If you are planning to study abroad, you should visit the U.S. Government's international travel site https://travel.state.gov/en/international-travel/travel-advisories.html where you will find country-specific information, travel warnings and alerts, and lots of other information, including a section on information for U.S. students abroad (https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/before-you-go/travelers-with-special-considerations/students.html). Princeton also maintains a risk-assessment site for University travel at https://international.princeton.edu/global-safety-security/destination-risks.
The State Department’s travel warnings are of particular importance as the University will not fund or endorse programs in countries assigned certain travel-warning levels. See https://international.princeton.edu/global-safety-security for information about this policy and possible exemptions.
The State Department updates their warnings regularly using a scale from 1 to 4 to assess travel safety, suggesting travelers "exercise normal precautions," in Level 1 countries, "exercise increased caution," in Level 2 countries, "reconsider travel" to any Level 3 country, and "not travel" to any country assessed at Level 4. It is certain that the University will not fund any study in a country in the Level 4 category and highly unlikely that they would do so to countries in the Level 3 range. We do not suggest travel to these countries as study-abroad programs may not be not operating in some of them. There are excellent programs in a number of countries in the Level 1 and 2 categories. For travel to any programs, you should consult the Office of International Study.
As of January 23, 2026, the State Department designates Arab countries as follows:
Level 1: Kuwait and Qatar
Level 2: Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, and the United Arab Emirates
Level 3: Israel/West Bank (but also see Level 4 below) and Mauritania
Level 4: Gaza, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen
You will need to consult the Office of International Programs about your destination and keep abreast of developments in the region. Programs on the "Big List of Programs" page that take place in countries in countries at Levels 2, 3 or 4 as of January 2026 are noted.