IES Abroad sees the safety of its students as its highest priority. In carefully monitoring the developments in Ukraine, IES Abroad has determined that certain areas must be considered dangerous for our students. To ensure student safety, IES Abroad has instituted a broad travel ban on Eastern Europe. Beyond Ukraine and Russian, this ban includes the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania), Belarus, Moldova, Poland, Romania, and Bulgaria, as well as the eastern half of Slovakia and Hungary. Currently, this does not include the Balkans, Slovenia, Czechia, Northern Europe (including Finland), or Turkey. This effectively means that no travel is allowed to Warsaw, but Prague, Budapest, and Bratislava are still possible.
Be advised of the following:
- These regulations can be changed at any time as circumstances require.
- Students must monitor all communication from IES Abroad for updates to this policy.
- If a student’s home campus prohibits travel outside of the host country, you are not permitted to travel elsewhere at all (except for going home).
This is a matter of the utmost importance. Students who violate this directive on travel to Eastern Europe may be dismissed from their IES Abroad program. Questions about this policy can be directed to the Dean of Students Office in Chicago or the Center Director for their program abroad.