As part of off-campus study, it is important that students be proactive in taking care of their health and safety prior to, during, and after their journey.  Planning for health and safety is just as important as choosing the program best fit for your needs and interests.  Students will receive pre-departure information from their program, and can obtain additional information about their destination from the U.S. Department of State's Students Abroad website.  Please read this information carefully, and take time to learn about political situations, living conditions, medication restrictions and disability accommodations, and any other health and safety issues relevant to your host country.

COVID-19 UPDATES: Please see our institutional COVID guidelines for the most currently-updated information from the college about COVID-19 and study abroad. If you are going through one of our partner programs or universities, please also carefully read the information they provide you about the changing landscape around COVID safety, modifications, and restrictions in the specific place you will be studying. 

As you prepare to leave campus, we hope that you will also consider the potential emotional stress of off-campus study.  This experience can be a very powerful and positive developmental time that may ultimately lead to increased levels of self-awareness.  However, the life changes associated with off-campus study can also be stressful and confusing, and may potentially exacerbate existing physical and emotional conditions.  If you have any concerns, it is very important that you meet with the staff at the CC Student Health Center or other health care providers to discuss how off-campus study could affect your situation.  Addressing your health issues prior to studying off campus will help you identify those resources that will and will not be available at your program site. 

As a reminder, if you currently receive accommodations through the CC Accessibility Resource Center, please make sure to meet with that office well in advance of departing the U.S., as well as consult closely with your study abroad provider to learn more about what medical or accessibility accommodations are available, and to develop a plan.

If you are participating in a program through one of our CC partner programs abroad, or on one of our exchanges, you may be covered through your program on their international insurance policy automatically, so please start by checking with them, as this is something many of our partners include health insurance and emergency evacuation and assistance coverage in the program cost. All students should make sure to carefully read any information provided by your study abroad program on health insurance and medical access in the country/school where you will be studying. Sometimes students are automatically covered by the National Health Service of the country they are studying in, or there may be a health center or similar preferred option on campus.

If your program does not provide insurance, CC will enroll you in the International SOS/UHP insurance policy detailed in the section above, for the duration of your program, and we will be in touch with you about your specific enrollment status, to let you know that we have enrolled you. 

Be aware that any insurance that covers you during your study abroad experience (through CC's SOS+UHP coverage plan or through your program provider abroad) is typically only valid during the dates your program is in session. We strongly recommend that you plan to maintain coverage over summer or holiday breaks before and after your program takes place.

Make a plan before you need it as to how you will navigate the health system where you will be studying, because it may be very different from home, and when you are sick is not the time to try to navigate it. Also, it is imperative that you make sure that someone back home also knows the details of your medical coverage while you are abroad, so they can help in the event of an emergency, if you are traveling independently during the program dates, or are otherwise unable to give them this information, and something happens. Many types of emergency/evacuation medical insurance require advance authorization before any services are received, and if the people who care about you don't know what that is or how to access it, that can be a very costly gap.

If you need to purchase your own U.S. (domestic) health insurance to cover you during gaps between coverage

SHIP does not offer short-term coverage plans, and while we cannot recommend specific alternatives, you should consider the answers to these questions when looking for short-term health insurance plans:

• What limits are there on types of care (i.e., mental health, substance abuse/addiction)?
• Are there excluded illnesses or injuries?
• Are there exclusions for pre-existing conditions?
• Does the plan cover the 10 essential benefits outlined on healthcare.gov?   
• What are the limits on prescription drug benefits?  Is there an extremely limited formulary (drugs that the policy will cover)?
• What are the deductible and out-of-pocket limits?  What are the approved networks and differences in cost for in- and out-of-network coverage? (this insurance glossary may be helpful.

All students going abroad should investigate the local resources available to inform you about any risks and hazards, and steps you can take to make it less likely that you will encounter an unsafe situation (and develop an action plan for what to do, in the event of an emergency).

• The U.S. Department of State puts together country information sheets for every country in the world. Starting with reading the one for the country where you will be studying (and any that you may be visiting) is a good place to get a broad overview of what to expect. There are sections covering Safety & Security, Entry and Exit Requirements, Travel & Transportation, Health, Local Laws, and more. You may also find it helpful to read the consular information sheets from other English-speaking nations such as Canada, Australia, or the United Kingdom, as their take on a country's security situation may vary from the one presented by the U.S. State Department, and it can be helpful to consider multiple sources.

• We recommend that all students, staff, and faculty travelling abroad register for their trip with the U.S. Embassy via their STEP Program (Smart Traveler Enrollment Program). When you do, this also automatically signs you up for warnings or alerts that may be triggered by a security or safety situation, whether political, environmental, weather-related, or other.
• It is important to have emergency phone numbers close at hand in physical form (not just accessible on your cell phone, in case that is stolen or the battery dies. Print out this wallet card and fill in your important, must-have information.
• Consider the personal safety tips that the Peace Corps gives their worldwide volunteers.