As you prepare to leave campus, we strongly recommend that you meet to make a plan with any campus or local supports you regularly work with for mental or physical health and support. Before departure is the best time to fully think through the potential physical and mental health stresses presented by off-campus study.  Prepared students will be proactive in taking care of their health and safety prior, 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. 

The study-away 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 your 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.

Students will receive predeparture information from their specific program; make sure to 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.

Travel Smartly with Any Prescription Medications

If you take any medications regularly, whether prescription medications or over-the-counter, you should plan to bring an ample supply of medication to cover you for your trip, and if possible, a few extra days in case there are delays. These should always be packed in your carry-on bags, and not checked luggage.

Be aware that not all medications which are legal in the U.S. are legal in other countries. Through CC's membership with International SOS, all CC students, staff, and faculty are eligible to call for a covered medical travel consultation, for advising on your own personal medications and if they are allowed into the country or countries of your destination abroad. Some countries require an import license or permit to travel with certain medications, and SOS can advise you on this.

To contact International SOS for predeparture medical advice, all members of the CC community can download the International SOS Assistance App onto your smartphone, as the easiest one-touch way to contact SOS for assistance. We recommend using your CC email address when setting up the app, so that you show as part of our member organization. Alternatively, you can call their Philadelphia Assistance Center directly by phone at (215) 942-8342. The CC membership number for SOS is 11BSGC000027. 

If you are bringing in allowed medications to another country, you should also carry a letter from your attending physician that describes your medical condition and any prescription medications, including the generic name of prescribed drugs (not only the "brand" name). Keep medications in their original, labeled containers. Sometimes you may also need to contact your health insurance about coverage for what is often called a "vacation supply" of medication: more than your typical 30 or 60-day prescription amount. You should not plan to refill any prescriptions abroad, as this is often a difficult process and often is not possible except in extraordinary or unforeseen circumstances.

If you have specific questions about a medication you take or supports not covered here, you can always reach out to CC Global Education for additional support in this process if needed. We can help you navigate what is possible and loop in others (CC Accessibility Resources, CC Wellness Center, in-country program staff, etc) who can help.


Inform Yourself About Vaccinations

Vaccinations are required for entry to some countries, and some will require foreign visitors to carry an International Certificate of Vaccination, also known as a "Yellow Card," or other proof that they have had certain inoculations or medical tests before entering or transiting the country. Before you travel, carefully read any predeparture materials that have been provided to you by your specific study abroad program staff, and check the country information for where you're headed (including any planned travel or transit countries). You may also contact the foreign embassy of your destination or transit country if you have any questions about current entry requirements.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) provide recommendations for vaccinations, malaria prevention, and other travel health precautions for travel abroad.

COVID: Please also see the COVID section below for the most currently-updated information from the college about COVID-19 and other health considerations for 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, and any modifications or restrictions in the specific place you will be studying. 

The Center for Global Education & Field Study monitors travel advisories and updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) from the U.S. Department of State; Centers for Disease Control (CDC); the World Health Organization (WHO); International SOS.

Colorado College covers all students traveling abroad on a CC-faculty-led block or semester (except the CC Latin American Semester on which students are covered by IFSA’s CISI insurance while in Mexico) under our International SOS/University Health Partners (SOS+UHP) policy. In addition, some students participating in CC-approved partner programs that do not already cover them with international health insurance will also be automatically enrolled in CC's International SOS plan. This includes students studying on the following partner programs:

• Aquincum Institute of Technology (AIT) Budapest
• Budapest Semester in Mathematics
• ISDSI Thailand
• Kansai Gaidai Asian Studies Program
• Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS)
• School for Field Studies

International SOS provides worldwide assistance and emergency evacuation services for study abroad participants.  The services provided by SOS range from telephone advice and doctor referrals to evacuation by private air ambulance.  Colorado College students have access to country-specific information on the SOS website, including recommended vaccinations, safety and security information, and more.

We recommend that all students and faculty/staff traveling abroad with CC download the International SOS Assistance App onto your smartphone, as the easiest one-touch way to contact SOS for assistance. We recommend using your CC email address when setting up the app, so that you show as part of our member organization. Alternatively, you can call their Philadelphia Assistance Center directly by phone at +1-215-942-8342. The CC membership number for SOS is 11BSGC000027. 

ALL Colorado College students have access to country-specific information on the International SOS website and for free phone consultations predeparture, including recommended vaccinations, safety and security information, and more. You can log in using your CC email address to access all the supports, advice, and detailed resources for your travel destination, or call the "subscriber assistance" number on the website.

If you would like a printed physical International SOS card, you can print one from the website using our member number (or make an extra copy to leave with your parents or another responsible party). Note that SOS+UHP only provides coverage outside the United States and, therefore, does not provide coverage for any block or semester taught within the United States.  

University Health Partners provides $500,000 of health insurance abroad with no deductible.  UHP covers prescription medicine that is prescribed in the foreign country at 100% and does not exclude pre-existing conditions. This will be your primary health insurance while you are on a CC course overseas.    

Important notes: 

• Students are covered by the SOS+UHP insurance one day before the official course begin date to one day after the official course end date.  If you plan to travel independently before or after your course(s), you will need to purchase insurance to cover you during your independent travel.
• You should maintain health insurance coverage in the United States while you study abroad as study abroad insurance only covers you outside the United States. This will cover you before departure, during any unexpected trips back to the United States, and again when you re-enter the United States. 
• You must contact International SOS at the number on the card in advance of receiving any care, so they can authorize and coordinate any medically necessary treatment or evacuation while you are outside the U.S. Make sure that you also leave a copy of the card, front and back, or a scan of it with your parents or another responsible party back home, so they can assist with your coordination of care with SOS, should you be unable to call them yourself.

If you are participating in a program through one of our CC-approved 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 personally via email about your specific enrollment status, to let you know that we have enrolled you. 

ALL Colorado College students have access to country-specific information on the International SOS website and for free phone consultations predeparture, including recommended vaccinations, safety and security information, and more. You can log in using your CC email address to access all the supports, advice, and detailed resources for your travel destination, or call the "subscriber assistance" number on the website.

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.

The Colorado College Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) is designed to be used while you are on-campus and enrolled in at least one on-campus CC course per semester. If you are studying away from CC for an entire semester or year (on a non-CC program only, which is one led by a partner organization or university and not taught by CC professors), you will not be eligible to enroll in SHIP for the semester(s) you are abroad. One exception to this may be if you are studying within the U.S. on one of the CC-approved domestic semester partner programs, then you may be eligible to maintain your SHIP coverage through a special exception; please check with the Center for Global Education & Field Study.

If you are studying away for less than one semester (a portion of a semester, and taking at least one block during that semester at CC) then you may still enroll in SHIP for that semester.

Any student who is enrolled in at least 1 CC on-campus block in a given semester will be required to complete the SHIP waiver or enrollment process; students who enroll in the SHIP in the fall semester AND remain enrolled in at least 1 on-campus course for the spring semester will be automatically enrolled and billed. For Fall Semester Abroad students, this means that they will not be required to complete the waiver/enrollment process for the fall, but will be required to complete the waiver/enrollment prior to their return to campus in the spring. For Spring Semester Abroad students, they will be required to complete the waiver/enrollment process in the fall, but not in the spring; if they enroll in the SHIP for the fall, they will not be enrolled in the SHIP for the spring/summer.

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 who are studying off-campus retain access campus services for health, safety, and student support.

Students studying away from CC still have access to CC's free, 24/7 Mental Health Support offered to all students. As of the start of the 2024-2025 academic year, we have a new provider, Uwill. In order to use the 24/7 service, students must complete a one-time registration by visiting this page. If you are facing a mental health emergency, call 1-833-646-1526 to reach one of Uwill’s licensed therapists trained in crisis response. Other mental health resources can be found on the Counseling Center page, along with support resources and student health and wellbeing.

The Campus Advocate (previously SARC) provides confidential support to anyone affected by sexual misconduct (including all students studying away from campus), including but not limited to: sexual assault, stalking harassment, and/or intimate partner or dating violence. The Campus Advocate serves all members of the Colorado College community, and all identities. They can offer you support in navigating medical, legal, or Title IX processes, and they can help connect you with campus, community, and state resources for counseling, advising, and reporting. The Campus Advocate can be reached at campusadvocate@coloradocollege.edu, or by office phone at 719-227-8101.

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 consulting closely with your study abroad provider or faculty member to learn more about what medical or accessibility accommodations are available, and to develop a plan.

Remember that if you need help identifying a care provider in-country (mental health provider, medical specialty), your program / in-country director, program support staff, and/or faculty member can help connect you with suggestions and information. You can also access the CC International SOS advice line for assistance; see the section below on CC's membership with International SOS. If you have trouble navigating this and need assistance, the Center for Global Education & Field Study can help you identify the right steps to take, to help you stay healthy and safe while off-campus. 

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 traveling 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.