COVID-19: Frequently Asked Questions

Weber State faculty members propose study abroad programs annually. While some programs are long-standing and go every year, the majority of programs rotate every few years. That being said, we are hopeful programs unable to travel this year will be resubmitted for next summer. Talk with your program leader to see if your particular program will continue in Summer 2022.

Yes, absolutely. If Weber State cancels a program, all students will receive a full refund of program fee payments, including the deposit.

Refunds will NOT be given to students due to COVID-19 concerns. Before programs were canceled last year, every student was given the option to withdraw from programs without penalty due to COVID-19. This year students are applying, cognizant of the pandemic. Weber State will not intentionally place students into high risk situations. We will work together with Program Leaders and Departments on canceling should the destination demonstrate increased risks, be they from COVID or any other concern. As such, students must abide by the standard refund policy.

You do not need to request a refund. If a program is canceled, the refund is issued automatically. There are three ways Weber State reimburses processes reimbursements.

1. Refunded to your credit card. Payments made are automatically refunded to the credit card that made the payments. This is the default refund process for all credit-card payments.

2. Direct Deposit. If you paid by cash or check, the money can be directly deposited into your bank account. For this process to work, you must complete a direct-deposit form found on your eWeber portal. (If you already get money paid into your account, for example, because of loans or scholarships, you do not need to complete the direct deposit form again.)

3. A check will be mailed to your permanent mailing address. Should the two items above not work for your particular situation, a check will be mailed out to the permanent mailing address on file. You can update your address in your eWeber portal.  

If you made payments using multiple credit cards, the amounts paid will be refunded back to the specific cards. This is an automated process. Weber State cannot refund all the funds onto a specific card.

If you paid by credit card, the money will be refunded to that card, so long as the credit card number is operational. Weber State cannot provide direct deposit or checks for funds charged to a credit card.

If your study abroad program was canceled, you should receive your refund within 2 weeks after notice by email. If you do not receive your refund in that time, please contact the Study Abroad Office.

Weber State is very aware some students made out-of-pocket purchases in anticipation of their study abroad program. At this time, we recommend students request refunds on their flights from airlines. If flights are canceled, you should get a full refund. If the offer is a credit instead of a refund, be aware, the credit may only be good for a few months. If the airline refuses a refund request, we recommend waiting to see if the flights are canceled. As of March 18, 2020, we are seeing flights canceled 10-14 days before departure. Current policies for major airlines can be found here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/advisor/2020/03/11/master-list-of-airline-coronavirus-policies/#3d9ec2266827

The Study Abroad Office will post new information here as well as on our mailing list as it becomes available.

There is no mandate requiring students to return from their exchanges if they are abroad for Spring 2021. The Study Abroad Office will contact you if this changes.

If you do return home, please practice social distancing for 14 days as recommended.

The Study Abroad Office purchases insurance for all outgoing exchange students through a third-party insurance provider. We charge exactly the fee the insurance provider charges, with no markups or service fees. If you return early from your exchange program, we will work with the insurance agency to get the insurance canceled. It is purchased at a daily rate, so we anticipate a prorated refund based on your return date of travel. Any refunds we are able to secure will be credited back directly to the student account.

Exchanges for Summer 2021 are currently planned to run. Kedge Summer Program has the option of Face-to-Face or Virtual, and the Seoul International Summer School and Konan Summer Intensive Japanese Programs are Virtual.

At this time, programs for fall are scheduled to run as normal. As with other travel-related issues, we recommend students not make any non-refundable purchases at this time. The Study Abroad Office is optimistic fall programs will go as scheduled, but we want you to be prepared for different scenarios.

The Study Abroad Emergency Line is active 24-hours-a-day while faculty-led (short-term) study abroad programs are abroad. No programs are currently abroad, so we cannot guarantee the phone line will be active 24-hours-a-day. However, we understand schedules are very fluid at this time, and we want to accommodate this changing landscape as well as we can. We will do our best to staff the Emergency Line 24-hours-a-day, and you are always welcome to call. Additional contact information for specific Study Abroad staff can be found under the “contact us” tab at the top of the page.

All Study Abroad Office Staff are currently working remotely. Contact information can be found on the “contact us” tab. We are still accepting advising appointments, and are happy to talk with you at any time.

Working remotely presents unique challenges that the office is working to overcome. We thank you for your patience as we navigate this new territory together. For example, if you call our office phones, they will forward to us wherever we are, but if you leave a message, it will be on the office machine and difficult to access. Instead, feel free to call our cell numbers and leave a message there. Again, all contact information can be found under the “contact us” tab.

The Study Abroad Office greatly values the voice of faculty and program leaders. We want your input moving forward, and request all faculty leading programs evaluate the safety of their program destinations and activities within the new paradigm. We encourage you to evaluate the probability of travel within the destination being restricted to U.S. tourists this summer. If you have any questions or concerns, please call the Study Abroad Office at any time. We would be happy to discuss them with you. 

The Study Abroad Office requests faculty planning to lead a program in 2020 suspend all program related purchases until January 1, 2021.