Penn State will lift all restrictions on university-affiliated international travel starting August 16, the university announced Friday.

All students and employees must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 for international travel that is set to begin August 1 or later. This includes students studying abroad and employees embarking on trips funded by Penn State. However, employees traveling on non-university funds don’t need to be vaccinated.

To date, Penn State has not required COVID-19 vaccines for students or employees on campus this fall.

New guidelines also apply to travel requests made August 16 or later for travel beginning on or after September 16. This is due to Penn State requiring international travel requests to be made at least one month in advance.

International travel that takes place before September 16 must adhere to previous guidelines and be approved by university leadership. However, once the restrictions are lifted, international travel will no longer need to be submitted to senior leadership. Students and employees will adhere to the University’s pre-pandemic international travel requirements and travel approval processes.

Anyone who has already submitted international travel documents does not need to take further action in light of these new guidelines.

Students and employees traveling on September 16 or later are required to record their trip with the Travel Safety Network (TSN) prior to leaving the country. However, those traveling with the Education Abroad program do not need to complete a TSN record.

In addition to being fully vaccinated, students and employees must practice social distancing and wear masks and other personal protection equipment while traveling. They should also respect the COVID-19 guidelines required by their destination and continuously monitor their health, even when returning home.

If students are not vaccinated due to medical, disability, or religious reasons, they should contact the following offices:

• Medical condition — University Health Services at [email protected].  
• Documented disability — Student Disability Resources Office at [email protected].
• Religious belief — Affirmative Action Office at [email protected].

If employees are not vaccinated due to medical, disability, or religious reasons, they should contact the Affirmative Action Office at [email protected].

Students and employees with questions regarding university-affiliated travel can contact the Global Safety Office at [email protected].

More information regarding international and domestic travel are available on Penn State’s COVID-19 website.