To provide the public with a more accurate understanding of the risks of studying abroad, the Office of Higher Education (OHE) reports study abroad health and safety incident data along with student participation data. This information is annually submitted to OHE by Minnesota postsecondary institutions whose students studied abroad in the prior academic year.
According to Minn. Statutes § 5.41, postsecondary institutions offering credit for study abroad must:
Beginning October 11, 2018,The Forum on Education Abroad has convened a Standards Update Working Group with the intent of revising the Standards of Good Practice for Education Abroad in preparation for a 6th edition.
On October 18, 2019, the consensus was reached on the 6th edition of the Standards of Good Practice for Education Abroad.
The 6th edition of the Standards of Good Practice, will be officially released at the 16th Annual Conference in Kansas City, Missouri, March 25-27, 2020. After their release, the 30-day appeals period will begin on April 1. Any individual materially and negatively affected by the 6th edition of the Standards will have the opportunity to appeal to the Standards Manager in writing during that time
For more information you can visit: https://forumea.org/standards-development/
OHE adheres to current federal and state data privacy laws and best practices to protect the privacy of individual students. Reports and data required by Minn. Stat. § 135A.15, Subd. 6 are prepared and published as summary data, as defined in Minn. Stat. § 13.02, Subd. 19, and are consistent with federal and state laws governing access to educational data and student privacy.
OHE's policy for complying with federal and state laws governing access to student records is to suppress student data in cells containing fewer than 10 students. In the data reports that follow, when "<10" is displayed the data for that cell is suppressed to protect student identity in compliance with federal and state privacy laws. Additionally, if only one cell in a column is suppressed, the cell with the second lowest count will also be suppressed to prevent identification.
The following data are on study abroad participation and incidents of Minnesota students that occurred between August 1, 2014 and July 31, 2019.
Along with their participation and incident reporting, postsecondary institutions report whether the institution is committed to complying with the following health and safety standards set by the Forum on Education Abroad, indicated by 1, 2 and 3 above.
Minnesota law also requires the Minnesota Secretary of State to publish links to the United States Department of State's Consular Information Program informing the public of conditions abroad that may affect their safety and security. Also other links to publicly available reports on sexual assaults and other criminal acts affecting study abroad program participants during program participation are available. That information and other study abroad resources are available at Study Abroad Health and Safety Resources for Students and Parents.