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The SFS Safety and Student Life team continues to closely monitor the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) both globally and locally.
SFS has comprehensive risk management plans in place and our safety systems are a guiding principle for all decisions about programming. We closely follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), and U.S. Department of State recommendations. There are many logistical and academic considerations, including travel restrictions, that we will be taking into account when evaluating potential program changes. We will continue to make updates to this page with relevant information.
Learn more about SFS Health and Safety.
Please note that all U.S.-based SFS staff are currently working remotely. Email is the best way to reach us at this time and you can find a list of contact information HERE.
All Spring 2020 programs were suspended.
All Spring 2020 students arrived home safely. Students received detailed instructions from the SFS Office of Academic Affairs regarding the completion of their courses and access to the online academic delivery modules.
Through the rapidly changing landscape of border closings, quarantines, and canceled flights over the initial weeks of the pandemic, SFS’ priority and primary commitment was the safety of our students and staff and returning our students home.
These unprecedented circumstances have required us all to adapt, change, and respond in ways none of us could have ever anticipated. Our responsibility is to be transparent and to fulfill our commitments to students and families, our staff, and our neighbors and partners in the local communities around the world to the best of our ability. Those commitments guided our decision making regarding our refund policies for the Spring 2020 semester, indicated below.
TUITION
Faculty will be engaged throughout the remainder of the semester finishing the delivery of courses online, and students will be able to complete a full semester of credit. Thus, SFS will not be issuing any refunds for tuition for the spring 2020 semester.
ROOM & BOARD
SFS maintains long term leases and other contractual agreements and partnerships within the communities where we welcome students each semester. These communities are being impacted greatly by this pandemic and its aftermath and will feel the full brunt of the economic downturn which may follow. In this time of global crisis, it is also our responsibility to maintain our contractual commitments to these community partners and continue to honor these agreements as is reasonable. To refund Room or Board, SFS would be required to break leases and other long-term contracts with our community partners. Because of this, SFS is unable to offer a refund for Room or Board.
TRAVEL REIMBURSEMENT POLICY
In the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak, it was our singular priority to get students home in the safest and most expeditious manner possible. Each day brought new border closures, restrictions, grounded airlines, and canceled tickets. As SFS navigated these shifting variables, we recognize that some students incurred unexpected expenses in securing their travel home. SFS would like to do what we can to provide students with some financial relief. If you are one of the students who incurred unexpected expenses due to return travel home and would like to request a reimbursement, please proceed through the following process:
Airlines: First, check with your airline as many have waived change fees and rebooking fees for certain countries or within certain dates. If you are working with Advantage Travel, they will assist you in doing so.
Travel Insurance: If you have purchased travel insurance, please contact the company directly and proceed with the reimbursement protocol.
Home School: Some sending schools are providing financial assistance for change fees and waivers. Please contact your home institution directly to inquire about their policies and how to apply for reimbursement.
If you do not receive any reimbursements from the airline, insurance, or your home school, please provide SFS with the following documentation and SFS may be able to offer assistance. Please provide the following:
Documentation should be submitted no later than April 30, 2020, to operations@fieldstudies.org. Once all claims are submitted, SFS will review these requests and determine what assistance may be available. SFS has a limited pool of resources and in many cases may not be able to offer a full reimbursement. We want to assure you that we are committed to doing what we can to help alleviate this difficult time for our students.
All SFS summer programs were cancelled as of April 17, 2020.
All Fall 2020 programs were cancelled as of July 13, 2020.
All SFS winter programs were cancelled as of September 10, 2020. Students are welcome to defer to a Winter 2022, or another program term. Students should contact SFS Admissions to coordinate this change.
All SFS spring programs were cancelled as of October 16, 2020. Students are welcome to defer to a Fall 2021 or Spring 2022, or another program term. Students should contact SFS Admissions to coordinate this change.
We continue to actively assess the global outlook for international travel and study abroad. We are closely monitoring COVID-19 developments from the U.S. Department of State, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and our local contacts. Our highest priority is the health, security, and wellbeing of students, staff, and the local communities in which our programs are based. Program itineraries will be subject to change based on the current conditions and advisories in both the host country and the U.S at the time of the program.
We are mapping out revised campus safety protocols based on host country, CDC, and WHO guidelines in addition to any changes we may need to make to programming due to the status of the pandemic at the time of active programming. We anticipate some changes to levels of community engagement, independent travel, and travel to certain regions and program activities that may not be available.
SFS will be offering a revised list of programs. Adjustments include shifting some programs originally scheduled for Summer I to Summer II, and cancelling several programs. SFS will not be offering students the option to “mix and match” Summer I and Summer II programs. There could be too many factors at play with mandatory quarantines, testing requirements, or immigration restrictions. Therefore, if students wish to enroll in two sequential summer programs with SFS, their options are Bhutan, Kenya, or the Turks & Caicos Islands. In consideration of COVID-19, SFS has amended the refund policy for Summer 2021 programs (outlined below).
In the event that a student chooses to withdraw from the program of their own accord or because their home institution requires it:
All Fall 2021 programs, except Peru, are scheduled to take place at this time. SFS is monitoring an active dengue breakout in the Iquitos region of Peru and will make a decision in the coming months about running a fall program there.
Last updated November 12, 2020.
Each SFS Center has a Risk Assessment and Management Plan (RAMP) that comprehensively documents emergency response protocols and contingency plans. The protocols list the locations and contact details for nearby medical clinics, advanced medical care, and emergency evacuation services while also providing our staff, who are trained in wilderness medicine, with guidance on how to respond to incidents or emergencies.
For students enrolled for an upcoming program at a suspended location, we will notify students and their home institutions. We will work with students to determine if there is an alternative SFS program that would meet their academic needs and interests.
A summary of coverage connected to this policy can be found here.
SFS can only refund payments including the Program Commitment Deposit, tuition, and room & board. SFS cannot offer refunds for any personal costs incurred associated with the program, including but not limited to flights, other transportation, visas, immunizations, etc.
In the event that SFS cancels the program
In the event that a student chooses to withdraw from the program of their own accord or because their home institution requires it:
*Updated November 12, 2020.