Health, Safety, & Well-Being | Study Abroad | Yale University
Study Abroad Summer Session COMPASS

Health, Safety, & Well-Being

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Your Health, Safety, and Well-Being Abroad 

We place the utmost importance on the safety, security, and well-being of students who participate in study abroad programs. Yale maintains an International Travel Policy that outlines the University's stance on restricted travel and also provides a Global Travel Assistance plan to all Yale College students. Additionally, Yale Study Abroad monitors daily the security situation worldwide.

You must take personal responsibility for your own health, safety, and well-being while abroad, but you are not alone. Yale Study Abroad remains a resource to students before, during, and after their time abroad. While no one can guarantee your health, safety, or well-being—at home, at Yale, or abroad—you can take proactive steps to mitigate risks and make the most of your experience. Read through these resources and be sure to share this information with your families. 

Strategies to Mitigate Risk

  • Trust your instincts and remain alert to your surroundings.
  • Keep your cell phone charged and with you.
  • Carry contact information for your program staff and International SOS.
  • Know what activities are culturally and legally appropriate. 
  • Stay informed about current events in your host country. 
  • Avoid protests. Do not record protest activity and seek an alternate route.
  • When traveling away from your program site, make sure that your program staff and family know where you’re going and when you’re expected to return.
  • Stay away from high crime areas, and if out at night, make sure you and your friends have a safe way home. Avoid walking alone at night whenever possible.

Health, Safety, and Well-Being Resources

In case of an emergency or incident abroad

CIPE Travel Pocket Guide

This concise resource contains emergency contact information related to medical and mental health, natural disasters or civil unrest, sexual assault, crime and legal issues, and more. Click the button below to access the CIPE pocket guide.