Health & Safety Basics

Although we hope that all UM students will have a safe and healthy overseas experience, it is important to recognize that there are a number of health and safety concerns related to overseas study. The Study Abroad Office staff is always available to assist with student concerns. At the same time, students must remember that they hold the ultimate responsibility for ensuring their overseas safety.

The Association of International Educators (NAFSA) has assembled a list of responsibilities that each student should strongly consider before studying overseas. The following is a brief summary of these student responsibilities. You can access the full report here, Responsible Study Abroad: Good Practices for Health and Safety, which includes a list of recommendations for parents of students studying abroad.

Study abroad participants should:
  • Attend all pre-departure orientation sessions,
  • Read and consider all printed materials related to health and safety concerns in the destination country,
  • Research the political, economic and cultural context of the destination country before departure,
  • Reflect on individual health concerns (physical or mental) and consult all necessary medical experts to determine appropriate care while overseas,
  • Share with the program sponsor complete physical and mental health information and any other personal data that are necessary in planning for a safe and healthy study abroad experience,
  • Purchase and maintain international health insurance and abide by any conditions imposed by the carriers,
  • Provide family members, program staff and UM Study Abroad staff with accurate emergency contact information,
  • Comply with all codes of conduct and emergency procedures of the study abroad program,
  • Obey all host-country laws,
  • Behave respectfully and encourage others to behave in a similar manner,
  • Avoid all illegal drugs and exercise moderation when consuming alcohol,
  • Consistently inform program staff of individual whereabouts,
  • Become familiar with the medical and legal services available in country, and
  • Accept responsibility for individual decisions and actions.

NAFSA has also defined responsibilities for program sponsors. The University of Maryland is committed to fulfilling the following responsibilities for all programs that it sponsors:

  • Conduct periodic assessments of health and safety conditions for all programs, and develop and maintain emergency preparedness processes and a crisis response plan.
  • Provide health and safety information for prospective participants so that they and their parents/guardians/families can make informed decisions concerning preparation, participation, and behavior while on the program.
  • Provide information concerning aspects of home campus services and conditions that cannot be replicated at overseas locations.
  • Provide orientation to participants prior to the program and as needed on site, which includes information on safety, health, legal, environmental, political, cultural, and religious conditions in the host country.
  • Consider health and safety issues in evaluating the appropriateness of an individual's participation in a study abroad program.
  • Determine criteria for an individual's removal from an overseas program, taking into account participant behavior, health, and safety factors.
  • Require that participants be insured.
  • Conduct inquiries regarding the potential health, safety, and security risks of the local environment of the program, including program-sponsored accommodation, events, excursions, and other activities, prior to the program. Monitor possible changes in country conditions. Provide information about changes, and advise participants and their parents/guardians/families as needed.
  • Hire vendors and contractors (e.g., travel and tour agents) that have provided reputable services in the country in which the program takes place. Advise such vendors and contractors of the program sponsor's expectations with respect to their role in the health and safety of participants.
  • Conduct appropriate inquiry regarding available medical and professional services. Provide information about these services for participants and their parents/guardians/families, and help participants obtain the services they may need.
  • Develop and provide health and safety training for program directors and staff, including guidelines with respect to intervention and referral that take into account the nature and location of the study abroad program.
  • Develop codes of conduct for all programs; communicate codes of conduct and the consequences of noncompliance to participants. Take appropriate action when aware that participants are in violation.
  • In cases of serious health problems, injury, or other significant health and safety circumstances, maintain good communication among all program sponsors and others who need to know.
  • In the participant screening process, consider factors such as disciplinary history that may impact on the safety of the individual or the group.
  • Provide information for participants and their parents/guardians/families regarding when and where the sponsor's responsibility ends and the range of aspects of participants' overseas experiences that are beyond the sponsor's control.

In particular, UM generally:

  • Cannot guarantee or assure the safety and/or security of participants or eliminate all risks from the study abroad environments.
  • Cannot monitor or control all of the daily personal decisions, choices, and activities of participants.
  • Cannot prevent participants from engaging in illegal, dangerous, or unwise activities.
  • Cannot assure that U.S. standards of due process apply in overseas legal proceedings, or provide or pay for legal representation for participants.
  • Cannot assume responsibility for actions or for events that are not part of the program, nor for those that are beyond the control of the sponsor and its subcontractors, or for situations that may arise due to the failure of a participant to disclose pertinent information.
  • Cannot assure that home-country cultural values and norms will apply in the host country.