Winter Study Abroad Programs Canceled

Dear DU Community, 

We are making daily decisions regarding the well-being of our DU community. Like our fall study abroad cancellation decision, we took a variety of factors into consideration for our winter study abroad programs, including the elevated international country travel warnings issued by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Department of State. Additionally, the CDC recently issued updated guidance recommending that institutions of higher education continue to cancel international travel programs. We also considered the continued rise in COVID-19 related cases abroad in many countries, the related increased health, safety and risk concerns for our students, limited partner and internal capacity to support our students, and the ethical implications of resuming international travel on a larger scale. 

Based on these considerations, the University has decided to cancel all Office of International Education (OIE) undergraduate study abroad programs for the winter term (this includes winter + spring term programs but excludes spring only study abroad). In addition to DU partner programs, this cancellation also extends to unaffiliated study abroad programs (AUP/UPP). Those enrolled in a Global Master’s program will receive information from the Office of Internationalization soon with information about their programs.  

We know that some of you will be disappointed by this decision. Although we understand your disappointment, we must place the health and safety of our students above all other considerations. Please know that the OIE is here to support students and help them understand their options going forward. OIE students will be receiving an email from that office soon sharing some important details about next steps to the COVID-19 & Study Abroad Considerations page of the OIE handbook. If you have questions or concerns after reading the information in the handbook and reviewing the OIE email, please reach out to your OIE advisor.  

We are making this decision now so that our academic units will be in a better position to plan alternate academic opportunities for our students, and so that students will have more time to consider their options for winter courses. We strongly recommend that students make plans to register for DU courses for the winter term as soon as registration opens. Please look for an email from the Registrar's office to understand the exact date and time of your registration. 

Sincerely, 

Mary Clark
Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor

Uttiyo Raychaudhuri
Vice Provost for Internationalization