2022-2023 Study Away Travel Update

The College will allow semester and yearlong study away students to petition the College's student travel policy to travel to countries that have a U.S. Department of State (DOS) Travel Advisory level 3 or 4 and/or a CDC COVID level 3 or 4. Students traveling to countries with a U.S. State Department Travel Advisory level 1 or 2 and/or CDC COVID level 1 or 2 do not need to petition. If travel to a particular country does not require a petition now but the DOS and/or CDC level rises to a level that does require a petition prior to travel, students will be required to petition the College.

All students will need to be vaccinated, as per recommendations from the CDC, to study away in the fall or full year. Students for whom medical conditions and/or religious beliefs may be granted an exemption via the appropriate channels at the College for exemption.

All students who are in the study away approval process have been sent detailed information, including specific instructions on how to petition. Please contact us if you have questions.

Petition for College-Sponsored Travel to Countries with State Department Travel Advisories Level 3

Travel to a country or region where there is a Level 3 travel advisory issued by the U.S. State Department and/or a Level 3 travel health notice issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention require that this travel petition be completed by the student traveler and reviewed and signed by the student’s parent/guardian. Travel to countries with a Level 4 travel advisory from the U.S. State Department is presumptively ineligible for college sponsorship.  (The College has made an exception for study away starting in the fall 2021; students may petition countries with a U.S. State Department Level 4 travel advisory and/or a CDC Level 3 or 4.) Students applying to pre-approved study abroad programs must still petition the college so they, and their parent/guardian, understand the risks as outlined in the U.S. State Department travel advisory and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention travel health notice since pre-approval of a program is not an endorsement of the safety of the location.

Only students whose petitions are approved may transfer college funds and/or credit should they continue with their intended travel. The college may require a student to take additional steps before traveling or during the trip, or ask a student to make alternative plans. For students whose petitions are approved, should conditions change in the host country or region prior to departure, the college may advise or require deferring or cancelling travel plans, and revoke college sponsorship if necessary.

Resources to review:

Questions? Email geo@amherst.edu.

Enter 1-4
Enter 1-4
Enter 1-3
Petition acknowledgements
Trip registration and review
Will you be vaccinated with a CDC and/or World Health Organization-approved vaccine by the time you depart?
You can view CDC-approved vaccines (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines.html) and World Health Organization-approved vaccines (https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/covid-19-vaccines/advice) online.
Discuss your trip