To submit a plan, please view the Instructions tab first. If you are traveling with a Global Classroom program, you do not need to submit your own Higher Risk Travel Safety Plan. Your leader will submit one for the entire group.
- Check below to see if your destination, where you are traveling on university-related travel, is on the University Higher Risk Travel List.
- Thoroughly research your destination with a variety of sources, including those lsted in the 'Resources' section below.
- Submit your safety plan in the "Submit a Plan" section below. You must also follow the regular EAO education abroad application/registration requirements outlined here.
- After submission, your plan will be forwarded to the Student International Travel Oversight Committee for review. A normal review period is 3-4 weeks.
- If your plan is approved, you will complete the Destination of Higher Risk waiver. USC can withdraw approval of the experience if the situation in the area changes drastically prior to your departure. If the situation changes after you have arrived in the country, it will be handled on a case-by-case basis.
In some cases, the Higher Risk Travel ("HRT") designation applies to an entire country. In others, the HRT applies only to a specific region(s) or area(s) of the country; in these cases, the traveler is only required to submit a higher risk safety plan if traveling for a university-related purpose to the HRT region or area.
|
Country |
HRT Region(s) or Area(s) |
|
Afghanistan |
Entire country |
|
Algeria |
Algiers; areas near the eastern and southern borders and areas in the Sahara Desert due to terrorism and kidnapping |
|
Armenia |
Border region with Azerbaijan |
|
Azerbaijan |
Border region with Armenia; Nagorno-Karabakh region due to armed conflict |
|
Bangladesh |
Entire country |
|
Belarus |
Entire country |
|
Belize |
Belize City due to violent crime |
|
Benin |
Areas of Benin bordering Burkina Faso, Niger, and the Nigerian states of Kebbi, Niger, and Kwara |
|
Bolivia |
Chapare Region due to violent crime |
|
Brazil |
Favelas; Ceilandia, Santa Maria, Sao Sebastiao, and Paranoa during non-daylight hours; public busses in and around Recife; any areas within 150 km of Brazil’s land borders with Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, and Paraguay; Belem, Fortaleza, Manaus, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador |
|
Burkina Faso |
Entire country |
|
Burma (Myanmar) |
Entire country |
|
Burundi |
Entire country |
|
Cameroon |
North, Far North, Northwest and Southwest Regions, and Parts of East and Adamawa Regions due to crime and kidnapping; Far North Region due to terrorism; and Northwest and Southwest Regions due to armed conflict, Maroua |
|
Central African Republic |
Entire country |
|
Chad |
Entire country |
|
China |
Entire country |
|
Colombia |
Entire country |
|
Cote d'Ivoire |
Entire country |
|
Democratic Republic of Congo |
Entire country |
|
Ecuador |
Entire country |
|
Egypt |
Entire country |
|
Ethiopia |
Entire country |
|
Georgia |
The Russian-occupied regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia due to civil unrest, crime, and landmines |
|
Guatemala |
Entire country |
|
Guinea |
Entire country |
|
Guinea-Bissau |
Entire country |
|
Guyana |
Entire country |
|
Haiti |
Entire country |
|
Honduras |
Entire country |
|
India |
The union territory of Jammu and Kashmir (except the eastern Ladakh region and its capital, Leh) due to terrorism and civil unrest. Within 10 km of the India-Pakistan border due to the potential for armed conflict. Portions of Central and East India due to terrorism. Manipur due to violence and crime. The northeastern states due to terrorism and violence. |
|
Indonesia |
The provinces of Central Papua (Papua Tengah) and Highland Papua (Papua Pegunungan) due to civil unrest. Jayapura, Timika |
|
Iran |
Entire country |
|
Iraq |
Entire country |
|
Israel, The West Bank and Gaza |
All areas |
|
Jamaica |
Entire country |
|
Jordan |
Ma’an City and some areas of Ma’an Governorate due to crime; Within 3.5 km of the Jordan-Syria border and east of the town of Ruwayshid in the direction of the Iraq border due to terrorism and armed conflict. Designated Syrian refugee camps in Jordan due to Government of Jordan restrictions on entry into these camps. Zarqa, Rusayfah, and the Baqa’a neighborhood of Ayn Basha due to terrorism and crime. |
|
Kenya |
Entire country |
|
Kosovo |
North Mitrovica, Leposavic, Zubin Potok, and Zvecan due to civil unrest. |
|
Kuwait |
The desert region near the border with Iraq due to the prevalence of unexploded bombs and landmines |
|
Laos |
Xaisomboun Province due to violent crime |
|
Lebanon |
Entire country |
|
Libya |
Entire country |
|
Macau |
Entire country |
|
Madagascar |
Entire country |
|
Mali |
Entire country |
|
Mauritania |
Entire country |
|
Mexico |
The states of Colima, Guerrero, Michoacan, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas, Baja Carlifornia, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Guanajuanto, Jalisco, Morelos, Sonora |
|
Moldova |
Transnistria due to crime and lack of infrastructure |
|
Mozambique |
Entire country |
|
New Caledonia |
Entire Country |
|
Nicaragua |
Entire country |
|
Niger |
Entire country |
|
Nigeria |
Entire country |
|
North Korea |
Entire country |
|
Oman |
The Yemen border areas due to terrorism and armed conflict |
|
Pakistan |
Entire country |
|
Panama |
The "Mosquito Coast" (Caribbean side) and Darien Region (Colombian border) due to crime |
|
Papua New Guinea |
Entire country |
|
Peru |
The Colombian - Peruvian border area in the Loreto Region due to crime; and the Valley of the Apurímac, Ene, and Mantaro Rivers (VRAEM), including areas within the Departments of Ayacucho, Cusco, Huancavelica, and Junin, The Puno Region, including the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca, and the Apurimac Region due to crime and terrorism. |
|
Philippines |
The Sulu Archipelago, including the southern Sulu Sea, due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, and kidnapping; and Marawi City in Mindanao due to terrorism and civil unrest. Other areas of Mindanao due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, and kidnapping. |
|
Russia |
Entire country |
|
Rwanda |
The Rwanda-Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) border due to armed violence or the Rwanda-Burundi border due to armed violence |
|
Saudi Arabia |
Within 20 miles of the border with Yemen due to terrorism and armed conflict including the city of Najran; Qatif in the Eastern Province and its suburbs, including Awamiyah. |
|
Somalia |
Entire country |
|
South Africa |
All areas outside of Cape Town, Durban, and Pretoria |
|
South Sudan |
Entire country |
|
Sudan |
Entire country |
|
Syria |
Entire country |
|
Tajikistan |
Tajikistan’s border with Afghanistan & Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast |
|
Tanzania |
Mtwara Region in southern Tanzania due to the threat of terrorism. |
|
Thailand |
Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat, and Songkhla provinces due to civil unrest |
|
The Kyrgyz Republic |
The border region with Tajikistan due to the potential for violent border clashes |
|
Togo |
Entire country |
|
Trinidad and Tobago |
Entire country |
|
Tunisia |
Within 16 km of the Algerian border due to terrorism, except for the cities of Tabarka
and Ain Draham. Within 16 km of the border with Libya due to terrorism. The Mount
Chaambi National Park, Mount Salloum, Mount Sammamma, and Mount Mghila in Kasserine
governorate due to terrorism. |
|
Turkey |
Sirnak province, Hakkari province, and any area within six miles (ten kilometers) of the Syrian border due to terrorism |
|
Uganda |
Entire country |
|
Ukraine |
Entire country |
|
Vanautu |
Entire country |
|
Venezuela |
Entire country |
|
Yemen |
Entire country |
|
Zimbabwe |
Entire country |
The UTW List is updated when specific conditions warrant and is reviewed twice a year in its entirety. The UTW List was last updated in February 2025.
The University Higher Risk Travel ("HRT") List is compiled of destinations deemed to be higher risk areas for travel by the University of South Carolina. HRT decisions are made by the Student International Travel Oversight Committee (SITOC). SITOC assesses safety and security by reviewing U.S. Department of State (DOS) travel advisories, the risk ratings of the university's international security vendor (Crisis24), and information published by other governments' foreign affairs commissions, the World Health Organization, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Generally, an area is included on the HRT List if it meets any of the following criteria: the area has a DoS advisory of Level 3 or 4; Crisis24 assigns a risk rating of 4 or 5 to the area; the country carries a CDC Level 3 advisory for reasons other than COVID. SITOC may also determine that is appropriate to include or exclude additional areas based on other factors.