The Study Abroad Office oversees all faculty-led undergraduate programs and supports the international registration and CISI enrollment for graduate/independent programs.

An independent international program is defined as any non-academic international program affiliated with Loyola University. This includes mission trips, service trips, and co-curricular programs that may be associated with clinical rotations, student organizations, sports, alumni groups, etc.

Graduate/professional programs are for-credit programs managed by the department/unit sponsoring the program.

The Office of Global and Community Engagement can offer consultation on international programming and administrative support for LUC International Program Registration and CISI insurance enrollment; however, the sponsoring department/unit will continue to handle all other administrative requirements and on-site logistical support. In the event of an emergency, the Office of Global and Community Engagement will liaison with the independent program emergency contact, CISI insurance, and the LUC Campus Safety to offer health and safety support.

Should a graduate or professional faculty-led program be interested in the Study Abroad Office’s full suite of administrative support offered for undergraduate faculty-led programs, please read more about developing a faculty-led program here. 

Program Registration & CISI Insurance Enrollment

Any LUC department/unit running an international program is required to register their international activity with the Office of Global and Community Engagement (OGCE).  Upon registration, the Study Abroad Office will facilitate CISI Cultural Insurance Services International (CISI) enrollment for your participants. The LUC department/unit program administrator can select one of two options – Self-Enroll or Department Paid.

• Department-Paid (Preferred Option) – The LUC department/unit program administrator will need to complete the Independent Program Registration. One month prior to the program start date, The Study Abroad Office will enroll students in the CISI insurance plan. The invoice for the independent or graduate study abroad program participants will be sent to the program administrator listed on the Independent Program Registration. The sponsoring department/unit will be required to pay the cost of the CISI insurance plan and can choose to bill the students or cover the cost per their internal budgeting structure. This is the preferred option as it ensures compliance with the university requirement that all students, staff, and faculty traveling abroad are enrolled in CISI insurance and follows best practices for health, safety, and risk management abroad.
• Self-Enroll – Upon receipt of the Independent Program Registration, a link will be sent to all program participants for them to enroll independently in the LUC CISI insurance plan. Participants will be required to enroll on their own and will be billed directly for their insurance plan.  It is the responsibility of the program administrator to ensure that all their participants complete their enrollment prior to the start of the program. OGCE will not verify participant insurance enrollment and this process remains the responsibility of the sponsoring department/unit program administrator.

In order to ensure that all participants are enrolled in CISI international travel insurance by their program start date, LUC department/unit program administrator must complete the Independent Program Registration by the following dates.

• J-Term – November 1^st
• Spring Break – November 1^st
• Spring Semester – November 1^st
• Summer – April 1^st
• Fall Semester – June 1^st

Once enrolled, participants will receive their insurance and policy details in their Loyola University email at least one week prior to the start of the program. A message will come from the email domain @culturalinsurance.com.  If access is needed to the CISI insurance portal or policy details at an earlier date, please contact the Study Abroad Office for assistance. Please note, participants will only be able to access the myCISIportal portal once enrolled. Therefore, please contact the Study Abroad Office with any extenuating circumstances related to proof of insurance needed for visa appointments.

Compliance & Risk Management

All international programs associated with Academic Affairs using a third-party vendor/agency are required to submit the contract/invoice for approval to the Contract Review Team in the Office of the Provost. Contracts are reviewed by the Contract Review Team in consultation with Information Technology Services, Risk Management, and Financial Services before execution. Program administrators must complete the request for signature via this form.

The University Contract Policy applies to all international programs (both for-credit and non-credit options). Please review the policy here.

Other Support Services Offered by the Study Abroad Office

The Study Abroad Office will support the promotion of your program on our digital platforms – website, social media and can offer consultation for program development and university compliance.

It is the responsibility of the sponsoring department/unit and program administrator to manage the enrollment process for independent or graduate international programs. Once the final roster is received, the Study Abroad Office will oversee the travel registration and CISI insurance enrollment process.

For graduate for-credit programs, we are available to assist in the faculty-led program development process upon special request should assistance be needed. This would include enrollment management, sourcing in-country vendors, program development, budget management, contract management, and health and safety risk management support. Should this option be selected, students will be charged the Study Abroad Admin Fee upon acceptance and committed students would be responsible for the program fee.  The OGCE 40% tuition capture would apply as well.