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Students studying abroad in Costa Rica

Health & Safety

Keeping students healthy and safe while they study abroad is a top priority for the Programs Abroad Office. That’s why our staff has emergency policies and procedures in place that we continuously review and update.

We work proactively to provide students with access to information about safety in each program location. From our Knoxville office, we monitor the world situation daily through available channels, such as the US State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs website and the daily information provided by the Overseas Security Advisory Council, and convey information to our students when the situation requires.

Please visit these sites for additional health and safety information:

Emergency Phone System

If an emergency occurs while abroad, please use the following process to guide your decision-making:

  1. Call the local 911-equivalent for immediate assistance
  2. Communicate with the program leader/in-country program contact
  3. Call Crisis24 at +1-678-809-0804
  4. Call the Programs Abroad 24/7 Emergency Hotline at +1-865-789-2982

In non-emergency cases (missed flights, mild illness, or lost/stolen possessions, notify the program leader/in-country program contact and then our office of the situation and action taken.