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Risk Management

Risk Management

Northwestern University is committed to the health, safety, and security of its students, faculty, and staff who travel abroad. The Office of Global Safety and Security (OGSS) is a national leader in higher education travel risk management and partners with Northwestern colleagues to monitor, assess and mitigate foreseeable risks associated with university-sponsored international travel.

Trip Registration

  • All trip leaders and students traveling abroad must register their trip in the International Travel Registry. This allows OGSS to monitor travelers' exposure to risk and provide real-time updates.
  • Travelers can also link their itinerary to a safety and security app called AlertTraveler to receive alerts during their travels.

Pre-departure Programming

  • All university-sponsored undergraduate students participate in a pre-departure orientation or program about health and safety.
  • Trip sponsors may also provide additional resources specific to the destination.

Program Development

  • The Global Learning Office, under the guidance of the University Study Abroad Committee and the OGSS, develops and reviews all undergraduate study abroad programs, including assessing health and safety risks.
  • OGSS can also provide advice and support to faculty and staff planning international travel unrelated to study abroad.

Travel to Higher-risk Locations

  • Undergraduate travel or proposed programing to locations identified as higher risk must comply with the Undergraduate Travel Policy.
  • All students, including graduate students, must complete a release / waiver for travel to locations of heightened risk.

International Insurance

  • All students (undergraduate and graduate) are required to obtain an accident and sickness health insurance policy, which includes coverage for medical treatment, evacuation, repatriation and security assistance, unless an exception applies.
  • This coverage is also available to faculty and staff.

24/7 Support

We also partner with the Northwestern police department to provide 24/7 support when a traveler faces distress abroad. See Emergencies Abroad. 

Monitoring and Responding to Risk

  • OGSS tracks global news, U.S. State Department advisories, and information from partners like GeoBlue and Crisis24 to identify potential risks to travelers.
  • If an incident occurs, OGSS may contact travelers to check on their well-being; if conditions warrant, OGSS may modify or even suspend a program as outlined in Program Modifications or Suspensions due to Health and Safety Concerns.
  • When a world event impacts our community, OGSS will post an announcement to Emergency Messages. As time permits, we will also connect with program sponsors to share information and risk mitigation strategies.