The number of American college and university students studying overseas has more than tripled over the past two decades, according to the 2012 Open Doors Report published by the Institute of International Education, a nonprofit educational and cultural organization that has studied international exchange among students since 1919. The IIE says some 273,996 U.S. students studied abroad during the academic year 2010/11, a rise of 1.3 percent over the prior year.

But for U.S. universities and insurers, that increase only expounds the inherent exposures associated with overseas education. While most U.S. students that study overseas opt for short-term summer courses of eight weeks or less—rather than a couple of semesters, or even a full calendar year—the risks remain the same, no matter the length of stay: natural disasters, political unrest, sudden illness, sexual assault, accidental injury, and even death.

Schools sponsoring a study abroad program should have a comprehensive travel risk management plan in place, according to Katie McGrath, senior vice president of Educational Markets for AIG A&H, in her paper, “Real-World Lessons No Classroom Can Duplicate: Study Abroad Programs in an Unstable World.”

The following are some of the top concerns that universities, students and families, and their insurers, have faced in recent years.

Political Unrest

Dozens of U.S. colleges and universities pulled their students out of Egypt and Turkey and postponed study abroad programs this summer as those nations underwent massive political protests.

The University of Michigan evacuated several students from Cairo after the Egyptian military staged a coup against the country's first democratically elected president, Mohamed Morsi, who took office only a year ago. In Turkey, New York's Syracuse University ended its study-abroad program a week early, as its students were located at Bahçesehir University in Istanbul, near the heart of the protests. The university reportedly arranged earlier flights home and alternative plans for students to finish up academic programs.

(AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Travel-Related Illness

In 2007, the University of Washington evacuated eight students from Ghana—via ambulances and chartered planes—a week short of their planned five-week study abroad program, due to outbreaks of dengue fever, a mosquito-borne disease, and salmonella, according to the Seattle Times. Several students also suffered fevers and vomiting due to an unknown cause; malaria was ruled out. The students wanted a refund of the $4,000 course fee. The university provided a partial refund, and gave students credit for the unfinished program.

Auto Accident

On May 13, 2012, several students from the University of Alabama were injured in a motor vehicle accident while on a volunteer program in Belize. The injuries occurred when a bus carrying the students and their chaperones skidded on a dirt road, then hit a wall and overturned. Six injured students were treated at local medical facilities and transported to the airport, via AIG's Travel Guard assistance program.

Natural Disasters

In March 2011, University of California-Santa Barbara student Ashley Mar was evacuated along with other students from Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan, following the country's March 11 earthquake and ensuing tsunami, according to Bloomberg News. The school is some 80 miles west of the quake's epicenter. Since, the number of students traveling to Japan for overseas study has dropped 33 percent, according to the 2012 Open Doors Report, a publication of the Institute of International Education.

(AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

Assault & Threats

In 2007, Jenee Klotz, a junior at the School for International Training in Brattleboro, Vt., was robbed, sexually assaulted, and stabbed while attending an overseas study program in Kingston, Jamaica, as she walked to her host family's home. The same year, University of Minnesota student Rachel Jamison cut short her studies in Tanzania after being threatened and assaulted.

Insufficient Medical Care

In June 2007, Tyler Hill, a 16-year-old high school student from Minnesota, died from complications associated with type 1 diabetes while on a study abroad trip to Japan. Officials at the Japanese Red Cross Medical Center reportedly said his death might have been prevented had he received immediate medical attention. His mother, Sheryl Hill, has since founded the nonprofit ClearCause Foundation to provide parents and educators with information on mitigating the risks associated with study abroad. The Hills also sued the associated travel companies, alleging that a group leader denied their son's request for medical help.

Accidental Death

In March 2011, San Diego State University student Austin Bice disappeared during a semester-long study abroad trip to Madrid. His lifeless body was discovered 10 days later. Spanish police listed the cause of death unknown, but indicated there were no signs of foul play. In September 2011, University of Iowa student Thomas Plotkin was killed while enrolled in a semester abroad program in India with the National Outdoor Leadership School. The student reportedly lost his footing during a hike, falling more than 250 feet into the Goriganga River.

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