The U-M International Travel Policy (SPG 601.31) applies to faculty, staff and students traveling outside of the United States for University-related purposes, which may include but are not limited to, study, research, internships, service, conferences/presentations, teaching, performances, or athletic competitions. Currently, all countries outside of the United States are under a U-M COVID-19 Travel Restriction until further notice, following the U.S. State Department Level 4 Do Not Travel Global Health Advisory.

U-M managed education abroad programs are suspended for spring/summer 2020, irrespective of departure date. Fall 2020 U-M managed education abroad programs with departure dates on or before August 30, 2020 must be evaluated for approval by the Provost’s Office on a case by case basis (Please send such requests to Amy Conger, aconger@umich.edu).

Faculty & Staff International Travel: To travel for essential business reasons, faculty and staff should request approval from their school/college/unit and ensure that the activity follows relevant stay at home regulations, including those related to human gatherings/in-person interactions. They should also register travel with the U-M: https://global.umich.edu/travel-resources/register-your-travel/

Undergraduate Student International Travel & Educational Activities: Sponsored student group travel abroad and international University of Michigan Related Travel for individual undergraduate students is suspended until further notice due to U-M travel restrictions. Note: Remote internships, research projects and other educational activities that do not involve travel to the site or in-person interaction are still allowed and encouraged.

Graduate Student International Travel & Educational Activities: In instances where international travel is essential to the graduate student’s academic progress and where the research can only be completed at a specific location, graduate students can apply to the International Travel Oversight Committee (ITOC) for travel approval. Approval will only be granted to graduate students who meet all of the following criteria and are able to:

• Ensure that the activity does not violate any local, federal, state, or other guidelines, rules, orders, regulations, laws, and the like, including, but not limited to, those related to human gatherings/in-person interactions and any travel to or from the proposed engaged learning site.
• Obtain written verification from a U-M faculty or staff member indicating that the activity is academically essential and location specific. The simplest way to document this written acceptance is via email. 
• Complete an Individual Safety Plan for International Travel application to be reviewed by ITOC.
• Register travel with the U-M and obtain U-M Travel Abroad Health Insurance: https://global.umich.edu/travel-resources/register-your-travel/
• See the U-M Student Safety Plan for International Travel / COVID-19 Edition flowchart for details of the review process.

Faculty & Staff U.S. Domestic Travel:

To travel for essential business reasons within the United States, faculty and staff should: 

1. Request approval from their school/college/unit 
2. Register travel in the U-M Travel Registry
3. And ensure that the activity follows relevant stay at home regulations, including those related to human gatherings/in-person interactions.

Student U.S. Domestic Travel & Off-Campus Engaged Learning Activities:

To support the health and well-being of our university community during the pandemic, the following guidelines for off-campus U-M engaged learning activities are in effect during the ongoing pandemic. These Provost’s Office guidelines will subside once the Detroit Region (region 1) of the MI Safe Start plan, issued by Governor Whitmer on May 7, 2020, reaches at least Phase 6: https://www.detroitchamber.com/covid19/michigans-covid-19-status-and-reopening-phases-by-region/

The purpose of these temporary guidelines is to track the locations of U-M students engaged in off-campus U-M-related experiences and enable communication and public health updates as needed. 

The guidelines apply to U-M-Ann Arbor students participating in off-campus activities that have an in-person component (e.g. in-person internships, research, volunteer projects, or other educational experiences). They do not apply to any on-campus activities or any activity offered exclusively in remote format. Clinical rotations in the health sciences are not considered engaged learning activities for purposes of this guidance.

Off-campus, university-related domestic activities for individual students are permissible if students meet the following conditions: 

• Students must register any in-person engaged learning activity that takes place off campus and within the United States through the Student Registration for Engaged Learning Activity form (view instructions and preview the form here). Within the registration, students must agree to follow any applicable laws, rules, regulations, orders, and public health guidelines at their host location. They must also agree to follow any applicable U-M requirements for returning to campus after their engaged learning activity concludes. 
• If there is a travel component, students must register travel in the U-M Travel Registry.
• Following the U-M suspension of domestic travel, students may not use U-M funding for airfare non-essential travel.

Clinical rotations in the health sciences are not considered engaged learning activities for purposes of this guidance.

Note: This page will be updated with further instructions should the Detroit Region (region 1) of the MI Safe Start plan, issued by Governor Whitmer on May 7, 2020, reverts to Phases 1, 2, or 3.