Georgetown University has selected a limited number of university-related study abroad programs to take place for the fall semester. 

Select study abroad programs in 10 countries will be permitted to move forward in the fall 2021 semester, according to a July 9 email from the Office of Global Education. The programs have been approved after extensive safety and academic reviews from the Georgetown Travel Review Committee, as well as a program-specific risk assessment by a relevant senior administrator.

This decision follows the July 1 announcement that students will be permitted to engage in university-sponsored international travel beginning Aug. 1, thus allowing study abroad programs to move forward for the 2021-22 academic year. This fall will mark the first time students have participated in study abroad programs since spring 2020, when administrators suspended university-sponsored travel at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Select Office of Global Education programs in the following countries have been approved to proceed for the fall semester, according to the email: Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

According to the email, the university reviewed programs in Cameroon, Chile, the Netherlands, Jordan and Panama and contacted participating students by July 23 concerning the status of their programs. 

While the university is working to ensure international travel will be possible during the upcoming academic year, changing public health conditions may result in future adjustments or cancellations, according to a university spokesperson. 

“While we’re hopeful that all approved programs will be able to move forward in the fall, we continue to monitor the situation in all host countries and may need to make modifications or cancellations depending on host country conditions,” the university spokesperson wrote in an email to The Hoya.

The ongoing review process includes evaluating the host country’s COVID-19 case numbers, vaccination rates and the strength of local health systems, as well as consulting with local public health officials, the university spokesperson wrote.
In accordance with university policy regarding required COVID-19 vaccinations for all community members, barring medical and religious exemptions, all students participating in a study abroad program must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.