The Office for Education Abroad does not conduct education abroad programming in countries designated as high-risk unless a waiver is approved. Program directors may apply for a waiver through Global Health, Safety, and Security. Further details may be found below or you may contact us for more information.

On January 10, 2018, the U.S. Department of State changed its consular safety and security messaging system. Travel Warnings are no longer issued and have been replaced with the Travel Advisory system whereby each country is issued an advisory level according to a 4-point scale. You can read more about this new system at the Department of State Travel website. 

MSU policy has updated accordingly. Any education abroad programs that operate in high-risk destinations are required to obtain a waiver at least three months in advance of the program's departure. The Office for Global Health, Safety, and Security will be in touch with programs that require a waiver to schedule a meeting with the Risk and Security Assessment Committee.

The list of high-risk destinations that require a waiver changes regularly, so bookmark this page and check it frequently. The Risk and Security Assessment Committee considers the following sources in determining when a waiver is required: the U.S. Department of State Travel Advisories; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Travel Health Notices; the Office for Global Health, Safety and Security; and MSU security information provider analysis.

Waiver requests are reviewed by the committee which makes a recommendation to the Provost. The Provost ultimately decides whether a waiver request will be granted. If you have any questions, please contact us.

MSU Country Risk Levels

Review MSU's risk levels for various countries and access U.S. Department of State Country Information Pages. This database is updated regularly.