Travel to High-Risk Locations
KU recognizes that faculty, staff and students may wish to conduct academic activities in countries or regions currently categorized as high risk by the U.S. Department of State or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Under KU's University-Sponsored Travel to High-Risk Locations Policy, special provisions may be made to accommodate these needs, based on the status of the traveler and the level of risk.
High-risk locations are considered countries that are assessed by the U.S. Department of State as Level 3: Reconsider Travel or Level 4: Do Not Travel and by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as Warning Level 3: Avoid Non-Essential Travel.
Travel Advisory Guide
| KU Classification | U.S. State Dept. Level 3 | U.S. State Dept. Level 4 | CDC Level 3 | Returning from CDC Level 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Faculty and Staff | Risk Acknowledgment Form | Risk Acknowledgment Form | Risk Acknowledgment Form | Notify KUIA before returning to campus. |
| Graduate Student | Complete Assumption of Risk Form(pdf) and Student International Travel Registry through SAGE. | Approval is required through a petition to the ITRC. Complete Assumption of Risk Form(pdf) and Student International Travel Registry through Sage. | Approval is required through a petition to the ITRC. Complete Assumption of Risk Form(pdf) and Student International Travel Registry through SAGE. | Notify KUIA before returning to campus. |
| Undergraduate Student | Travel not supported; exceptions considered through petition to ITRC*. | Travel not supported; exceptions considered through petition to ITRC. | Travel not supported; exceptions considered through petition to ITRC. | Notify KUIA before returning to campus. |
*The ITRC is the International Travel Review Committee, a standing committee of institutional representatives charged with reviewing proposals from faculty for undergraduate or graduate group activities and from students for individual study, research, or other university-affiliated activities in locations categorized as US Department of State Levels 3 or 4 or CDC Level 3.
Faculty and Staff
CDC Level 3 and U.S. State Department Level 3 and 4
For university-sponsored international travel, faculty and staff are required to complete a risk acknowledgment form(pdf) for faculty, staff, post-doctoral fellows and research scientist if they plan to travel to a country classified by the State Department as Level 3 or Level 4 or by the CDC as Level 3. The original form will be maintained with KU International Affairs (intlaffairs@ku.edu). A copy of the form will be forwarded to the KU Office of Global Operations & Security (gos@ku.edu).
Graduate Students
U.S. State Department Level 3
Graduate students who wish to conduct university-sponsored international activities in a country or location categorized by the State Department as Level 3 must complete and submit an assumption of risk and general release form(pdf) for graduate students. The original form will be maintained by Study Abroad & Global Engagement (studyabroad@ku.edu). A copy of the form will be forwarded to the KU Office of Global Operations & Security (gos@ku.edu).
Additionally, graduate students must register international travel activities with Study Abroad & Global Engagement. Please refer to the University-affiliated Student International Travel Policy for details. Graduate students must have a completed international travel registration and an assumption of risk and general release form on file prior to departure for University sponsorship to be approved. Contact Study Abroad & Global Engagement (studyabroad@ku.edu)with questions or submissions.
U.S. State Department Level 4 and CDC Level 3
Graduate students who wish to engage in university-sponsored international activities in a country or location categorized as Level 4 by the State Department or Level 3 by the CDC must seek approval from the International Travel Review Committee (ITRC) in advance of travel.
> Instructions on the petition process
If travel approval is granted by the ITRC, completion of the Graduate Student Assumption of Risk and General Release Form(pdf) as well as registration of international travel through the Student International Travel Registry will also be required. Contact Study Abroad & Global Engagement (studyabroad@ku.edu) with questions or submissions.
Undergraduate Students
CDC Level 3 and U.S. State Dept. Level 3 and 4
The University of Kansas does not support student participation in university-affiliated international activities or the development and administration of formal education abroad programming (to include all international, for-credit and non-credit experiential learning activities) to locations categorized as Level 3 or Level 4 by the U.S. State Department or classified as Warning Level 3 by the CDC. Students will not receive university sponsorship —including credit for academic programs, financial aid and scholarships, funding for research, or endorsement of co-curricular and extracurricular activities — if traveling to these countries. Limited exceptions to this policy may be granted, as detailed below.
Exceptions to the University-Sponsored Travel to High-Risk Locations Policy will be considered by petition to the International Travel Review Committee (ITRC), a standing committee of faculty and administrative personnel that meets three or more times each year to consider proposals for KU-sponsorship of student international activities in countries, regions, or specific locations given a Level 3 or Level 4 designation by the U.S. Department of State or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Although the university recommends against travel to locations given a Level 3 or Level 4 designation, the ITRC may approve an exception upon submission of a written description of the proposed international activities, a detailed risk assessment and management plan, and the finding of a compelling academic rationale for the proposed international activities to take place.
Faculty-Led Education Abroad Programs or University-Affiliated International Travel Activities
KU faculty and staff interested in offering undergraduate or graduate group study, internship, research or service programs, departments seeking to take students abroad for experiential activities (athletic competitions, music performances, etc.), or student organizations seeking to travel to a country, region, or specific location covered by this policy should submit the followingto Study Abroad & Global Engagement by the deadlines listed below:
- Program Proposal completed in collaboration with Study Abroad. The proposal must address the rationale for academic study/research/experiential learning in the proposed country as well as each of the health, safety and security concerns outlined in the Department of State Travel Advisory and/or other travel advisory documents.
- Detailed program itinerary.
- Course syllabus, including course objectives, assignments, modes of assessment, and expected outcomes (if applicable)
- Qualifications and experience of the faculty director or unit in leading student groups abroad, and specifically to the location in question (i.e., professional and/or personal experience in the host country, experience in traveling abroad with students, etc.)
Individual Student Petitions
Individual students seeking approval to participate in university-affiliated international activities in a country, region, or specific location covered by this policy should submit the followingto Study Abroad & Global Engagement by the deadlines listed below:
- Written description of the proposed international activities including the academic rationale for travel to the destination country(ies)
- Detailed itinerary, including flight itinerary, on-site itinerary, and accommodation information
- A detailed risk assessment and management plan, discussing each of the specific health, safety and security concerns outlined in the Department of State Travel Advisory and/or other travel advisory documents
Proposal Submission Deadlines
March 15: Individual student travel proposals for travel occurring between May 15 and December 31 (summer or fall semester travel)
May 15: Faculty-led education abroad programs or university-affiliated international travel proposals for travel occurring between December 15 through May 14 (winter break, spring break, and spring semester travel)
October 15: Individual student proposals for travel occurring between January 1 and May 14 (spring semester travel) and faculty-led education abroad programs or university-affiliated international travel proposals for travel occurring between May 15 and December 14 (summer and fall semester programs)
Proposals must be submitted to SAGE:
Study Abroad & Global Engagement
Lippincott Hall, Room 108
Phone: 785-864-3742
Fax: 785-864-5040
Email: studyabroad@ku.edu
Study Abroad & Global Engagement will forward all petitions received by the deadlines listed above to the ITRC for review. If approved, students and faculty must work within the procedures established by Study Abroad for overseas study and/or faculty-led program administration.
All persons who travel under an exception to this policy will be required to sign an Assumption of Risk and General Waiver and Release form, as a condition of the travel.
Unforeseen Events
Approval by the International Travel Review Committee does not guarantee that a program will be offered by the University of Kansas or that an exception will not be revoked. In the event the U.S. State Department modifies the Travel Advisory level for a country to which KU study abroad, research, or other international travel activities have been approved or are currently operating, KU, at the discretion of the Provost, may respond by withdrawing the exception authorizing a university-affiliated international activity, which may include canceling a program or requiring the student(s) to leave the country of an activity already in progress. All participating parties will be notified of the change in the U.S. State Department Travel Advisory and KU’s response. In the event programs are in progress, copies of the notification will be sent to students’ emergency contacts and/or parents or legal guardians, as appropriate.
Returning from a CDC Level 3 Country
Faculty, Staff and Students
Faculty, staff and students engaging in university-sponsored travel (including business travel) or personal travel to locations where a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Warning Level 3 has been issued are required to notify KU International Affairs (intlaffairs@ku.edu) before returning to campus. The university will work with the individual to implement appropriate actions to minimize any risk that might be posed to the health of other university community members by the individual’s possible exposure to infectious disease during their travel in a CDC Warning Level 3 country, including but not limited to, screening and/or monitoring before and upon return to campus.