Continued Suspension of Study Abroad and Non-Essential Student Travel in Summer 2021

To the George Washington University Community:

Medical and public health professionals worked tirelessly in 2020 and provided the world a sense of hope with the authorization and distribution of several COVID-19 vaccines. Some members of our community, particularly frontline healthcare workers, have begun receiving the vaccine, and we look forward to the continued vaccine rollout through 2021.

In light of the vaccination rollout likely continuing through the summer, we are announcing that study abroad programs and other non-essential student travel will remain suspended for summer 2021. As the year progresses, we will continue to monitor vaccination trends in the United States as well as internationally, to ensure students will be welcome to travel to international destinations.

We understand that the global citizenship, intercultural learning, and exciting research opportunities that study abroad provides are an important part of the GW experience. The vaccine provides hope that we will be able to offer these opportunities again in the fall. The Office for Study Abroad is now receiving applications for fall study abroad, and we have advisors standing by to help students find the right program for them and their degree plans.

I remain grateful for the strength of the GW community and how we have pulled together in support of one another during a challenging time. We are now seeing a light at the end of the tunnel, and I look with great optimism beyond the pandemic to the many opportunities of the future of GW. As always, please continue to stay healthy and safe, and I wish you a successful spring semester.

Sincerely,

M. Brian Blake
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs