Study Abroad Health and Safety Report

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 submitted annually to OHE by Minnesota postsecondary institutions whose students studied abroad in the prior academic year.

The following data reflects study abroad participation and incidents of Minnesota students that occurred between August 1, 2014 and July 31, 2022.

Study Abroad Key Takeaways

• Since 2015, 75,252 Minnesota students have participated in study abroad programs.
• Of 75 thousand students who traveled abroad, only 256 incidents have occurred.
• None of the incidents have resulted in a student death.
• Europe continues to be the preferred continent for study abroad students. The United Kingdom (8,654), Italy (6,267), Spain (4,990), and France (3,561) are the most popular study abroad destinations.
• Ecuador, Spain, and Italy have the most recorded incidents involving hospitalizations but their incident rates are only 1.41%, 0.42%, and 0.27%.
• The University of Minnesota - Twin Cities sends the largest number of students to study abroad (21,579). The next largest institution is the University of St. Thomas (7,706).

About this Report

The OHE Study Abroad Health and Safety Report dashboard is a legislatively mandated report under Minnesota Statutes § 5.41 Study Abroad Programs.

This dashboard summarizes the reported deaths and hospitalizations that occurred during, and as a result of, study abroad participation and whether the program complied with health and safety standards set by the nationally recognized Forum on Education Abroad or similar standards. The dashboard disaggregates by country, primary program host, and program type of each incident to provide the public with a more accurate understanding of the risks of studying abroad.

2021 Minnesota Statutes § 5.41 subd. 2 STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMS REPORTING.

(a) A postsecondary institution must file by November 1 of each year a report on its programs with the secretary of state. The report must contain the following information from the previous academic year, including summer terms:

(1) deaths of program participants that occurred during program participation as a result of program participation;

(2) accidents and illnesses that occurred during program participation as a result of program participation and that required hospitalization; and

(3) country, primary program host, and program type for all incidents reported in clauses (1) and (2)

(b) For purposes of paragraph (a), "primary program host" is the institution or organization responsible for or in control of the majority of decisions being made on the program including, but not limited to, student housing, local transportation, and emergency response and support.

(c) Information reported under paragraph (a), clause (1), may be supplemented by a brief explanatory statement.

(d) A postsecondary institution must request, but not mandate, hospitalization and incident disclosure from students upon completion of the program.

(e) A postsecondary institution must report to the secretary of state annually by November 1 whether its program complies with health and safety standards set by the Forum on Education Abroad or a similar study abroad program standard setting agency.

Inclusions and Exclusions

Please note that this report only includes reported deaths and hospitalizations occurring during participation in a study abroad program. Institutions are required to report incidents resulting from program location, facilities, and/or activities. This dashboard excludes incidents occurring outside the study abroad program’s start-to-end dates and/or that occur during unrelated, independent travel. Data for this report only includes students enrolled at Minnesota institutions participating in state financial aid as required under Minnesota Statutes section 136A.121 subd. 18.

Other information

This is a legislatively mandated dashboard. Study Abroad Health and Safety data is classified as private under Minnesota Statute § 13.32, and personally identifiable information will be protected. The data in this dashboard is aggregated and suppressed as necessary to protect student privacy. As requested by Minnesota Statutes, section 3.197, this dashboard costs approximately $ to prepare, including staff time.

Study Abroad Reports

2023 Study Abroad Report
2022 Study Abroad Report
2021 Study Abroad Report
2020 Study Abroad Report
2019 Study Abroad Report
2018 Study Abroad Report
2017 Study Abroad Report
2016 Study Abroad Report
2015 Study Abroad Report

About Study Abroad Data

According to Minn. Statutes § 5.41, postsecondary institutions offering credit for study abroad must:

• report deaths and hospitalizations that occurred during, and as a result of, program participation
• report country, primary program host, and program type of each incident
• request, but not mandate, incident disclosure from students upon completion of their program
• report whether the institution is committed to complying with the health and safety standards set by the Forum on Education Abroad

Forum on Education Abroad Standards

The new Forum on Education Abroad Standards which went into effect July 1, 2020 are included in annual survey of Minnesota study abroad participants conducted by OHE. Most institutions reported meeting all the standards. Additional information about the standards can be found on the Forum's Standards of Good Practice webpage.

Data Privacy

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 the cells containing fewer than ten students. This year's report introduces changes in the student data suppression. Beginning with the 2021 report, suppression of the participant counts no longer occurs if fewer than ten students appear in a table or chart as the report contains no student demographics or other potentially identifying information. However, the suppression of incidents counts still occurs if participant counts are fewer than ten.

Other Study Abroad Health and Safety Data

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.