Education Abroad: Physical & Mental Health

Your health and safety, both on the North Central campus and studying abroad, is the foundation of a successful academic experience. The health and safety of our education abroad students is always our top priority, and because of this we value and appreciate open communication with each student regarding their needs to be healthy and successful.

If you have any pre-existing health concerns or require any accommodation while you're abroad, health or otherwise, we ask that you inform your education abroad advisor as soon as you feel comfortable. The more we know, the more we can help you have a successful and healthy experience abroad.

Education abroad advisors who should be contacted regarding health, safety, and accommodation are:

Pre-Departure Orientations and Health Abroad

A great motto for education abroad is 'expect the unexpected,' and unfortunately, it is when students least expect it that accidents always seem to happen. To help students be proactive on their health and safety abroad, we hold a pre-departure orientation for students during the semester  before studying abroad.

We also host a Education Abroad Family Information Session for parents/guardians, where we cover health and safety abroad. This session is also designed to provide parents/guardians with the information and resources to best support students throughout their entire education abroad experience.

Health Information Form

During pre-departure preparation, we also ask that all students going abroad complete a Health Information Form. This form asks students to disclose their health history and current health status to the education abroad advisors. Education abroad advisors then follow-up with students to clarify their needs abroad (e.g., having prescription medication, meeting with a mental health clinician, securing academic accommodation) to determine if it is possible to meet these requests at their host university and in their host country. In some situations, we ask students to visit their clinician(s) and have the clinician(s) complete a form outlining instructions to managing a health condition abroad.