The Office of International Affairs is dedicated to providing access to a wide variety of education abroad opportunities to meet the needs of a diverse Ohio State student population. Study Abroad can take many forms -- programs managed through the Office of International Affairs or by Ohio State's professional colleges, internships, research, field work and service-learning. Maximizing the safety and well being of students, faculty and staff who travel abroad on official business is of utmost concern. This involves tracking student activity abroad, providing supplemental insurance, consultation on risk abatement and best practices for health and safety, orientation for students, faculty and staff, and creating mechanisms for both limiting severe incidents abroad and responding quickly and efficiently to incidents when they occur.

The Office of International Affairs monitors information relevant to the safety of students abroad, from official sources as well as domestic and international partners and colleagues. In addition to other sources of evidence of potential risk to students, primary consideration is given to Travel Warnings and Travel Alerts issued by the U.S. Department of State, as principal factors in determining whether the University will allow education abroad programs to run under its auspices. The basic premise from which we operate is that, except in special circumstances, Ohio State will not offer or support study abroad in countries that are under a State Department Travel Warning. Requests for exemptions on special circumstances are evaluated on a program-by-program basis through a process established by the Study Abroad Health and Safety Committee reporting to the provost.

In addition to looking to State Department travel advisories for guidance, the Office of International Affairs consults regularly with the education abroad professional community on international safety and security. Principal resources include the Forum on Education Abroad, the Study Abroad Directors’ group in the Committee for Institutional Cooperation, the Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC), and the SECUSSA Safety and Welfare Committee.

• Information for Faculty and Staff
• Information for Students

Study Abroad Health and Safety Committee (SAHSC)

The Study Abroad Health and Safety Committee (SAHSC), appointed by the provost, was established to develop guidelines and formulate policies to maintain the health and safety of Ohio State students, faculty and staff who study, conduct research or conduct business in another country. The committee meets occasionally as required to review and discuss policies. The committee is also responsible for reviewing petitions by students planning to study in countries with current Department of State Travel Warnings and to recommend a prudent course of action to the provost.

Committee members include: Herb Asher, Special Assistant to the President; Wayne Carlson, Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Education; James Jacobs, Director of Student Health; Grace Johnson, Director, Study Abroad; Jan Neiger, Associate Counsel, Office of Legal Affairs; and Adrienne Strong, an undergraduate student majoring in biomedical science. William Brustein, Vice Provost for Global Strategies and International Affairs and Dieter Wanner, Associate Provost for Global Strategies and International Affairs, are the committee’s co-conveners.

SAHSC policies

• Travel Warnings: Any student traveling to study, conduct research or field work or participate in an internship in another country  with a Department of State Travel Warning must present a petition for traveling under these circumstances. The committee’s recommendation to the provost will depend on the academic value of the travel to the student’s curriculum, as well as on the current security and health conditions in the target country that may affect the student’s safety. Students traveling on an approved Ohio State study abroad program should present such a petition one month prior to the application deadline. Students traveling independently to conduct research, field work, etc. should present a Travel Warning Petition a minimum of 60 days prior to proposed travel.
• Scholarships: The use of Ohio State-based scholarships for study abroad in countries under a current Department of State Travel Warning are subject to additional restrictions. Undergraduate students may only receive such awards for Ohio State recognized programs and contingent on receiving approval from SAHSC for such travel. Graduate and professional students proposing to travel for an individual project to a region currently under a Department of State Travel Warning may be eligible for such financial support pending approval of their travel petition to the Study Abroad Health and Safety Committee.
• Eligibility Requirements: This policy outlines eligibility thresholds that students must meet in order to study abroad.

For further information, please contact Grace Johnson, director, Study Abroad.