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Office of the Provost

Review of current UW rules and policies on study abroad destinations

Charge and process

The Provost charged the OGA Advisory Council with investigating the potential risks to our students of any intended or unintended unequal treatment from host countries, which may restrict study abroad participation, and to make recommendations on how to manage these risks.

The OGA Advisory Council and its constituent Study Abroad Advisory Group reviewed current UW rules and policies on study abroad destinations and student participation in programs and considered a variety of approaches to this issue during Autumn quarter 2024. Members of both groups considered critical issues and various approaches, and developed recommendations over the course of multiple meetings and during extensive reviews of drafts.

Background

Study abroad supports the Role and Mission of the University to “promote [students’] capacity to make humane and informed decisions…and [to develop] an appreciation of the range and diversity of human achievement.” Study abroad can be uniquely valuable, both personally and pedagogically. It often introduces students to experiences and interactions that do not align with their expectations – or with their preferences and values. It can prompt students to question their assumptions about other people, cultures and behaviors, even if this is sometimes troubling. It can also transform our students’ understanding of themselves. These values mean that study abroad should be available to all, even if specific programs may not always be the best fit for some. It is important to recognize and to emphasize that study abroad is challenging for students in many ways. Those very challenges allow for transformative learning experiences.

UW Study Abroad is committed to offering high quality educational experiences that keep students safe and healthy. It is also committed to helping students navigate study abroad in ways that recognize (and mitigate) the varied challenges of supporting a diverse student body.

The OGA Advisory Council wishes to highlight the fact that not all UW students currently have equal access to study abroad programs, separate from the specific reasons that motivated this charge. Some of these barriers are created by international rules and policies over which UW has no control, or by domestic rules and policies (e.g. those governing undocumented status) which, also, cannot be directly affected by the University. Other barriers (e.g. disabilities, financial constraints, family circumstances) require concerted efforts by many UW offices as well as financial resources.

UW Study Abroad wants to broaden access to study abroad with a focus on helping students find a program that can work for their individual circumstances. For example, there are domestic ‘study away’ programs that provide access to travel-based academic opportunities for undocumented students, and some programs work better than others for students with specific disabilities. In addition, the office provides substantial need-based scholarships for students to help alleviate financial barriers to study abroad participation. But we should recognize that our aspirations for expanded access to international programs, whilst important, cannot extend to providing the exact same kind of opportunity to every student. This recognition helps frame the recommendations outlined below.

Recommendations

The OGA Advisory Council recommends an educational approach to addressing the concerns raised in the charge. This approach puts students in control when it comes to understanding and choosing their destination countries, recognizing that students know most about their own circumstances, citizenships, travel histories, heritages and identities – any or all of which may be relevant to their choice of program. This approach aligns with the mission and educational goals of the University and with the values of study abroad: encouraging students to develop competencies by navigating new and often challenging environments that make them engage with their values and identities and sharpen their resilience and adaptability. The educational value of preparing for study abroad by undertaking one’s own (appropriately guided and supported) research about potential challenges in destination countries complements the educational value of study abroad itself.

  1. UW Study Abroad will provide additional guidance and resources for students to investigate and evaluate their destination countries before they decide on a study abroad program. This will include clear prompts and rubrics to guide student research and learning about (a) any entry restrictions that might be relevant to their citizenship and passport information; and (b) potential mental health & physical safety risks arising from students’ identities abroad. This could be integrated with the study abroad application process as a required step.
  2. UW Study Abroad will strengthen resources for study abroad faculty so they are better equipped to handle student inquiries and concerns.
  3. UW Study Abroad will review and revise (as needed) the current Emergency Withdrawal guidelines to reflect concerns that, with unexpected and adverse changes in destination countries, students may choose to withdraw from a program after incurring payment obligations. The current Emergency Withdrawal process in UW Study Abroad can accommodate petitions to withdraw from a program after incurring payment obligations, for any reasons a student might be concerned about (including concerns about entry barriers or risks based on their identity). UW Study Abroad will be more explicit about this process and offer examples of what might be considered a valid reason for submitting an emergency withdrawal request (to be eligible for a reduction of fees owed, if the petition is approved by the relevant committee).
  4. The Office of Global Affairs will continue to use the International Travel Risk Assessment & Safety Committee (ITRASC) to conduct extraordinary reviews of any credible and documented sources of travel risk information (in addition to those included in State Department Advisories) as it has done in the recent Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas conflicts. Extraordinary reviews may lead to a recommendation to the Provost to remove a country from the study abroad destination list (with the usual exceptions for essential graduate student travel). OGA will revise relevant websites to make this process clear and emphasize that ITRASC is open to input on destination risks from the OGA Advisory Council.

Next steps

After feedback from the Provost, OGA will work to create and implement the revised processes and resources by the end of AY 2024-25. This will involve continued consultation with the Study Abroad Advisory Group and OGA Advisory Council over the course of Winter and Spring 2025.

Appendix

Current UW rules and policies on study abroad destinations and student participation in study abroad programs

1. UW Global Travel Health & Safety (GTHS): Rules and Process

  • UW offers study abroad programs in around 75 countries worldwide. In 2023-24 around 2,700 students went on academic travel abroad. This includes faculty-led programs, partner programs, university exchanges, independent travel for fieldwork/research/ independent learning, and ‘student tours’ (non-curricular official travel such as music groups and athletics).
  • All students on these types of programs are on ‘official international student travel’ which is governed by the University’s Student Governance and Policies, Ch 211. The Office of Global Affairs (specifically UW Study Abroad and UW Global Travel Health & Safety, GTHS) is charged with the oversight and regulation of official student travel.
  • To better discharge this responsibility OGA has developed policies on International Travel Rules & Restrictions for the UW community.
  • These rules govern the selection and review of destination countries for official UW travel. The rules are based on the Department of State Travel Advisory Levels. The rules are differentiated by traveler type (faculty, staff, undergraduate students and graduate students) with undergraduate travel being the most restricted.
  • Travelers can apply for travel waivers to destinations that face UW restrictions, e.g. countries or sub-national regions with State Department Advisory Levels 3 (‘Reconsider Travel’) or Level 4 (‘Do Not Travel’). Travel waiver requests are reviewed by the UW’s International Travel Risk Assessment & Safety Committee (ITRASC). ITRASC makes recommendations to the Provost to approve or deny individual travel waiver requests based on the essential nature of the proposed travel as well as the risk profiles associated with the traveler’s background and preparation, their exact proposed destination, and the purpose of their travel. This pertains only to graduate students who need to travel internationally for research. Undergraduates are not eligible for travel waivers and are not permitted to travel to Level 3 or Level 4 destinations. (Rare exceptions are made for undergraduate travel to Level 3 countries if the elevated advisories are not due to physical safety risks – a current example is student travel to Mainland China and Hong Kong).
  • As part of a travel waiver request the GTHS team may meet with a prospective traveler to learn more about their plans to better support them in the process. Consultations of this kind might include information related to additional travel restrictions or sources of risk in the destination country beyond the information captured by the State Department.

2. UW Study Abroad (UWSA): Rules and Process

  • All programs and travel destinations are subject to review by GTHS. With rare exceptions our study abroad programs go only to State Department Level 1 (‘Exercise Normal Precautions’) or Level 2 (‘Exercise Increased Caution’) destinations.
  • Students are provided with general guidance related to travel documents, visas and general travel preparations. We also provide students with resources and workshops related to navigating their identities abroad and we encourage students to learn more about the social climate (religious/cultural/political) in their destination countries.
  • Program directors of UW faculty-led programs are provided with extensive guidance related to our study abroad program policies.
  • Since program directors are responsible for selecting students for their programs we provide them with specific guidance related to Student Selection and Participation. Our guidance emphasizes that selection of students must be in line with UW’s Non-Discrimination Policy. See the Recruitment section of the UW Study Abroad website for resources for program directors on student selection.
  • Students may not be permitted to participate in study abroad programs if:
    • they have conduct cases pending against them (behavioral misconduct or academic misconduct)
    • if they have been found responsible for misconduct (including Title IX violations) and are on university probation.
    • they are not in good academic standing (minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0)
  • Some study abroad programs are restricted to students in specific academic programs or majors, or students who have met specific academic prerequisites or proficiencies.
  • Students are able to withdraw from a study abroad program based on the office’s withdrawal rules. Withdrawing from a study abroad program may have financial consequences and students will be held to the terms and conditions of all the contracts and documents they signed.
  • Students who believe they face unusual or extenuating circumstances can submit an Emergency Withdrawal Petition outlining and documenting their reasons for withdrawal. If approved they may be granted full or partial relief from their financial obligations to UW Study Abroad. Approvable reasons for Emergency Withdrawal include, but are not limited to, the following:
    • Medical emergency
    • Unanticipated changes in financial situation
    • Death or other serious emergency in immediate family
    • Active military duty
    • Unusual or extenuating circumstances, beyond the student’s control, that affect their ability to participate

Download final recommendations PDF document

Charge letter: Entry Restrictions for Study Abroad Destinations PDF document