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The health, safety and security of students and faculty traveling abroad is a top priority at Ohio State. So that every Buckeye who wants to gain valuable international experience through study abroad, research, field work, internships or volunteer opportunities is able to do so safely, Ohio State has developed a travel risk rating for every country as well as specific regions of the world.

Ohio State risk designated scale

The scale puts in place a tiered risk level for countries and regions and defines parameters for travel. The system is based on guidance from numerous resources: U.S. Department of State, Drum Cussac, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and U.S. Department of Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control.

When assigning a risk rating to a country or region, Ohio State also may factor in additional criteria from government, insurance and in-country resources. These resources are weighted by Ohio State so the university’s tiered scale may not be comparable to the risk ratings of other organizations.

• U.S. Department of State – Issues travel advisories for every country, including four standard levels of advice, risk descriptions and actions that U.S. citizens should implement to help ensure their safety.
• Drum Cussac Country Risk Ratings - Issues an overall country risk rating based on a scale of 1 (negligible) to 5 (extreme) using .25 increments. Drum Cussac is Ohio State’s current provider of the Political Emergency and Natural Disaster (PEND) evacuation insurance.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Travel Health Notices – Issues travel notices to inform travelers about current health issues related to specific designations and are categorized by Warning Level 3 (avoid nonessential travel), Alert Level 2 (practice enhanced precautions) and Watch Level 1 (practice usual precautions).
• U.S. Department of Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) – Issues comprehensive sanctions against countries that prohibit all direct or indirect imports/exports, trade brokering, financing or facilitating against most goods, technology and services.

Updates to the risk designated scale

Updates to the risk designations will be posted at the beginning of each month, however Ohio State may make immediate adjustments if conditions in a country change significantly. Travelers should always monitor advisories for their intended location by registering in the U.S. Department of State Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP).

International Travel Policy Committee

The International Travel Policy Committee (ITPC), appointed by the provost, develops guidelines and policies to maintain the health and safety of Ohio State students, faculty and staff studying abroad or conducting research or business in another country.

The committee is also responsible for conducting a risk assessment for students planning to study in risk designated countries and provides approval (in consultation with the provost) for university-related travel to these locations. The ITPC approval process evaluates the academic value of travel balanced with the current health, safety and security conditions of the intended destination.

Current Ohio State Risk Designated List - All Countries 

• Risk Designated List - All Countries