Health & Safety Abroad

Your safety abroad starts with your own honest assessment of your health and safety needs, and careful consideration of the political situation and living conditions in your prospective host country.

• If you have a chronic or recurring health condition (including a learning disability or other condition for which you receive accommodations here), you should discuss your needs in advance with your health care providers, your family, the staff in the McCulloch Center, and potential host programs/universities. Not all locations will be able to accommodate all needs, and you should take local conditions into account before deciding where to travel.
• Because students have varying levels of previous experience and comfort with difference, the College believes that it is your responsibility to research the areas in which you are interested and to determine where you would feel comfortable and safe. We have identified some resources to help you locate country- or region-specific information; individual program sponsors can provide site-specific information and advice. The staff in the McCulloch Center can also help you gather and evaluate information, but the final decision about whether and where to travel is, of course, your own.
• For detailed information and resources about health and safety, including the topics below and more, see What to Know Before You Go: Handbook for Education Abroad [PDF].
  
  • Waiver of Liability
  • Resources
  • Health Insurance
  • AIG Assist
    

Waiver of Liability
Every student applying to or through Mount Holyoke for a program of study, research, internship, or other activity abroad will be required to sign a waiver of liability form as part of the application process. You must submit the completed form before we can process or consider your application. The purpose of the waiver is to verify to the College that you are aware of and understand the potential risks of study or other travel abroad, and that you acknowledge all responsibility for decisions about where and when to travel. Of course, you should consult with your parents/guardians about your plans before you sign the form (and note that some programs will require their own waivers, with parent signatures, as well). Students applying to study abroad will find the waiver incorporated into the Request to Study Abroad Form. A copy of the waiver alone is available as a PDF here.

Resources on Health and Safety Abroad
You are responsible for researching health and safety conditions, required vaccinations, and other preventive measures for travelers abroad. For additional resources, see What to Know Before You Go: Handbook for Education Abroad and the Waiver of Liability form.

• U.S. State Department, Bureau of Consular Affairs. On this site, you will find health and safety information and travel advice about every country with which the U.S. has diplomatic relations, as well as general tips for students and other travelers. Students who are not U.S. citizens should also check the analogous websites of their home governments.
• Centers for Disease Control
• World Health Organization
• Safeti (Safety Abroad First - Educational Travel Information)
• Mobility International (for students with disabilities)
• ASIRT (Association for Safe International Road Travel)

Health Insurance
You must have adequate medical insurance coverage while you are abroad. Be sure you know how your insurance plan will work outside of the U.S. It is especially important for you to maintain health insurance coverage with no gap in dates if you have a chronic or recurring medical condition.

You may enroll in or continue coverage under the Mount Holyoke student health insurance plan. For details about coverage outside the U.S., please refer to MHC Student Health Insurance. Coverage runs from August 15 of one year to August 14 of the following year.

AIG Assist: Travel Assistance Services for Students on MHC Programs
Mount Holyoke has obtained travel assistance and travel medical emergency services coverage for students and faculty/staff participating in the College's educational programs abroad or in the U.S. Only students attending programs that we sponsor, for which students pay tuition to Mount Holyoke, and/or for which students receive funding from Mount Holyoke, are eligible for this coverage. This program is not a substitute for your present health insurance. It provides only supplemental insurance and assistance for certain medical emergencies and for repatriation of remains. Eligible students will automatically receive a copy of the travel assistance services brochure and membership card prior to their departure.