Students planning on studying abroad this spring are responding to shifts in the visa process as the Italian Embassy reverts to its previous batch submission system.
The batch submission system allows universities to submit multiple student visa applications at once rather than requiring each student to schedule an individual appointment. Previously, students had to go through an individual submission process, making separate appointments and submitting applications one by one, a time-consuming and sometimes challenging system.
Many students who want to study abroad in Italy next semester face multiple challenges getting visas due to a change in the Italian Embassy's visa policy. Changes in the presidential administration prompted the Italian Embassy to revise its policy on Jan. 10 and required students to individually make visa appointments, a challenge other universities across the U.S. have also faced when sending students to Italy.
Students like Marley Hollister, a junior in the School of Communication, said that appointments filled up quickly, forcing her to change her study abroad destinations entirely. Initially, Hollister planned to go to John Cabot University in Rome with her roommates.
“I was all set to go, except I just couldn’t get a visa appointment,” Hollister said. After spending weeks looking for an appointment, Hollister received an email from AU Abroad encouraging students like her to look at different programs if they had yet to secure an appointment.
Like many AU students, Hollister intended to go abroad during the spring semester of her junior year. She is also graduating a semester early and did not want to spend her last semester at the University abroad.
Hollister decided to look into the study abroad program in Greece. She was required to rescind her acceptance to John Cabot to reapply to schools in Greece. The day she switched programs, AU sent one more follow-up email.
The email explained that the Italian embassy had changed its policy again and AU was now able to accept batch visa applications. Students could now cancel their appointments, if they had them, and send their information to AU Abroad directly.
Hollister had an optimistic outlook. She said that sometimes, things are meant to be. She decided to stick with Greece because the visa process seemed so much quicker.
Hollister said that while AU Abroad notified students as soon as possible, she felt the office’s focus on the worst-case scenario caused unnecessary panic and ultimately led her to change her program choice.
Ethan Merritt, the associate director of AU Abroad, explained the process in a statement to The Eagle.
“While AU Abroad provides general visa guidance to students for their study abroad program, it is a student’s responsibility to apply for and obtain the correct visa,” Merritt said.
He also shared that although they have been able to batch visas in the past, the application process is strictly set by the Italian Embassy and can change at any time.
“We are pleased that the Italian Embassy made the change they did, allowing us to again make the process easier for AU students through bulk group application submission,” Merritt said.
Camryn Petersen, a junior in SOC, was one of the few students who was able to get a visa appointment when the requirements changed, but her friends were not as lucky.
“I watched the appointments go away, and then, every single other person I knew could not get one,” Peterson said. “I think I was checking in the morning and at night for like, four to five weeks, zero appointments.”
Although she was able to secure her spot, Peterson had worried about going abroad alone. With the Italian Embassy returning to its batch submission system, her friends were able to submit their applications alongside hers, meaning they can all go to Rome together.
“I was super nervous because they’re my best friends, and I don’t want to go to Rome alone, you know? It just would have sucked,” Peterson said.
When the application process was revised again, she expressed her concern with trusting the new process.
“It was a little nerve wracking, because of all of these changes,” Peterson said. “I didn’t know if another change was gonna happen.”
Peterson said the emails felt confusing and unhelpful. She said that although they received multiple emails about the situation, they were all incredibly urgent so she didn’t know what to focus on.
Elizabeth Deal, assistant vice president and deputy chief communications officer, wrote in a statement to The Eagle that, as of November 2025, Italy was the only country that AU encountered visa challenges with.
“At this time, we are not aware of any ongoing visa challenges. Most students are able to secure their visas without difficulty. Our AU Abroad team draws on decades of experience and maintains close relationships with embassy staff to assist students whenever issues occur,” she said.
Despite the stress caused by the changes for students, AU Abroad is moving forward under the embassy’s revised policy. With bulk submissions restored, the process is expected to run smoothly for upcoming semesters. Although bulk submissions make things easier for schools, the embassy’s policies are still subject to change at any time
For Hollister, however, going abroad was always the priority.
“Experience means more than the program. I just have to make it happen,” she said.
This article was edited by Cara Halford, Abigail Hatting and Walker Whalen. Copy editing done by Sabine Kanter-Huchting, Emma Brown, Avery Grossman and Ava Stuzin.
