Status Update from the Office of International Affairs

(This message will be updated as more information becomes available.)

The well-being of faculty, staff and students is a top priority for Texas Tech University. TTU is closely monitoring the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and is taking measures to ensure university travelers are kept informed and safe.

On March 9, TTU decided to cancel all spring break study abroad programs.

On March 12, TTU informed all students currently studying abroad that it was necessary to return home. The Study Abroad Office monitored the safe arrival of all 105 impacted students. TTU requires all students returning from abroad to self-isolate and log their health information through the 14-day self-isolation period.

The University will refund student deposits for canceled study abroad trips through their student account. Reimbursements for prepaid expenses such as airline change fees, cancellation penalties, and lost travel-related deposits will be reimbursed through the TTU travel system. Students should cancel any remaining reservations as soon as possible in order to obtain possible refunds and/or unused airfare credits. The Office of International Affairs (OIA) will assist students in processing refunds and reimbursements - please direct all your questions to OIA's Study Abroad unit (studyabroad@ttu.edu).

The Office of International Affairs understands the cancellation of study abroad programs is disappointing for students and families. To ensure students have additional time to consider their international program options, the Study Abroad application deadline for fall and academic year programs has been extended to March 31. Students interested in pursuing future study abroad programs should contact their Study Abroad Counselor.

We will continue to closely monitor the situation until the Coronavirus outbreak subsides. We ask all student and university travelers to remain vigilant and flexible with travel plans. Thank you for your patience as we continually assess risk across all study abroad programs and international travels and make adjustments to safely connect Red Raiders with invaluable international experiences.