Health and Safety
Student health and safety is at the center of every study abroad program. All students are required to have international health insurance while studying abroad which is in most cases included in the program fees. Additionally, student complete a series of waivers and health forms prior to departure.
Student Health
Medications, Vaccinations, and Immunizations
Prior to selecting a host country, students should review current health concerns, whether prescribed medications are permitted in country, and what types of immunizations/vaccinations are required for travel.
- Center for Disease Control and Prevention Destination Guide
- OSAC's Traveling with Medications
- How to find COVID-related Guidelines and Information
Prior to departure, students are required to complete two health forms in compliance with the University's waiver requirements for international experiences. It is important to discuss your physical and mental health with your doctor prior to your experience going abroad.
Students participating in international travel that is organized and sponsored by Xavier must consult with their health care provider prior to departure. Further, all students must follow current recommendations from the CDC and their host country for required and recommended immunizations. Failure to do so may result in dismissal from the study abroad program.
International Medical Insurance
All students participating in Xavier faculty-led study abroad programs are enrolled in international health insurance through CISI (CISI insurance policy brochure). A majority of our semester options are also enrolled in CISI through Xavier or their partner organization; if students are not enrolled in CISI, the coverage is equivalent to Xavier's coverage just with another provider.
CISI coverage can be used for emergencies, accidents, and illnesses that occur while abroad. Xavier's CISI policy also includes trip delay, which provides coverage, e.g. lodging, meals, travel expenses, in the event that a participant’s trip or return home is delayed. Details about trip delay are in the attached brochure.
Student Safety
AlertTravler - Xavier's Safety Abroad App
AlertTraveler by TerraDotta (Xavier's application portal) is a system to help keep students safe while traveling abroad by alerting travelers about incidents and events that are happening and affect them. AlertTraveler provides intelligence for countries and cities around the world, and is a handy reference right in your pocket (app on your mobile phone). Students will receive safety and security alerts that apply to them based on itinerary or on current location, if enabled. If an incident has occurred, Xavier's CIE will be able to send a check-in request to allow students to respond that they are safe or need help. Students also have the ability to access the 24/7 emergency support at the touch of a button.
All students traveling abroad through Xavier are enrolled in AlertTraveler by CIE staff and will receive a notification with instruction on how to install and utilize the app within 2 weeks of their program start date.
US Department of State's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program - STEP
The Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) is a free service to allow US citizens and nationals traveling and living abroad to enroll their stay with the nearest US Embassy or Consulate. The benefits of enrolling in STEP include important information from the Embassy about safety conditions in the host country, help from the US Embassy to contact you in an emergency, whether that is a natural disaster, civil unrest, or family emergency, and finally help family and friends reach you in an emergency. Enroll in STEP.
Petition to Travel to a US Department of State Risk Designated Country
Effective January 2018, the U.S. Department of State has updated their website to include a travel advisory scale (in place of the Travel Alert/Warning system previously used). The new scale has four levels, and also embeds varying levels for specific regions of a country and/or for specific types of risk indicators. Details on this new scale.