With many countries’ borders remaining closed to tourists and non-essential travelers due to the COVID-19 pandemic, colleges and universities are making the decision to cancel fall study abroad programs.
Dr. Thomas J. D’Agostino, associate dean of global education at Hobart and William Smith Colleges (HWS), said the school wanted to announce a decision before students incurred any expenses such as airfare.
There was also concern about students not being able to get to various locations due to the lack of flights or the challenges of obtaining a visa, according to Dr. Gareth McFeely, executive director of study abroad at Boston University (BU).
“We felt that with our small staff on the ground, we weren’t going to be able to provide them or guarantee them the kind of safe environment that we hoped to be able to provide on our main campus in Boston,” he added.
D’Agostino said the news did not come as a surprise to students. Prior to the official cancellation announcement, some came forward and expressed their concerns and fears about going abroad during this time.
“For young people to have gone through this level of change and disruption to their academic experiences, much less their lives, I’ve been really impressed with how they have reacted and their ability to kind of look at alternatives and look forward,” he said. “If I were in their shoes at 20-years-old or thereabouts, I’m not sure I would have reacted as well as they have.”
Amid the cancellation of fall abroad programs, housing and course registration are also concerns for students.
