Student International Travel and Programs Policy

Effective: September 2015  

Approved by: Philip P. DiStefano, Chancellor  

Policy Owner: Vice Chancellor for Academic Planning and Assessment  

Policy Contact: Director of Education Abroad; eahss@colorado.edu  

Applies to: Students, faculty, and staff who engage in CU Boulder-sponsored, affiliated, funded, or related international travel by or with students.  

I. Introduction

International travel by or with students that is sponsored, affiliated, or funded by the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) or related to a CU Boulder activity or program is subject to this policy, which aligns with and is subsidiary to University of Colorado (CU) Administrative Policy Statement (APS) 4024: Travel Authorization. 

This policy exists to guide CU Boulder-sponsored student international travel and programs in alignment with APS 4024, to ensure risk mitigation, and to support safety, academic integrity, and compliance with university procedures. 

All travelers are responsible for their own safety and for reviewing all safety and travel guidance; nothing in this policy supplants this responsibility or supersedes applicable releases and waivers or other agreements with CU or CU Boulder. 

II. Definitions

Affiliated travel: Travel that is not directly organized by CU Boulder but is connected to a CU Boulder program, course, grant, or student organization. This includes, but is not limited to, travel where CU Boulder provides funding, credit, supervision, or branding. 

CU Boulder-sponsored travel: International travel that is initiated, organized, or endorsed by CU Boulder faculty, staff, or departments, and that involves student participation for academic, research, service, or extracurricular purposes. 

Funded travel: International travel that receives full or partial financial support from CU Boulder including, but not limited to, support through academic departments, grants managed by CU Boulder, or student government allocations. 

International SOS: CU Boulder’s contracted provider for international medical and security services, including real-time safety alerts, risk assessments, and traveler support during emergencies abroad. 

International Travel Registration: The required process by which CU Boulder-affiliated travelers report the details of their international travel plans to the university, enabling safety tracking, risk assessment, and coordination of health and emergency support services. 

Related travel: Travel that may not be formally sponsored or funded by CU Boulder but is clearly connected to a CU Boulder activity or expectation. Examples include conference presentations or research related to a CU Boulder course, thesis, or dissertation. 

Risk Assessment Protocols: The formal criteria and tools used to evaluate potential risks associated with international travel including, but not limited to, political instability, health hazards, infrastructure reliability, and availability of emergency support in the destination country. 

Risk Mitigation Standards: The set of university-mandated safety and support measures travelers must follow including, but not limited to, enrollment in international health insurance, access to pre-departure briefings, use of travel tracking systems, and participation in required training or orientation sessions. 

Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP): A free service provided by the U.S. Department of State that allows U.S. citizens traveling abroad to enroll their trip with the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate for the purpose of receiving safety alerts and enabling embassy assistance in emergencies. 

III. Roles and Responsibilities 

Campus Units (Academic and Non-Academic Units): Ensure that faculty, staff, and students affiliated with their unit (e.g., division, department, college, school or office) who engage in international travel covered by this policy comply with international travel registration requirements, risk mitigation standards, and related university procedures. 

Chancellor: Approves policies governing CU Boulder–sponsored student international travel and programs and ensures alignment with CU policy, including APS 4024: Travel Authorization. 

Director of Education Abroad (Policy Contact): Provides guidance regarding interpretation and implementation of the Student International Travel and Programs Policy and serves as the administrative contact for questions related to compliance with international travel requirements. 

Education Abroad: Administers and oversees CU Boulder educational programs involving international travel; ensures that faculty-led international courses and other academic travel programs operate through Education Abroad; coordinates academic and logistical arrangements for approved programs; facilitates compliance with university safety standards and risk mitigation requirements; provides health, safety, and security resources to travelers; administers travel registration processes and related support services; and conducts ongoing risk assessment for Education Abroad programs. 

Education Abroad and Individual Travelers (Risk Assessment Responsibilities): Perform comprehensive risk assessments using established risk assessment protocols; determine whether proposed travel meets university risk mitigation standards; and refer travel proposals requiring additional review to the International Risk Committee. 

Faculty and Staff Leading or Organizing International Travel: Coordinate international travel involving students in accordance with this policy; ensure that applicable travel programs operate through Education Abroad when required; ensure that travel is properly registered; participate in risk assessment processes; and ensure that students receive required safety information and risk mitigation resources. 

International Risk Committee (IRC): Evaluates and reviews international travel subject to elevated risk; determines whether travel proposals meet university risk mitigation standards; holds final authority to approve or deny international travel covered by this policy; and may withdraw approval or require re-review of travel plans when health, safety, or security conditions change. 

Students Participating in International Travel Covered by this Policy: Comply with international travel registration requirements and risk mitigation standards; enroll in CU international health insurance through CU Boulder Education Abroad, if required; review health, safety, and security guidance; and take personal responsibility for their safety while traveling internationally. 

Travelers Covered by this Policy (Students, Faculty, and Staff): Complete required international travel registration; participate in risk mitigation processes; comply with university safety requirements including enrollment in international health insurance and participation in required safety resources or briefings; and review applicable travel advisories and guidance prior to departure. 

Vice Chancellor for Academic Planning and Assessment (Policy Owner): Serves as the policy owner responsible for maintaining the Student International Travel and Programs Policy, ensuring alignment with CU system policy, and overseeing campus implementation of requirements governing international travel involving students. 

IV. Policy Statement

  1. This policy applies to international travel by or with students that is CU Boulder-sponsored, affiliated, or funded, or that is related to a CU Boulder activity or program. 
  2. International travel by or with students that is sponsored by, affiliated with, funded by, or related to a CU Boulder activity or program must comply with the following requirements: 
    1. All CU Boulder educational programs requiring international travel, including faculty-led courses with a group international travel component, must be operated through Education Abroad, which, in collaboration with the Education Abroad Committee and the International Risk Committee, provides quality control and risk management to ensure programs have appropriate academic standards, planning, implementation, and oversight. 
    2. All other international travel by or with students that is CU Boulder-sponsored, affiliated, or funded or that is related to a CU Boulder activity or program must register through the International Travel Registration process. This registration requirement includes, but is not limited to, international travel sponsored by or affiliated with a CU Boulder student organization, including student organizations registered with the Center for Student Involvement; international travel sponsored by or affiliated with student residential academic programs or living learning communities; and international travel related to international sports competitions, individual research, or conference attendance. 
    3. All campus units, including academic and non-academic units, are responsible for ensuring that the faculty, staff, and students affiliated with their unit who engage in travel covered by this policy comply with these requirements. 
  3. All students, faculty, and staff who fall within this policy are required to meet risk mitigation standards that include enrollment in CU international health insurance and the provision of pre-departure health, safety, and security resources.
  4. Programs and travelers subject to this policy must:
    1. Perform a comprehensive risk assessment analysis of their intended travel using the Risk Assessment protocols below. 
    2. Receive the necessary approvals from the International Risk Committee (IRC) if required. 
      1. The IRC has final authority to approve or deny any international travel subject to this policy. 
      2. The IRC may withdraw approval for international programs at any time based on changes in the security, health or safety situation of a location, or require a re-review of travel plans. 
  5. Exclusions 
    1. This policy excludes personal leisure or vacation travel that has no connection to CU Boulder. 
    2. CU Boulder does not recognize any obligation to support international travel by CU Boulder staff, students, or faculty that is undertaken strictly for personal reasons, and CU Boulder is not responsible for assistance or liability in the event of any adverse consequences resulting from such travel. 
    3. This policy does not apply to international travel by CU Boulder students who are also CU Boulder employees (e.g., Graduate Research Assistants) if it occurs as part of their CU Boulder employment; these students should refer to the CU International Travel website for CU employees.

V. Procedures

  1. Education Abroad facilitates the requirement that all students, faculty, and staff who fall within this policy are required to meet risk mitigation standards that include enrollment in CU international health insurance and the provision of pre-departure health, safety, and security resources through the following: 
    1. Providing access to country-specific information including the United States Department of State’s International Travel page, Consular Information Sheets, and International SOS reports, as well as advice on staying healthy and safe while on an international program. 
    2. Instructing travelers on how to register their trip with the US Department of State’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). 
    3. Enrolling travelers in the International SOS Travel Tracker program. 
    4. Registering students in CU’s international health insurance policy. 
  2. Education Abroad and individual travelers are respectively responsible for performing a comprehensive risk assessment analysis of intended travel using established risk assessment protocols: 
    1. Education Abroad completes this risk assessment on an ongoing basis for all Education Abroad programs. 
    2. All other travelers are required to complete this assessment as part of the international travel registration process. The outcome of this risk assessment will decide whether the travel can move forward as planned, or whether it must be referred to the CU Boulder International Risk Committee (IRC). 

VI. Related Policies, Forms, Guidelines, and Other Resources 

VII. History 

  1. Adopted: September 2015 
  2. Revised: November 22, 2022 
  3. Last Reviewed: April 6, 2026