At Syracuse Abroad, the health, wellness, and safety of our students are our highest priorities. Our pre-departure process includes health and safety information to help students maintain their health and well-being throughout their term of study. Your World Partner will also address health and safety during your on-site orientation. The Syracuse Abroad Student Services team is dedicated to supporting students and their families, in the event that they have to manage medical or psychological crises, life traumas, and other concerns or barriers that impede their success while studying abroad.
Health Preparations
To support your health while abroad, we remind you to be prepared for your travels.
Please ensure that you complete all questionnaires and post-decision materials related to your program. It is important to not only advise Syracuse Abroad, but also communicate with your world partner program about pertinent health and medical information that can impact your experience abroad.
If you have any general health inquiries as you think about your semester abroad, contact Health Care- Barnes Center at the Arch at (315) 443-8000. Additional contacts for the office can be found here: Contact – Barnes Center at The Arch.
Medications: If you take medication on a consistent basis, please contact your prescribing physician to ensure you have enough to get you through the duration of your time overseas. You should contact ISOS for information and rules governing the transportation of medication in the countries where you will be traveling. The Syracuse University membership number is 11BCPA000177. (See more about ISOS below.)
- If you need a letter of support to provide to your physician/insurance company regarding a semester’s duration of medication, please contact Katie Shaw, Coordinator for Student Support and Inclusion Services: kshaw02@syr.edu
Immunizations: All students are required to have all their immunizations up to date. Travel to certain parts of the world may require vaccinations. For additional information regarding recommended immunizations, please contact the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); ISOS at 215-942-8478; or your local county health department, physician, or student health services for additional information.
Medical & Dietary Accommodations
We frequently have students in our program with specific health and medical requirements. To properly accommodate medical and dietary needs, we request advance notice. Please also work with your world partner program provider and complete any application components pertaining to your medical needs.
Managing conditions can become more challenging in new and unfamiliar environments, so the more preparation Syracuse Abroad can help you do in advance, the better.
Diets and Allergies: To provide for a successful housing placement abroad, please let your World Partner know about any dietary or health-related restrictions that may affect your living arrangements. For example, disclose allergies to foods, pets, or cigarette smoke, or special dietary needs such as salt-free, vegetarian, etc. Though not all needs can always fully be met, the World Partner can make an effort to accommodate them when possible.
Medical Diagnoses: Being informed about medical diagnoses helps Syracuse Abroad and your World Partner program prepare to assist with local resources if ongoing support is needed. Consult with your medical/mental health practitioner before traveling abroad if you have any questions and be sure that Syracuse Abroad and your World Partner program have received all the necessary information.
It is not usually possible for programs abroad to provide the full range of psychological or counseling services that are available on your home campus. The more information you disclose, no matter how minor, can help staff best prepare and connect you with resources so that you can have a successful experience abroad.
Disabilities and Support Abroad: If you plan to receive disability-related accommodations abroad, complete the voluntary online questionnaire, Accommodations for Students with Disabilities on your OrangeAbroad portal. Disclosure of a disability is not required, however, doing so will improve our ability to more efficiently connect you more efficiently to resources abroad.
Please note that your disability accommodations information is not automatically transferred from the Center for Disability Resources to Syracuse Abroad, so unless you disclose it by using the accommodations questionnaire, partner staff and faculty will be unaware of your potential need for support.
Contact the Student Services team at Syracuse Abroad for questions about this process.
For more information about university services to support students with disabilities, visit the Center for Disability Resources website.
Please note that several World Partner Programs and their affiliated organizations will have an independent process that students should follow to best have accommodations met to the best of the ability of the location you are attending. Please very carefully read all information in both OrangeAbroad AND application materials via the specific location/organization through which you are travelling. Please follow all instructions for the institution/organization carefully as it pertains to both housing and academic accommodations.
Insurance Abroad
We ask students and their families/guardians to carefully review their personal medical and insurance situation. Information about the insurance provided by Syracuse Abroad as part of the program fee as well as frequently asked questions can be found on our website’s Insurance page. In addition, most World Partner programs provide their own insurance or require that students purchase insurance. For more information, please reach out to your World Partner program.
Personal Property Insurance:
- Syracuse Abroad insurance does have limited coverage for loss of personal property. However, many students bring valuable equipment such as mobile phones, laptop computers and cameras overseas, and the limited benefits provided by this insurance may not be adequate to cover these items.
- To protect your possessions against fire, theft, vandalism, or other casualty, you may want to consult your parents’/guardians’ homeowners insurance as you may already have coverage available.
World Partner Staff Support: You should consult World Partner staff about medical referrals, to local clinics, hospitals, and specialists. In the case of an emergency, you should contact the World Partner and Syracuse Abroad as soon as possible.
Filing a Claim While Abroad: Most foreign hospitals do not recognize US insurance and will not bill your insurance company directly. Therefore, in most cases you will have to pay for services upfront and then file a claim for reimbursement:
- The Student Services team can provide assistance with filing a claim through the Syracuse Abroad emergency insurance included in your program fee.
- Keep copies of all medical bills and have them translated to English.
- Keep your receipts for any payments you make.
- You are responsible for follow-up on any insurance claims, both with your primary insurance provider and the Syracuse Abroad insurance provider.
International SOS Member Services
International SOS is a medical referral service that provides 24/7 medical consultation and emergency services while you’re abroad. You will receive an ISOS membership card before you depart from your program. Carry the card with you at all times. More information about ways to utilize the ISOS membership can be found here.
Syracuse University’s membership number is 11BCPA000177: it will be used to access the ISOS website; parents/guardians should record the membership number and website address so they also have access.
Membership includes 24 hour ISOS information services (web or phone) at no charge including:
- Country risk ratings, State Department postings, medical travel recommendations, and immunization requirements
- Access to medical doctors via phone consultation
- Referrals to English-speaking doctors
- Phone assessment and phone translation services in case of hospitalization
ISOS also has an application that is available to download. Information on the app is especially valuable when you are traveling during breaks, or visiting destinations where you have no local contacts and find yourself needing medical advice.
NOTE: Use of actual medical services (beyond information services) is not free. While you have access to ISOS clinics and doctors around the world, you will be responsible for the cost of such services if not covered by your health insurance policy or the Syracuse Abroad insurance policy. The ISOS program is not a health insurance plan.
Syracuse Community Abroad
Syracuse University prohibits harassment or discrimination related to any protected category including creed, ethnic or national origin, gender, pregnancy, disability, marital status, political or social affiliation, age, race, color, veteran status, military status, religion, sexual orientation, domestic violence status, gender identity, gender expression, or perceived gender. Any complaint of discrimination or harassment related to any of these protected bases will be reported to the University’s Chief Equal Opportunity, Inclusion, and Resolution Services team by emailing titleix@syr.edu. Compliance efforts under various laws including Titles VI, IX and Section 504 or the Rehabilitation Act will be coordinated.
If you feel that your safety is being threatened in any way, support is available to you abroad and on main campus in three ways. Call the local 24-hour emergency number provided to you during orientation. Reach out to staff abroad for assistance. To access confidential and privileged resources, contact the 24-hour phone number of the Sexual and Relationship Violence Response Team, available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week at 315-443-4715.