Higher Risk Travel

COVID-19 and Education Abroad

The world has made progress in learning to live with COVID-19. At the onset of the pandemic, CSU had a restriction on non-essential travel. Later, vaccines changed the pandemic environment and travel became safer, but it still required careful planning. While the pandemic has not ended and remains dynamic, travel restrictions and risk have lessened significantly. However, travel still puts you at a higher risk of getting sick. As a result, The CSU International Travel Oversight Committee (ITOC) has created advising processes to help students inform themselves on the known risks of travel and to foster proactive risk mitigation practices as they embark on travel. Both the CSU Health Network and Centers for Disease control recommend that all travelers are vaccinated against COVID-19 with the latest round of boosters for the duration of their time abroad.

Please contact internationalsafety@colostate.edu with questions related to CSU travel in the pandemic.

Process for Travel to Higher Risk Countries or Travel Involving Higher Risk Activities

CSU supports student travelers in all regions of the world, including in higher risk destinations; however, this travel is discouraged when a lower risk option is available. Nevertheless, travel may be authorized based on educational necessity, high-level in-country support, duration, specific location, measures taken to mitigate risks, previous travel experience, or other factors.

All students traveling internationally for academic or extracurricular CSU purposes, no matter the destination, must register their travel with International Programs. Please contact educationabroad@colostate.edu with any questions regarding the registration process.

Additionally, students and employees travelling with students interested in traveling to countries placed on the CSU Higher Risk Destination List, or travel involving high-risk activities (mountaineering, SCUBA, etc.) must request authorization for travel from the International Travel Oversight Committee (ITOC). The ITOC is composed of staff from education abroad, risk management, legal counsel, and support/safety assessment.

Steps to Authorize Higher Risk Travel

• Consult the CSU Higher Risk Destination List. If you are traveling to a country on this list, or you are participating in a higher risk activity abroad, you must apply & submit an International Travel Oversight Committee (ITOC) petition.
• The committee meets every other Monday at 3:30pm. To ensure your travel is authorized in a timely manner, submit your petition to Education Abroad as soon as your travel is confirmed.

If you have questions or need assistance with this process, please contact internationalsafety@colostate.edu at any time.

Please note: for students traveling in groups with CSU faculty or staff, often trip leaders complete this step. Check with your leader to see if they have completed this before beginning this process.