Office of the Dean of Students

Student International Travel Policy

Oberlin College and Conservatory students are engaged global citizens, many of whom wish to learn from and participate in cultures and communities around the world. Creating a supportive environment for travel preparations and maintaining the safety of Oberlin students, faculty, and staff during their international experiences is a significant priority for the College.

In order to ensure the safety of all college-affiliated persons engaging in student-centered and/or student-based international travel, adherence to the following travel policy is required by anyone traveling in such College sponsored events and experiences. Travel advisories issued by the U.S. State Department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention should be referenced prior to the student, faculty, or staff submission of an international travel proposal.

Travel Advisory Restrictions

Oberlin students are not permitted to receive academic credit or use College or Conservatory funding for activities in countries with a U.S. State Department and/or CDC Level 4 travel advisory. Excepted from this policy are certain programs housed under the Office of Study Away, which the College has a long-established relationship with and has reviewed the safety and security procedures for those programs. Also excepted from this policy are students pursuing Winter Term individual projects who are traveling home to a country where they are a citizen, national, or permanent resident.

Please note that there are instances when a destination country’s conditions rapidly change with the ultimate effect of increasing a prior Level 1-3 rating to a Level 4. In such cases, the project will be subject to cancellation, and the Winter Term or Study Away office will work with concerned students to minimize associated negative effects.

Application Process

Prior to their departure, students gaining Oberlin academic credit or using funds issued or administered by the College or Conservatory for any travel occurring independently of the Study Away, Winter Term, and Summer Block programs must:

  1. complete the online Travel Registry application, 

  2. upload a scan of their current passport in the travel registry, and

  3. affirm use of the third party, fee-based International SOS risk management travel, which is billed at the rates listed on page three of this document.

  4. Students who are U.S. citizens must also register their travel plans with the U.S. Department of State using the STEP platform.

Travel Proposals

Short-term faculty- and staff-led travel courses, Summer Block courses, and Winter Term projects may be proposed for destinations with a U.S. State Department and/or CDC travel advisory Level 1, 2, or 3. Proposals will be received and reviewed by the corresponding program office (Study Away, Winter Term, etc.). Following this initial review process, the course/project portfolio will be forwarded to the Arts and Sciences and Conservatory Deans’ Offices for a formal decision regarding the proposed travel.

Proposals for Level 4 Destinations

Typically, proposals are not accepted for courses/projects with destinations that have a current Level 4 travel advisory. For Winter Term and Summer Block Courses, however, proposals may be accepted for Level 4 destinations in instances where the College has a long-established relationship with and has reviewed the safety and security procedures of an institution or program. However, if conditions in a project’s destination country become increasingly unstable prior to departure, the project may be subject to alteration or cancellation.

International Safety Review Form

Sponsors proposing international projects are asked to complete the International Safety Review Form at the time of project proposal. This form is available as part of the proposal on the Terra Dotta application site. International Safety Review forms, when submitted as part of a completed project proposal in Terra Dotta, will be evaluated by the College on a rolling basis. In most cases, sponsors can anticipate a response from the College within about three weeks of their proposal submission date.

Revisions to Travel Advisories

If subsequent to the initial review a change of conditions in the destination country results in a revised U.S. State Department and/or CDC travel advisory,  the College will conduct  a secondary review to determine continued project approval. Projects with locations that previously had a Level 1-3 that subsequently shifted to a Level 4 prior to the date student registration begins will not be permitted to accept student applications. Projects with locations that shift to a Level 4 between the start of student registration and the date of departure will not be permitted to travel.

New Travel Advisories

In the event that a Level 3 or Level 4 Travel Advisory is issued while a student, faculty, or staff member is participating in a program already underway for which Oberlin has agreed to consider either awarding or transferring credit or has provided funding, the International Safety Committee will evaluate the situation on a case-by-case basis and provide the traveler with guidance on either remaining in or leaving the destination country.

Communication Services Agreement

All students engaged in College-affiliated travel are required to affirm use of the third party, fee-based International SOS risk management travel service prior to their departure. This service provides students with access to 24/7 emergency response communications for the duration of their travel as well as in-country health and mental health support, in addition to other services. The fee for this service will be charged to the student’s Oberlin College tuition bill. This communications service is billed to the student account at the following rates:

  • Short term travel (less than ten weeks) - $100
  • Semester-long travel - $250
  • Year-long travel - $500

The sole exception from this service is made for students who are engaging in Winter Term individual projects, who are traveling to their hometown in a country where they are a citizen, national, or permanent resident during the Winter Term dates, as listed on the academic calendar.

Updated June 1, 2023