Brown has lifted undergraduate travel restrictions for individual students undertaking University-sponsored domestic travel. Undergraduate students may travel domestically within the United States; pre-approval from Student Support Services is no longer required.

Student organizations are permitted to travel on behalf of their student organization over the summer term between July 15 and Aug. 8, 2021, prior to the start of summer term final exams. Only students approved to be on campus are eligible for travel during the summer term. Students should request permission for student organization travel through Brown Student Organization Activity Request Form. All travel must be booked by the Student Activities Office and no reimbursements will be permitted. Please email [email protected] with any questions regarding student organization travel.

As of July 15, 2021, Brown has lifted most pandemic-related restrictions on international travel and returned to its previously established policy for High-Risk and Restricted University-sponsored travel. A summary of what is required and what travel is permitted is provided below, and more information about Brown’s international travel policy is available on the International Travel Risk Management website. 

All students may travel to countries rated as U.S. DOS Level 1 or 2, and/or CDC Level 1, and/or CDC COVID-19 Level 1 or Level 2 as part of University-sponsored travel. No undergraduate, graduate or medical student will be permitted to conduct University-sponsored travel to any country that is categorized as Restricted Travel (U.S. DOS Level 4, or CDC Level 3, or CDC COVID-19 Level 4, and/or extreme security risk). Any undergraduate, graduate or medical student wishing to engage in University-sponsored travel to a High-Risk Travel destination (U.S. DOS Level 3, or CDC Level 2, or CDC COVID-19 Level 3) and not traveling with a Brown-administered group program  — e.g. through the Office of International Programs (OIP), Swearer Center, Program in Liberal Medical Education (PLME), GELT/Wintersession, etc. — must complete a Safety Plan via TravelSafe and obtain permission from the Global Travel Risk Assessment Committee (GTRAC) prior to making travel arrangements. All students are required to register their travel plans in TravelSafe.

In the event that worldwide travel risk levels and/or public health conditions change, Brown reserves the right to amend its travel policy or revise the conditions for travel approval, as applicable. As with any University-sponsored activity, Brown expects all community members, including  students, to comply with national, state and local laws, as well as requirements of the community and/or organization to which they are traveling

All students should observe safety guidelines from the CDC and Rhode Island Department of Health regarding travel during the COVID-19 pandemic.

To ensure students remain in compliance with Brown’s testing requirements, students should email [email protected] if their travel will prevent them from testing at their regular cadence (once every seven days for vaccinated individuals, or once every four days for unvaccinated individuals). This will allow the University to pause testing for the duration of the student’s travel.

Rhode Island permits travel of both fully vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals from a location within the U.S. or U.S. territories and does not require travelers to quarantine or get tested after arrival. Quarantine guidance and testing requirements vary between states and countries, so travelers should check the guidance of their destination health department. Rhode Islanders travelling to a state that requires a COVID-19 test to avoid extended quarantine can schedule a test at a state-run site or local pharmacy. Some states do not accept at-home tests.

Traveling internationally is discouraged unless fully vaccinated. The CDC requires travelers arriving to the U.S. from any foreign country to provide a negative COVID-19 test result from 3 days or less before travel, or documentation of recovery from COVID-19 within the 3 months prior to flying to the U.S. If traveling to Rhode Island from a location outside the U.S. or U.S. territories, travelers are not required to quarantine or get tested after arrival, regardless of vaccination status.

As of the start of Brown’s Fall 2021 semester, Rhode Island does not require fully vaccinated individuals to wear masks, but recommends those who are not fully vaccinated to do so. Regardless of vaccination status, there are masking requirements enforced through federal masking laws and regulations. All travelers within the state of Rhode Island must wear masks in high-density transportation hubs including airports, planes, buses and trains. Students are encouraged to review Rhode Island’s masking guidance. Further travel guidance is available on the RIDOH website.

As with University-sponsored travel, Brown continues to encourage all travelers on domestic and international personal travel to exercise caution and abide by relevant local and country health guidance. Travelers should continue to prepare for the possibility of local quarantines and fluctuating travel and domestic operations restrictions and/or testing requirements in some locations. The University is unable to support the health, safety, travel and academic needs of community members on personal travel.

Many countries continue to impose border entry restrictions, including mandatory quarantine and testing requirements, so it is essential for all international travelers to continually review their destination travel requirements and remain apprised of U.S. re-entry guidelines. All members of the community should actively monitor the U.S. Department of State website, the CDC website and the International SOS pandemic website for updates (via login through Brown’s membership number: 11BSGC000031), as travel and entry restrictions continue to evolve and could change with little advance warning. Travelers should also review the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) guidance for returning to Rhode Island after travel outside the state.