East Exit Program

East Exit Program

East Exit is a program of scholarships open to students of art in Eastern Europe. The program is a semester abroad dedicated to a large range of students' interests, and takes place in Spring & Fall terms (Spring semester runs February-May, Fall semester runs September-December).  Scholarships offered by the Siena Art Institute for East Exit students cover full tuition or 80% of the tuition expenses

Find more about the method of application on this page.

THE APPLICATION DEADLINE FOR THE EAST EXIT SCHOLARSHIPS: 

Nov 1st for the Spring semester and April 30th for the Fall semester. 

Page contents:

1. Who is eligible?

2. The Program – Description of Courses

3. Method of Application for an East Exit scholarship

4. Accommodation and additional expenses 

5. Become a partner in the East Exit program

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1. Who is eligible?

Eligible students are only those who are enrolled in the universities, faculties or academies that are partners in the East Exit project.

At this moment our partners are:

  • Faculty of Art and Design Megatrend, Belgrade, Serbia
  • Faculty of Fine Arts, University of St.Cyril and Methodius, Skopje, Macedonia
  • Academy of Music, Theatre and Fine Arts, Chisinau, Moldova
  • University Mediterranean, Podgorica, Montenegro
  • Faculty of Visual Arts, University of Arts, Tirana, Albania
  • Mikhaylo Boychuk Institute of Applied Arts and Design in Kyiv,  Ukraine

    For more information and interest in partnership, please contact us.

2. The program – description of courses

All students in the Siena Art Institute semester program are enrolled in the following two required courses:

  • Italian Language and Culture
  • Art and Society

In addition to the two required courses, students can select from among available elective courses:

  • Painting 
  • Digital Multimedia and Installation Art
  • Photography
  • Art History
  • Drawing
  • Sculpture Independent Study

(For more information, see course listings on the right)

In our standard program structure, students take 2 elective courses, although if their home university requires an additional third elective we are happy to accommodate.

All courses are held in English (with the exception of Italian Language and Culture) 

For more information, you can visit our webpages for information on our Faculty and Courses (see listing on the right).

The Siena Art Institute welcomes artists from all disciplines (painting, photography, drawing, video, ceramics, silversmithing, creative writing and more) who are interested in the intersection of art and civic life, and who wish to explore how our artistic projects can lead to a deeper understanding of the cultures in which we find ourselves.  

Our program is intentionally small, allowing students to receive a great deal of individual attention from our faculty to assist in your ongoing portfolio development.  Our small classes allow close collaboration between students and faculty.  The Siena Art Institute works in close contact with our partner programs such as the Siena School for Liberal Arts, granting our students unparalleled access to a variety of cultural resources and activities. 

We encourage our program participants to grow and learn during their time here through a wide range of exciting and innovative courses, as well as community-based art projects, internship opportunities, and cultural experiences.  The program allows students to strengthen their technical proficiency and creative vision, with a course of study combining the tutorial aspects of graduate school with the formal coursework of an advanced undergraduate program.

3. Method of Application for an East Exit scholarship

In order to apply you need to supply: 

  • 1. A Request Form for the East Exit Scholarship, providing your name, school name, area of study, year of study, contact information - address, telephone number, e-mail. (download form via link at bottom of the page)
  • 2. A Recommendation Letter from a faculty member in your school (maximum 1 page)
  • 3. A Letter of Motivation in English (maximum 1 page) 

                Your Letter of Motivation should address the following questions:

                -Why do you wish to join the Siena Art Institute semester program? 

                -What benefits do you see for your education as an artist? 

                -Why is a study abroad experience important to you?

  • 4. Portfolio of 10 works of your choice that best represent your artistic research (photograph, painting, drawing, sculpture, installation, video, audio) in formats JPG, Quick Time,  MP3, through any file sharing website (example: www.4shared.com). The total should not exceed 50Mb. 

Please send application materials as email attachments to: 

datanac@yahoo.com (Dejan Atanackovic, East Exit project coordinator)

For any additional information feel free to contact us.

4. Accommodation and additional expenses (cost information valid through Spring 2016 semester)

Your tuition is covered by your East Exit scholarship.  

The standard program fee for the Siena Art Institute program is €1000, but with the East Exit scholarship, this is reduced to a €400 program fee.    This program fee goes toward program expenses such as pick up upon arrival, two-day midterm excursion, extra-curricular events, medical visits assistance as needed, end of semester exhibition reception, official transcript issuing and shipping, final dinner.

In addition, you will need to pay the €500 course fee, which goes towards the cost of materials excursions, and other class activities.  You will still be responsible for paying for your own personal art materials for your personal studio projects.   

Some courses may include additional fee for special materials and optional fieldtrips. 

All students who are not EU citizens are obliged to obtain the Italian permit of stay, which costs €155

Please note: students are responsible for other costs including food, travel to and from Siena, 

The course fee includes initial sets of materials used for classes such as Italian Language, Digital Multimedia, Painting, and Photography, but students are responsible for the cost of additional art supplies for independent work and final projects.   

The set housing fee for the semester is €1,600 (with the East Exit scholarship discount) for a double room in a shared apartment. This means that you will be sharing a room with another student (of your same gender) in an apartment or student residence. This includes a shared kitchen (with basic pots and pans, etc), a shared bathroom, and bed linens provided.  

You are responsible for your own groceries and laundry. In terms of groceries, we recommend budgeting approximately €100-150 per month, if you are eating simple home-cooked meals.

Are there other housing options available?

Yes. Other housing options are available for a higher fee, such as a private room, or staying in a home-stay with a local Italian family.   You can contact us for more information.

5. Become a partner in the East Exit program

The scholarship program is offered only to those schools that are partners in the East Exit program. We are open to partnerships with schools and universities in Eastern Europe, based on an agreement that defines students right in credit transfer. 

(At the bottom of the page, you will find the link to download here a sample of an East Exit protocol on cooperation)

To become a partner in the East Exit program, please contact us at:

Former Recipients of the East Exit Scholarship:

  • Ana Cvijanovic, Faculty of Art and Design Megatrend, Belgrade, Serbia
  • Angelina Spirovska, Faculty of Fine Arts, University of St.Cyril and Methodius, Skopje, Macedonia
  • Anila Kondi, Faculty of Visual Arts, University of Arts, Tirana, Albania
  • Antonio Janevski, Faculty of Fine Arts, University of St.Cyril and Methodius, Skopje, Macedonia
  • Elena Cemerska, Faculty of Fine Arts, University of St.Cyril and Methodius, Skopje, Macedonia
  • Ilija Vukasovic,  University Mediterranean, Podgorica, Montenegro 
  • Ina Lajthia, Faculty of Visual Arts, University of Arts, Tirana, Albania
  • Ivana Mircevska, Faculty of Fine Arts, University of St.Cyril and Methodius, Skopje, Macedonia
  • Marina Lazic, Faculty of Art and Design Megatrend, Belgrade, Serbia
  • Marko Mujicic,  University Mediterranean, Podgorica, Montenegro
  • Traian Tecuci, Academy of Music, Theatre and Fine Arts, Chisinau, Moldova
  • Milos Gilic,  University Mediterranean, Podgorica, Montenegro
  • Eva Raspopovic,  University Mediterranean, Podgorica, Montenegro
  • Geralda Kacorri, Faculty of Visual Arts, University of Arts, Tirana, Albania

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