UMBC and the Center for Global Engagement continue to actively monitor the outbreak of COVID-19. As you may know, UMBC has suspended all university-related domestic and international travel. Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the State Department have lifted the global travel advisories at this time, given the current situation and out of an abundance of caution, we have made the difficult decision to cancel education abroad programs for Summer 2021 and Fall 2021.
Until these restrictions have been lifted, applications for education abroad programs will not be processed. The Education Abroad Office has closed the application portal and it will reopen to accept new applications once travel can resume safely. Applications that are requested through our affiliated partners will also not be approved. The team remains ready to provide support and advising for future terms and are hopeful that the global crisis will improve and education abroad will be possible soon. We are optimistic about spring 2022 and continue to work on the programs that we have planned for that term. Students graduating in spring 2022 who are interested in studying abroad should reach out to our office about possible options.
This is extremely challenging for all of us. However, this decision is based on the latest guidance available to us and is being made with the health and safety of our community as our highest priority.
While education abroad is suspended for the rest of this calendar year, it is the perfect time to complete the first step in the education abroad process: Study Abroad 101! This half-hour session explains how you can fit education abroad into your academic plan at UMBC and only has to be attended once. Get started today to ensure you can study abroad during your undergraduate degree. Meeting details are listed in our events!