Student Travel Process

Students planning to travel internationally must complete the steps below before departure.

1. Consult the Department of State and CDC to determine if the travel is to a high-risk destination.

2. If travel is not to a high-risk destination, register travel, and complete pre-departure requirements at least 30 days prior to departure.

For travel registration, you will need at a minimum:

  • Travel dates and location(s)
  • Local contact information while abroad
  • Emergency contact information
  • Copy of passport 

View MUSC Student & Resident Travel Registry User Guide (PDF) to assist with registration.

3. If the travel is a high-risk destination, students must request and obtain approval from the International Travel Oversight Committee (ITOC).

4. Students are required to submit a completed application no later than four (4) weeks before their scheduled departure. Travelers should avoid booking flights before receiving ITOC approval.

5. Students should research potential risks of traveling to the high-risk designation and formulate an emergency action plan to address those risks. This information is necessary for the travel application process.

Required Travel Approval

Requesting Travel Approval to High-Risk Destination:

1. To start the process, log in to the MUSC Travel Registry and enter the proposed dates and location of your travel. You will be prompted to provide information and complete essential requirements of the travel application before submitting for approval.

2. You will need to provide detailed information about your trip plan, including in-country accommodations and transportation, emergency resources, communication plans, and your general understanding of the risks in the location. Be as detailed as possible in this section to demonstrate pre-departure preparation and to present a stronger application.

Examples of information required:

  • The justification why travel to this location (versus a lower-risk country) is essential to academic studies, research, or work.
  • Transportation within the region and day-to-day arrangements.
  • Outline risks (health, safety, and security) identified in the DOS Travel Advisory, CDC, or International SOS security information and provide proactive plans to mitigate those risks.
  • Communication plans, including emergency contacts, both US-based and in-country, local contacts, and emergency communication plan.
  • Upload required files (i.e. country map, approval letter from MUSC program director).

    Optional: Upload any supplemental support documents to strengthen your application.

3. The Center for Global Health will submit your responses to International SOS, MUSC’s global security and travel assistance provider on your behalf. International SOS will review and respond with a travel briefing, risk analysis, and mitigation information specific to your trip. The Center for Global Health shares the travel briefing with you. 

You must review the travel briefing, make any necessary adjustments to your plans, and upload the travel briefing PDF to your application.

4. Once you have uploaded the International SOS travel briefing PDF, the application will be considered complete and will be submitted to the International Travel Oversight Committee for a thorough review.

5. The ITOC will approve the request, deny the request, or ask that the student provide clarification or additional information. Applicants may be required to take additional steps or alter travel plans to obtain approval.

6. Upon approval, and after booking flights, you will need to log in to the Travel Registry to record flight details.

7. Should conditions in the proposed country of travel change significantly between the time a request has been approved and the date on which travel is to be undertaken, the ITOC may reverse the decision and deny the request.