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International Travel & COVID-19

Am I required to be vaccinated in order to participate in a study abroad experience?

¹û¶³´«Ã½ College Faculty-led Study Abroad Programs – As per ¹û¶³´«Ã½ College’s COVID-19 Student Immunization Policy and Procedure, all participants (students and employees) of ¹û¶³´«Ã½ faculty-led study abroad programs must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and provide evidence. Medical or religious exemptions will not be accepted.

All other ¹û¶³´«Ã½ College-approved Study, Volunteer or Intern Abroad programs – Students are strongly encouraged to be vaccinated, but this is not required by ¹û¶³´«Ã½ College. Students who are not vaccinated or receive a medical or religious exemption may participate in a third-party provider program coordinated by the Roukema Center for International Education, only if there are no vaccine requirements established by the provider or host institution or as per travel/destination country restrictions. The Director of International Education (Ben Levy, blevy1@ramapo.edu) can provide further guidance. 

What changes has ¹û¶³´«Ã½ College made to its international programs in light of the COVID-19 outbreak?

The College withdrew all students studying abroad for the Spring 2020 semester, and suspended all ¹û¶³´«Ã½ Faculty-Led programs beginning the Spring 2020 semester through the Summer 2021 term. 2022 Faculty-led program updates  and available programs will be presented on the faculty-led program webpage.

In this world of quickly changing information, we understand that inaccurate information does sometimes emerge. We encourage you to return to this page for the latest information.

How does ¹û¶³´«Ã½ College decide to cancel faculty-led international programs due to COVID-19 related concerns?

When the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) issues a Warning Level 3 – Avoid Nonessential Travel notice for a country, ¹û¶³´«Ã½ College will no not offer a ¹û¶³´«Ã½ faculty-led program to that destination. In addition, we also consider additional factors such as entry requirements to a country (i.e. testing, quarantining, etc.), availability for local health resources, student program interest, and much more. When this happens, all students registered for that ¹û¶³´«Ã½ faculty-led program will be notified of the restriction and the ¹û¶³´«Ã½ managed international programs for that country will be cancelled. In addition, the ¹û¶³´«Ã½ International Office will reach out to students individually about program cancellations and next steps.

¹û¶³´«Ã½ College may also cancel programs if travel disruptions or host country restrictions could prevent them from meeting the educational goals of the travel experience (regardless of whether or not the host country is under a ¹û¶³´«Ã½ Travel Restriction).

As a student, what can I do to minimize the impact of a possible program cancellation?

Recognizing that the COVID-19 outbreak is fluid and unpredictable, ¹û¶³´«Ã½ College encourages you to:

• Consider your own personal comfort level when choosing an international experience.
• Have a contingency plan in place. This may include identifying an alternate education abroad program through one of ¹û¶³´«Ã½’s extensive affiliate programs or domestic experience (i.e. National Student Exchange) to pursue in case your program is cancelled. You may want to discuss contingencies with your academic advisor or the office managing your international experience.
• Build financial flexibility into your travel plans by purchasing trip cancellation insurance.

If I am currently abroad on an international program and choose to return home on my own, how might my academic credit and finances be affected? 

¹û¶³´«Ã½ College understands that personal tolerance for risk may vary and that individuals may choose to leave programs that have not been cancelled. We respect these personal decisions. If you are considering returning home, talk with your host university or program provider to find out what options might be available for online learning or remote exams that could help you complete your coursework. If this is not an option, then it is critical that you reach out to the international office as soon as possible so that we can see what on-campus academic options may be available, if any. Any financial impact for returning to the U.S. from a study abroad program, is the responsibility of the student.

Does ¹û¶³´«Ã½ College have any recommendations for faculty or staff traveling overseas on college-business?

They are required to follow ¹û¶³´«Ã½ College guidance: /international-travel/locations/, which includes avoiding all travel to countries under ¹û¶³´«Ã½ College Travel Restriction (Level 4), and additional travel policy restrictions communicated by the college administration. Employees are also required to register their international travel with ¹û¶³´«Ã½ College (/international-travel/faculty-and-staff/travel-registration/) so they can receive university communications, international insurance and updates specific to their location.

Resources

¹û¶³´«Ã½ College Health Services