Thirty years with Arkansas
CIMBA and the University of Arkansas have worked together for three decades, making this the longest-running program taking Walton students abroad.
30years partnering with the University of Arkansas, the longest-running Walton program abroad
6credit hours in four weeks, timed so students are home for most internships
Allmajors and years welcome. The roots are in Walton, the door is open to every UA student
Why families trust it
A partnership thirty years in the making.
CIMBA and Arkansas share a long relationship between two institutions, with Walton faculty involved at every step.
The same Walton faculty, year after year
Arkansas professors return to Paderno del Grappa every summer, so families and students deal with people who know the program and know each other.
We carry the administrative load
Walton faculty lead the information sessions, the application hackathon, the parent Q&A, and the April pre-departure session with past students, so your student is never figuring out the paperwork alone.
Your Arkansas team
Arkansas faculty are on the ground in Italy.
Four Walton faculty teach at CIMBA each summer and are on site with students in Paderno del Grappa. Your student may take classes with them or with faculty from other CIMBA consortium universities, but the Arkansas team is there either way, and they are the people to email with any question before, during, and after the program.
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Dr. Molly Rapert
Associate Professor and Director of the Walton Center for Teaching Excellence. 26+ summers at CIMBA.
mrapert@walton.uark.edu -
Dr. Kim Petrone
Teaching Associate Professor. 10+ summers at CIMBA.
kpetrone@walton.uark.edu -
Dr. Jenni Dinger
Teaching Assistant Professor and a former CIMBA student herself. 3+ summers as faculty.
jdinger@walton.uark.edu -
Dr. Sarah Grace
Teaching Assistant Professor. 3+ summers at CIMBA.
sgrace@walton.uark.edu
A US business school standard, taught in English
Since it started in 1992, CIMBA has run in partnership with a US institution accredited by AACSB, the leading accreditor of business schools (currently the University of Iowa). Classes are taught by faculty from a consortium of US universities who are native English speakers. The one exception is the Italy Live course, which teaches Italian language and local culture and is led by long-serving instructors appointed through the University of Iowa. Michela Marin has taught it at CIMBA for more than 20 years.
Independence, with a safety net
Students plan their own travel. But they never do it alone.
International travel is a core part of study abroad. Navigating train and ferry schedules, subway maps, transportation strikes, language barriers, and group dynamics builds problem-solving skills students rarely face in Fayetteville. CIMBA encourages students to plan their own weekends and backs them with real support.
What that support looks like
- Before they leave. Pre-departure meetings cover booking the first flight to Venice.
- When they arrive. Travel orientations on campus prepare students for their first weekends out.
- While they travel. CIMBA staff record every student’s weekend travel plans, so students are accounted for at all times.
- When plans fall apart. It is not unusual for staff to pick up a student whose flight was delayed from the train station late at night, track down lost luggage, or guide students back to campus when a train breaks down hours away.
On-site staff and additional faculty give students independence with an institutional safety net.
A calm home base
After a weekend in Rome, Florence, Paris, or Barcelona, students often tell us how relieved they are to be back in the small town of Paderno del Grappa. They settle back into a rhythm with locals, glimpse the Dolomite peaks, and recharge before a week of focused academics.
The campus has an on-site cafeteria, a gym, indoor and outdoor gathering spaces, and classrooms. Professors sometimes invite students to look out the window and watch the paragliders drift down from the sky.
Class, but make it Italy
The classroom is surrounded by real companies.
CIMBA sits among the headquarters and factories of hundreds of companies in apparel, housewares, motorsports safety gear, lighting, food and beverage, outdoor recreation, hospitality, and more. Each summer class meets for a three-hour afternoon session every week, which leaves room for in-depth site visits. Because CIMBA has offered an MBA for more than 30 years, many executives at nearby firms are CIMBA alumni, and they are eager to work with students.
In one recent Introduction to Marketing class, students watched a professional Adriatic cycling race speed past the dorm windows. The next week they toured the Alpinestars headquarters in nearby Asolo to see product development and safety testing. The week after, the chief marketing officer of Sidi Sport, a direct competitor, visited campus to talk about brand assets. Students left with a 360-degree view of an industry, and the same relationships feed in-class client consulting projects.
What it costs, and what that covers.
CIMBA describes its fee as all-inclusive, with no hidden costs. These are the rates CIMBA currently publishes for undergraduates.
Summer · 4 weeks
$6,998
- Tuition
- $4,200
- Room & board
- $2,368
- Student fees
- $430
Semester · 12 weeks
$17,655
- Tuition
- $9,655
- Room & board
- $7,050
- Student fees
- $950
Included
- Tuition and coursework (6 credit hours in summer)
- Double-occupancy campus housing, with housecleaning and laundry
- Breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the campus cafeteria
- Textbook rental and linens
- CISI international travel and medical insurance
- Bus transfers at the start and end of the program
- A gourmet Italian dinner, cultural activities, and Leadership Institute programming
Not included
- Airfare
- Independent weekend travel around Europe
- Personal spending and passport fees
- Any study abroad fee charged by the student’s home university
- Minor incidentals and activity fees
- The $40 non-refundable CIMBA application fee
Parent FAQ
Where will my student live?
On CIMBA’s own campus in Paderno del Grappa, a small town in northern Italy, in double-occupancy rooms. Housecleaning and laundry service are included. Students share the campus with Italian university students, so it feels like a real place rather than a tour stop. Past students say the campus feels like home within days.
What about meals?
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served in the campus cafeteria and are part of the program fee. The program also includes a gourmet Italian dinner, and students can join CIMBA-offered activities like pizza and tiramisu making.
Is my student covered if they get sick or hurt?
CISI international travel and medical insurance is included in the program fee. Health and safety, travel logistics, and what to expect on the ground are covered at the mandatory pre-departure session each April, and CIMBA runs a travel-tips meeting in the first week on campus. For specifics on emergency procedures and on-site staff, email any of us or ask CIMBA directly.
Who is looking out for my student while they are there?
Arkansas faculty are on site in Paderno del Grappa, teaching summer courses alongside CIMBA’s own on-site staff, who record weekend travel plans, pick students up when trips go wrong, and run travel orientations on arrival. Students also arrive with a group of Arkansas classmates, and past students describe CIMBA as a family.
What do students do on weekends? Is anyone keeping track?
Weekends are free time. Students travel in small groups they plan themselves, anywhere from the nearby towns of Asolo and Bassano to Venice, Florence, Paris, or Budapest, and they reconvene on campus Sunday nights to swap stories. CIMBA staff record every student’s weekend travel plans, so students are accounted for at all times, and staff have picked up delayed travelers at the train station late at night. Weekend travel is not part of the program fee, and a travel and flight seminar has been offered to help students who have never booked airfare or traveled in Europe.
Will the classes count toward my student’s degree?
Yes, when students follow the process. They choose at least four CIMBA classes and submit a DICE form so their Arkansas academic advisor approves them in advance. Our Class Finder shows how each class is expected to transfer by major, and the application guide walks through every deadline.
How much academic work is it?
Real work, in a short time. Students earn 6 credit hours in four weeks, and each professor assigns about three hours of pre-course work before departure. Classes include field trips and corporate visits, so much of the learning happens outside the classroom.
How do students get there, and what should they pack?
Students book their own flights, and CIMBA provides bus transfers at the start and end of the program. Past students’ top packing advice: pack in layers, pack light, bring a daypack that works for class and weekend trips, and remember you will be walking a lot. Anything forgotten can be bought in Paderno or nearby Castelfranco and Bassano.
Can we ask questions before we commit?
Yes. We host an online Q&A for parents and students each fall, and former CIMBA students help at the application hackathon. Once your student is enrolled, an April pre-departure session run by past students with faculty on hand covers luggage, phones, technology, travel weekends, campus, classes, food, and dorms. Follow @cimbamolly for dates.
How quickly do spots fill?
The Arkansas group is capped, and eligible students are accepted in the order they complete both applications. In recent years the Arkansas cohort has filled by the end of the fall semester, so applying early matters. See the application guide for the current steps.
Who should we contact?
For anything about the Arkansas process, including advising, forms, and study abroad scholarships, start at hogsabroad.uark.edu, where several advisors are available. For questions about CIMBA itself, the courses, or life in Paderno del Grappa, email any of the professors above.
