Review additional guidance for students planning study abroad or university-related international travel.
To minimize health, safety and security risks, students planning to study in and university divisions sponsoring educational activities in countries or regions with one of the following must request approval from the university’s Student Travel Abroad Review Committee.
- Department of State travel advisory at level three (reconsider travel) or level four (do not travel)
- Centers for Disease Control travel warning (level three)
In addition, travelers may be required to request approval to travel to locations or participate in programs that pose a specific health, safety or security concern as indicated by other authorities, such as the World Health Organization, non-U.S. government authorities (e.g., Australian or Canadian authorities), University of Missouri insurance providers and university authorities.
Read the full text of MU’s international travel policies:
- MU Student International Travel Policy
- MU Student International Travel Policy for U.S. Department of State Level 3 or Level 4 Countries/Regions and CDC Level 3 Countries
Non-compliance
If a student chooses to travel to a country or region with a Department of State travel advisory level three or four or a CDC travel warning (level three) against the advice of the university, or does not request STAR Committee approval prior to going abroad:
- In cases of emergency, student may not have access to university support or resources during that time including:
- UM-negotiated international sickness and accident insurance;
- Security intelligence;
- Security, political, natural disaster and medical evacuation services;
- Campus and university medical, legal and financial support services available to students on the MU campus.
- Students seeking academic credit:
- May lose scholarships or financial aid requiring continuous enrollment at MU;
- May not receive academic credit for the study abroad experience.
Exception request process
All MU undergraduate, graduate/professional and certificate programs students participating on any university-related international travel to a country or region under a U.S. Department of State travel advisory at level three or four or a Centers for Disease Control travel warning (level three) must request an exception from the STAR Committee. In addition, students may be required to submit a request for permission to travel to locations or participate in programs that pose a specific health, safety or security concern as indicated by authorities other than the Department of State. This includes:
In cases where a university division is sponsoring an activity, the division faculty/staff member in charge is responsible for ensuring all participants have obtained approval. The easiest way to do this is to apply for an exception for the program on behalf of all participants.
Note: This requirement does not include personal/vacation international travel that is not related to the University of Missouri.
Exception requests require substantial documentation. The appeal must be strongly linked to academic goals, and the concerns raised in the appeal must be adequately addressed and documented. In the absence of a compelling case and justification, it is unlikely that the committee will approve the request.