• What kind of housing is offered to students?

• What kind of orientation is held?

• What if a student arrives to Rome before the official move-in day?

• What medical facilities are available to students?

• Where can a student receive mail and packages?

• What is the Rome Center's phone number?

• Where can friends and family stay when visiting a student at the Rome Center?

• What kind of insurance is required while studying in Rome?

• Where can I find more information about the Rome Center?

What kind of housing is offered to students?

All students are housed in the residence area of the Rome Center unless they have specific written permission from the Associate Director of Student Life to live off-campus. This permission will be granted only to students who wish to live with immediate family (parents, siblings, grandparents) in Rome.

There is one exception to mandatory on-campus living: Rome Center residence halls cannot accommodate those students who will be accompanied by a spouse and/or children. It is the responsibility of such students to procure their own housing and to arrange for the schooling of their children.

What kind of orientation is held?

A pre-departure orientation session is held on Loyola-Chicago's Lake Shore Campus during the semester prior to a student's planned attendance at the Rome campus.  Non-Loyola students are welcome to attend, but it is not mandatory. 

Upon arrival in Rome for the semester, all students will participate in an orientation off campus.  The excursion offers an opportunity for the community of students to prepare for the busy semester to come, while getting to know one another.  For more information on the orientation, please view the schedule. 

Students who study at the Rome Center for the five week summer program have a one-day orientation on the weekend prior to the start of classes. 

What if a student arrives to Rome before the official move-in day?

Students may not move into their rooms on campus until the specified group arrival date each semester.  If students are traveling independently and arrive in Rome earlier than the official move-in date, they must themselves arrange their own accommodations elsewhere until they are allowed on campus.  Please check out this recommended list of hotels and hostels within walking distance of the Rome Center. 

What medical facilities are available to students?

The Rome Center offers on-campus consultation with an English-speaking Italian physician during two regularly scheduled hours each week during the fall and spring semester. The physician may examine students, write prescriptions, and/or recommend follow-up attention at private or state facilities in the area. He also may administer injections or, for a very modest fee, a registered nurse can come to the Rome Center at other times to do so. All student rooms are equipped with refrigerators in which medicines that need to be kept cold can be stored. The Rome Center also offers professional psychological support for its students by providing weekly visits to campus by an English-speaking Italian psychiatrist.  Students who take medication should either bring a personal supply or prescription information.  Students can get prescription medicine from pharmacies in Rome.  In cases requiring hospitalization, students are usually sent to the Gemelli Hospital. 

Where can a student receive mail and packages?

Every student is assigned a mailbox on campus where letters can be sent.  Fees levied on packages arriving in Italy from the States are based on the value of the contents determined by the Italian Post Office and customs regulations. The student must pay the customs' tax at the porter's desk before claiming it. Small packages generally arrive without problems and only a small service fee is charged. The U.S. Mail Service is the best way to send packages. FedEx, UPS or DHL are useful for documents or minute articles when speed is the main factor.  To send something directly to a student, the following address should be used:

Name of Student
Loyola University Chicago
John Felice Rome Center
Via Massimi, 114-A
00136 Rome, Italy

What is the Rome Center's phone number?

The local phone number for the Rome Center is 355-881. The international code for Europe is 011, the country code for Italy is 39 and the city code for Rome is 06. Thus the dialing procedure from the USA is 011-39-06-355-881. This number connects with the central switchboard 24 hours. If the hall extension desired is known, it may be dialed directly by dropping the final number "1" from the number above and replacing it with the three-digit extension.

To reach the Chicago Rome Center Office, please call 1-800-344-ROMA(7662)

Where can friends and family stay when visiting a student at the Rome Center?

If a student arrives in Rome before the official move-in day, or if guests would like to stay near the Rome Center, there are accommodations within walking distance of the Rome Center.  More information about these accommodations can be found here.  

What kind of insurance is required while studying in Rome?

Loyola University Chicago and the Italian government require students to have international medical insurance.

1.  INA Assitalia. This mandatory Italian State hospitalization insurance must be "purchased" in Rome within eight (8) days of arrival. In fact, the charge for this insurance is billed as part of the "Fees" on a student's statement. Once students arrive in Rome, Rome Center administration will facilitate the purchase of this insurance on their behalf. In the USA prior to departure, as part of the application process for the study visa, students may be asked to promise to purchase the Assitalia upon their arrival in Italy. Please bear in mind that Assitalia covers only hospitalization charges (not physicians' fees nor medication) and is valid for a period of six (6) months only for a public or state hospital within Italy.

2.  In addition, students must have international medical insurance to supplement the Assitalia and also to cover hospitalization and other expenses while traveling in countries outside of Italy. This can be through the parent's family-plan insurance, the student's health insurance coverage offered by his or her home school, or a short-term insurance offered by a provider that specializes in coverage for students of US institutions while studying abroad. There are minimal standards established by professional study abroad associations which the plan must meet:

• provision for pre-existing conditions;
• coverage for mental & nervous disorders (at least $5,000);
• overall medical benefits (at least $50,000 but $100,000 is recommended);
• emergency evacuation & repatriation (at least $7,500);
• and repatriation of remains (at least $10,000).

It is advised that students and their parents inform themselves thoroughly about the extent of their benefits and the conditions for collecting them from their insurance companies. Students' international medical insurance coverage must meet or exceed the minimal standards cited.

The current Loyola University Chicago Health Care Plan for Students is provided through United Health Care. It does provide for basic international coverage so it is not necessary for Loyola Chicago students on this plan who are attending the Rome Center to purchase additional international coverage. Many students' home institutions also offer international medical insurance plans in which they can or must participate, so visiting students should always check with their own Study Abroad Office prior to purchasing additional insurance.

The Loyola University Chicago plan is available both to Loyola students and to visiting students enrolling at the John Felice Rome Center.  But if supplemental insurance is needed, it must be purchased. Students must be able to prove current coverage by providing the Rome Center with a photocopy of the front and back of their insurance card. Students who are not covered by international medical insurance during their stay in Rome will not be allowed to continue their studies at the Rome Center.

Hospitals in Europe require a deposit upon entering a hospital and full payment of all bills upon release.  Students are directly responsible for all payments for hospitalization and medical care outside what is covered by the Assitalia.  Students should carry a credit card with which to pay their bills and should request from the hospital or physician an itemized bill to submit to their insurance company.  THE ROME CENTER WILL NOT PAY ANY HOSPITAL OR MEDICAL BILLS.     

Where can I find more information about the Rome Center?

• Read the student handbook. Prior to leaving for Rome, all students and families should review the student handbook.
• Attend an information session at Loyola University Chicago.
• E-mail: rome@luc.edu; or call: 1-800-344-ROMA.
• Stop by the Rome Center Office at Loyola University Chicago in Sullivan Center, Room 206.