Health & Safety

International Health and Travel Insurance

All study abroad students are required to obtain comprehensive health and travel insurance for the duration of their stay abroad. This insurance must meet the following conditions:

• Minimum $100,000 coverage for illness or injury
• Minimum $200,000 for medical evacuation
• Minimum $100,000 for repatriation of remains

Students are required to demonstrate that they have purchased adequate insurance (as part of GEO's mandatory online registration) before they travel abroad.

The standard domestic policies held by UNM students, such as Blue Cross Blue Shield and Presbyterian, do not meet these requirements. Nor do the standard plans offered to UNM faculty and staff. Some countries may also require that students enroll in a national insurance policy.

For this reason, UNM GEO has contracted with Cultural Insurance Services International (CISI) to offer international coverage to students. CISI sells international insurance for a minimum period of one week, at a cost of $13.48 per week.

Faculty and staff are eligible to purchase this insurance for international travel associated with university business (conference, site visit, research, etc.).

To purchase this coverage, go to https://culturalinsurance.com/UNM and enter UNM's sponsor code: UNM

You can download CISI's brochure here (PDF).

Study Abroad Health and Safety Policy

The Global Education Office recently completed a major initiative to update and improve UNM's official Study Abroad Health and Safety policy. We encourage you to read the text of this policy, UAP 2710 ("Education Abroad Health and Safety") to understand your responsibilities as a study abroad participant.

Pre-Departure Orientation Health and Safety Presentations

Students studying abroad on a UNM-sponsored program are required to attend a Pre-Departure Orientation. This presentation includes a wealth of information detailing steps you should take prior to departure, how to protect your health and well-being while abroad, and whom to contact should you experience an emergency. The dates and locations of the information will be sent to students and program group leaders. Be sure to check your email!

24-Hour Emergency Phone

The Global Education Office maintains a 24-hour emergency phone line dedicated to the assistance of UNM students studying abroad. If you experience an illness or injury, become the victim of a crime, lose your passport, or are arrested while abroad, please call +1-505-366-1299 at any time so that we can take steps to assist you. This line can also accept text messaging. You should also be sure to know the local emergency number where you are. In most cases, this will be 112 or 911, but to find the number for the country where you will travel, go here.

State Department and CDC Country Information

Before traveling, you should look over the information provided by the U.S. Department of State and Centers for Disease Control for each country you plan to visit. Both agencies also maintain lists of countries where travel is discouraged due to emergency conditions. You may find the State Department Alerts and Warnings page here and the CDC Travel Health Notices page here. Please also look over the State Department Worldwide Caution and Travel Alert prior to any international travel. UNM reserves the right to forbid university-related travel, including for study abroad, research, conference attendance or other purposes, to undergraduates who wish to go to countries under a State Department Warning or a CDC Level 3 Warning. Students who wish to travel to such a country, in addition to the standard Acknowledgement of Risks and Conditions of Participation Forms, must also read and sign the Acknowledgement of Travel Warning Form. You may find this form here (Microsoft Word).

UNM Travel Health Clinic

All members of the UNM community are welcome to take advantage of the Travel Health Clinic, located in the Student Health and Counseling Center right next to Mesa Vista Hall. 

Students, faculty, staff and traveling companions can schedule a pre-departure checkup with information and advice specific to the region where you will travel, receive immunizations and necessary prescriptions, and get a post-travel workup. 

Students who are planning to study abroad should determine whether their program or host country requires additional health screening or documentation (including physicals, biometrics, or proof of vaccination). Relate this information to the SHAC upon scheduling your appointment – a secondary, follow up may be necessary. The waiting time for an appointment may be three to four weeks, and students should schedule their appointments for at least six to eight weeks before their departure, if possible, to ensure ample time for vaccinations to take effect.

Health & Safety Advisory Committee

Under UNM Policy 2710, study abroad programs in locations with an elevated travel warning as indicated by the US State Department Travel Advisory and/or the CDC Travel Advisory (Level 3+) or that have other extraordinary conditions that pose serious risks to the health or safety of participants, will be modified or canceled unless special circumstances justify an exemption or a program is already in progress. The Provost or Chancellor will decide whether to grant an exemption based on the UNM Health and Safety Advisory Committee's (HSAC) recommendation.

Review the HSAC exemption process below.