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Health & Safety

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Health & Safety

Students' health and safety abroad is Education Abroad's number one priority. We are continuously assessing the safety and security situation for our program sites and take seriously the provision of pre-departure resources that include information on how to assess and address health, safety, security issues, potential risks, and appropriate emergency responses during their program. See the resources below for more information.

To contact us in an emergency outside of office hours, call +1 (303) 653-1671.

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Health & Wellness
» Health Disclosure & Accommodations
» Health Insurance
» Taking Medications Abroad
» Doctors' Visits & Vaccinations
» Mental Health
» Sexual Health & Safety

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Safety & Security
» Top Safety Considerations
» Independent Travel & STEP Enrollment
» Drugs & Alcohol
» What to Do in an Emergency
» Ed Abroad's Role in Your Health & Safety
» Travel Health & Safety Resources

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Program Policies
» Assessment of Education Abroad Programs
» Student Eligibility
» Student Conduct
» Sample Contracts
» Withdrawing From Your Program

Health & Safety Notices

The U.S. State Department issued a Worldwide Caution notification on Thursday, October 19th due to increased tensions around the world. It did not single out a specific event or region. 
 
Students should use this alert as a reminder to following best practices for staying safe and healthy while abroad. Examples of these include:  
  
  • Stay informed about local news, follow local authorities’ instructions, and avoid protests and demonstrations.  
  • Follow all guidance issued by your program and connect with your program staff with any questions or concerns. 
  • Update your on-site program staff and Department of State STEP registration to include any independent travel plans. 
  • Keep an eye out for emails from International SOS's TravelTracker service, which provides real-time updates on potential health, safety, and security risks that may arise in your host city. 
  • Be flexible – occasionally protests can impact public transportation availability, scheduled class or program excursions, airport operations causing flight cancellations/changes, etc. Stay in touch with your on-site program staff and monitor your main communication channels for potential updates/changes to scheduled events.  
Education Abroad will continue to monitor the safety and security of all locations where we operate programs and will keep students updated should recommendations change. 

To learn more about how Education Abroad continuously monitors and assesses the safety and security situation of all our program sites, see our Assessment of Education Abroad Programs page. If you have any additional questions, please contact your Education Abroad program manager. 

Last updated 10/19/2023

Health & Safety FAQs

See our Assessment of Education Abroad Programs page for details on how we monitor health, safety, and security risks for our locations around the world, how these assessments inform our programming decisions, and what would happen should CU Boulder make the decision to suspend a program.
 
EA takes very seriously the role of preparing students for their time abroad. Students are required to attend pre-departure orientations, familiarize themselves with extensive resources guides, including the Accepted Student Guide, and attend on-site orientation after they arrive.

Additionally, for students participating in CU Boulder Education Abroad programs and for those registered in the International Travel Registry, Education Abroad does the following:
 
  1. Provides access to country-specific information including the United States Department of State’s International Travel page, Consular Information Sheets, and International SOS reports which provide basic health and safety information that we want and expect students to know.
  2. Gives students information on registering their trip with the US Department of State’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). STEP registration allows the appropriate embassy to send information about safety conditions in the destination country and helps the U.S. embassy to contact students in an emergency.
  3. Enrolls students in the Education Abroad international insurance policy.
  4. Registers students in International SOS's TravelTracker service, which provides real-time updates on potential health, safety, and security risks that may arise while the student is on-site.
At the same time, this is necessarily a collaborative process. Ed Abroad can provide students with resources and advice, but students are ultimately responsible for their own actions in maintaining their health and safety, and for reviewing and following this guidance to keep themselves safe and healthy while abroad.
 

If you have a life- or limb-threatening emergency, you should always contact the local emergency response system first. You will be provided with emergency contact info for your program, including the 911 equivalent in your host country.

For non-life-threatening emergencies, your first point of contact should be your on-site staff, as they are in the best position to provide immediate help, whether that be accompanying you to the doctor, reporting a theft, or helping you replace a lost passport. International SOS can also provide you further support (+1-215-942-8478 - when calling, reference member ID 11BCAS000006).

See our What to Do in an Emergency page of the Accepted Student Guide for more information.

 

There are several resources designed specifically for travelers who want to receive pertinent updates. We recommend the following:

 


Last updated May 2023
"Across Sands" in Morocco, photo by Kristy Gustafson