in obtaining a quote for a return flight to Rome.
SkyService
Like Air Transat, Skyservice is a charter airline that flies to Rome from Toronto, sometimes direct, other times with one stop on Italian soil. Currently, Skyservice is offering round trip fares as follows:
Depart Saturday, 31 May 2008; return Sunday, 29 June 2008: $1117.00 including all taxes and fees.
or
Depart Saturday, 31 May 2008; return Monday, 30 June 2008: $1097.00 including all taxes and fees.
The outbound flight includes a short stop in Venice (and you remain on the plane); the return flight is direct from Rome to Toronto.
Skyservice flights may be booked through The Flight Centre, which has many locations across Toronto, among several other travel agencies.
Note: As of early April, some agencies booking Skyservice flights have dropped the price of a round-trip ticket.
Air France
Air France has a “special fare” currently offered through Expedia as follows:
Depart Saturday, 31 May 2008; return Monday, 30 June 2008: $1043.00 including all taxes and fees.
If you book this option, you must change planes in both directions in Paris.
Alitalia
For mid-week departure and return dates, Alitalia is currently offering a return fare of $1058.10. Visit the website at www.alitalia.ca or call 1-800-268-9277 to review the options and/or book a ticket.
Health Insurance
You must have valid health insurance coverage for the duration of the course. Again, the cost will depend on who you purchase the insurance through and how long you purchase it for. (If you are staying on in Europe, you’ll need it for a period beyond the four weeks of the course.) On campus, Travel Cuts provides health insurance for students enrolled in courses through York International.
Other Costs
While living in Rome for the duration of the course, you will need to cover lunch and most dinner costs, daily travel within Rome, and personal needs (including pocket money) separately. Although Rome is in many ways an expensive city, eating well yet cheaply is possible and a list of eateries that fit the bill in our home rione (neighbourhood) will be provided. A bus/tram/subway ticket is only 1 euro and can be used repeatedly within 90 minutes. Depending on your tastes and lifestyle, a budget of $30.00-$50.00 a day is suggested.
Note
Please note that amounts indicated above are estimates only. It is the responsibility of students to determine actual individual costs.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
Applicants are required to submit the following items to the York International by 1 February 2008:
- The York University Study Abroad Application Form. (This form is available at York International, 108 Vanier College and in the Fine Arts Cultural Studies office, 322 Goldfarb Centre for Fine Arts.)
- A Program Fee Deposit of $500.00. (For more information, see PAYMENT, below.)
- A Statement of Interest and Experience (one page). Your statement should indicate why you want to participate in this study abroad opportunity and outline the study/travel/ work experience that you’ve already had, if any, that might support your experience in Rome.
PAYMENT PROCEDURE
Program Fee DepositA certified cheque or money order made out to YORK UNIVERSITY in the amount of $500.00 is to be submitted along with your Application Form and Statement of Interest and Experience to York International by 1 February 2008. Cash or personal cheques will not be accepted. Once a student is accepted into the course, the program fee deposit becomes NON-REFUNDABLE. If a student is not accepted into the program, his/her certified cheque or money order will be returned. It is the responsibility of the student to return the item to the point of purchase for refund.
Program Fee Balance
A Certified Cheque or Money Order made out to YORK UNIVERSITY in the amount of $3000.00 is to be submitted to York International no later than 1 April 2008. Cash or personal cheques will not be accepted. The program fee balance is NON-REFUNDABLE.
COURSE ENROLLMENT
All students who have been accepted into FACS 2800B or FACS 3800B will need to enroll online as for any other York University course. You may do this once you have received your summer enrollment date from the Office of the Registrar. Because the courses are limited to those who have been accepted, you need not “compete” for a spot. Just follow the steps below.
Step 1: Contact Jennifer Malisani FACS Program Assistant, either in person (322 Goldfarb Centre for Fine Arts) or by telephone (416-736-2100 x 70668) to indicate that you now wish to enroll online. Do not send her an email.
Step 2: Jennifer will mount a permission on your file that will give you access to enroll in FACS 2800B or FACS 3800B. She will then contact you via email to confirm that you may proceed with your enrollment.
Step 3: Enroll online as you would for any other York University course.
Please contact Jennifer in person, via telephone, or via email (jmalisan@yorku.ca) should you have questions or require more information about the enrollment process.
DISCLAIMER
Every attempt has been made to ensure the information contained here is valid. However, Fine Arts Cultural Studies and/or York International reserve the right to make changes, corrections and/or improvements at any time and without notice. Please also take note that at any time programs may be altered or cancelled. Please refer to the York International website (http://international.yorku.ca) or contact York International for more details.
Banner Image
Romulus and Remus Suckled by the She-Wolf. Detail of the mosaic floor in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Milan, designed by Giuseppe Mengoni and completed in 1877. Photo: Giovanni Dall'Orto, © 2007. For more information on Romulus and Remus, the mythological founders of Rome, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romulus_and_Remus.