travel requirements & Budget policies

International Travel Requirements 

Penn State’s International Travel Requirements compile several travel-related policies into a unified reference for employees and students to review before completing international travel. As a leader or coordinator of an approved education abroad program, many aspects of the international travel policies may affect your travel. A few of the most noteworthy points are outlined here, but you are encouraged to review the policies in their entirety at the guru policy guide for International Travel Requirements. Through the program proposal (and renewal process for repeat programs) you will be required to review information related to the International Travel Requirements including Penn State’s Export Control Policy

Minimum Number of Program Leaders 

• As required by the Penn State International Travel Policy (TR01) all Penn State faculty-led programs must have a minimum of two (2) current Penn State employees leading the group. Ideally, this would be two faculty members or one faculty member plus a graduate TA. 

  • The rationale, for the Penn State International Travel policy (FN20), for requiring a minimum of two Penn State employees to lead the program is as follows:

    • Given the number of uncertainties with group travel under the best of circumstances, we know that each group will face unique challenges that may require splitting up into smaller groups for some events, traveling separately between sites, and dealing with unanticipated logistical issues. Having two trusted and trained Penn State leaders will allow the students an added level of support and leadership throughout the program.

  • Exceptions may be made for programs utilizing reputable providers or partners in their international host destinations. Please consult the Customized Programs Team and complete the Single Program Leader Petition. 

Approved Education Abroad Program Participants and Guests

Faculty and staff leaders, along with the Penn State student participants, are approved to travel on education abroad programs. Spouses, children, and other guests of faculty/staff leaders, as well as community members, are rarely permitted to accompany such travel, and approval must be granted by the Vice Provost for Penn State Global. All program leaders must request approval for a family member to travel with the group, at least 3 months prior to program departure and should contact EAcustomized@psu.edu for additional information.

Housing and Accommodations

Housing arrangements should be reviewed in light of the following guidance:

• Student accommodations should be safe and sanitary. While there is not a maximum requirement for occupancy, we recommend two (2) students of the same gender identity per bedroom.

• Under no circumstances are students permitted to share a bed. 

• Private bathrooms are preferred for each bedroom.

• Running water is required at all overnight accommodation locations. If running water is not available for a limited number of nights (i.e., safari camp for two nights), hand washing and sanitizing stations must be readily available.

• Program leader lodgings must be within reasonably close proximity to student accommodations in order to assist and support students on short notice.

• While homestay accommodations will be permitted, all families must be contracted with set expectations either with a third-party provider or individually facilitated by the program leader. 

• Program leaders should plan for where leaders/students would quarantine or isolate individually if necessary.

• Students should have access to individual housing options at a premium cost.

Program Leader Accommodations

• Program leaders are NOT permitted to share an apartment, hotel room, or other private accommodation with the other leader(s) unless they are a domestic pair or pre-established family unit. 

• Program leaders should arrange for class meeting space that is not directly attached to any participant living quarters.

Alcohol policy

A program leader is not permitted to purchase alcoholic beverages for themselves, any member of their program group, or any guests with program funds. Furthermore, although Penn State does not have an articulated policy on employee alcohol consumption with students, Penn State Global takes a strong and firm stance against doing so for the following reasons:

• Students who are of legal age to consume alcohol abroad may choose to do so at their own preference. Although alcohol can be consumed responsibly together as group (including program leaders), students may continue drinking after the faculty leader has departed and irresponsible behavior or a serious incident could result.

• With the presence of social media, the perception of a program leader drinking with students may be misconstrued in the public sphere.

Program leaders spend a tremendous amount of time with students abroad - both inside and outside of the classroom. This constant contact may blur the lines between leader and participant in the eyes of a student. Refraining from drinking with your students, even minimally, can help to delineate this distinction.

Many program leaders ask EA whether it is wise to implement a strict “no alcohol” policy for all participants for the duration of the program. Ultimately, it is at the discretion of the faculty leader to decide whether that is appropriate within the local context and culture and whether it is enforceable. In most cases, it is not realistic to implement such a policy, but the EA staff can help you decide what is appropriate for your particular program. Any policies related to alcohol consumption and student behavior should be clearly articulated in your program materials and can even be included in the course syllabi.

Budget and Finances

Once a program has been approved, the faculty leader will coordinate with the EA customized programs team to create the budget and determine the program fee, which will be posted on the program website. At this time, it will also be necessary to determine the minimum number of students needed to deliver the program. It is the responsibility of the faculty leader to consider all line items when building the budget, as it is EA policy not to modify a fee once it has been posted. If there are not enough committed students, the program will cancel or, if possible, the faculty leader may modify the program, within reason, to balance the budget.

Program Budget Allowances

The program budget is funded by the tuition of participating students and the additional education abroad program fee that is calculated by the customized programs staff in consultation with the program leader(s). Funds from the program budget, whether paid via student tuition and fees, University funds, or a combination of these sources, should be utilized to support the academic activities and essential logistics of the education abroad program. In the most general terms, the program budget

• Can cover:

  • Academic activities and cultural experiences, distributed equally among students. Students may opt not to participate in optional activities or meals, but they must be given the choice.

  • Meals, lodging, and transportation for program leaders. EA provides roughly half of the maximum allowance for meals and incidentals and will pay for the actual cost of transportation and lodging. These amounts are typically paid in advance of the program and must be discussed with the assistant director for customized programs.

  • Student in-country transportation, lodging, and some group meals.

• Cannot cover:

  • Expenses related to guests of program leaders.

  • The purchase of medicine, alcohol, gifts, or any other non-program related expenses.

Penn State Global Purchasing Card

Program leaders are discouraged from using their own personal funds for program-related purchases, as it can place undue financial burden on the leader to spend their own money and wait until the conclusion of the program for reimbursement. Each program leader will be furnished with a Global Penn State Purchasing credit card (p-card), with spending limits to be determined by the Customized Programs team based on the program budget. This card will not affect your personal credit rating. To have your p-card issued, you are required to complete Penn State’s Purchasing Card online tutorial for both ‘Travel’ and ‘Goods and Services’ and electronically sign the purchasing card agreement, as well as attend an online training session about using your p-card on your faculty-led program. You as the cardholder will be responsible for appropriate use as outlined in the agreement. Faculty must keep complete and accurate financial records of all transactions, including the itemized receipts for all expenditures made. Original receipts or digital copies of receipts are acceptable. All expenses must be organized chronologically and documented. Leaders will be notified via email when to begin this process, as well as when trainings are to be held.

Program Expense Cash Advance

Depending on the design of the program, some faculty leaders will also need to manage program expense funds in the form of a cash advance issued to the program leader. In order to be issued a program cash advance, the program leader must attend the ‘Managing Program Expense’ workshop prior to departure. The workshops are offered online several times during the semester preceding travel, and program leaders will be notified via email if they are required to attend a session. Like p-card documentation requirements, faculty must keep complete and accurate financial records of all program cash spent, including the itemized receipts for all expenditures made. Original receipts or digital copies of receipts are acceptable. All expenses must be organized chronologically and documented. After the conclusion of the program, the program leader who managed the cash advance will meet with a customized program assistant, in-person or virtually, to review all expenses so they can be compiled into a Concur expense report in accordance with Penn State policy.

Program Funds policy

Whether paid in cash or using a Penn State credit card or personal credit card, program funds and any eligible personal funds expended that will be reimbursed later must be properly documented with receipts. In situations where a receipt is not available (e.g. taxi in a developing country), then a signature must be obtained from the receiving party with the amount paid and the date the payment was made.

If program leaders realize that they need additional funds for program purposes while abroad they should reach out to the EA Customized Programs team to have additional monies (if available in the program budget) transferred, or an increase to their p-card spending limit. This will be approved in rare circumstances. Education Abroad reserves the right to review expenditures and deny additional funds.  Note that in case of a true emergency, funds will be released to cover the cost of managing the unforeseen circumstances.

Program leaders are expected to uphold Penn State core values and make ethical decisions in consultation with Penn State Global while leading a program abroad. Penn State core values include integrity, respect, responsibility, discovery, excellence and community.

Budget Considerations

Many of the guidelines laid out in this document may have implications for program budgets. Implementing some changes will increase the cost of the program significantly (i.e., if your host destination requires enforcing 6 ft. of distance between all passengers on a private coach); while other changes (i.e., eliminating overnight trips to additional countries) will reduce costs. The Education Abroad staff will work with you to try to mitigate cost increases by balancing a cost-increasing measure with a cost-decreasing measure whenever possible. 

Leader Compensation

Due to the budget models utilized by faculty-led programs, Penn State Global cannot compensate program leaders in the event of a program cancellation. While we understand the commitment leaders are taking to academically and logistically create and plan these programs, without students participating there is no income generated and, therefore, there can be no related compensation from Global Programs. 

Financial Payments 

Program expenses (e.g. bank/wire transfer payment, Penn State Global p-card payments) typically paid before the program start date cannot be paid before programs are given the “green light” to run. (Note that henceforward, vendors will have to be registered in SIMBA to receive payment from Penn State.) Penn State Global will require the use of Penn State issued Purchasing Cards (p-cards) and/or Penn State Global travel cash advances for onsite purchases. Personal credit cards or personal funds are not to be used prior to the start of the program; in the event of a program cancellation, personal funds may not be subject to reimbursement. In the event of an emergency, personal funds may be appropriate or required and will be eligible for reimbursement. Program leaders should work closely with the Customized Programs team to determine and understand non-recoverable costs and payment schedules.