Safety and travel

Keeping informed before departure

Between now and your departure, it is your responsibility to stay informed about developments in the country/countries where you will spend time (including any countries you'll visit that are not part of your study abroad program's itinerary).  You can access the U.S. Department of State’s Web page for information about the country/countries where your program will take you. 

On that page you will find three different types of information: Country Information Sheets, Travel Alerts, and Travel Warnings.  This information is updated based on current events worldwide.  According to the Department of State...

• Country Information Sheets are issued as a matter of course, and are available for every country of the world.  They include such information as location of the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in that country, unusual immigration practices, health conditions, minor political disturbances, unusual currency and entry regulations, crime and security information, and drug penalties.
• Travel Alerts are issued as required, and are a means to disseminate information about terrorist threats and other relatively short-term and/or transnational conditions posing significant risks to the security of U.S. travelers.
• Travel Warnings are issued when the Department of State decides based on all relevant information, to recommend that Americans avoid travel to a certain country.

We ask that you read this information carefully before you depart the United States.  Please feel free to call the Office of Study Abroad if you have any questions or concerns regarding the information on this site.  OSA will notify you of any updates while you are abroad.