Updated at 3:15 p.m.
All summer 2020 study abroad and international education programs have been canceled, according to a campus-wide email sent Friday.
Summer 2020 study abroad programs through the College of Arts and Sciences have been cancelled due to the spread of coronavirus, according to an email from Heather Ward, associate dean for Study Abroad and International Exchanges, sent Thursday.
Students who have signed study abroad contracts already will have their contracts voided and will not be charged administrative fees or other cashier-billed expenses for the program, the email said.
This decision was made by the Study Abroad Office, in consultation with the Office of the Vice Provost for Global Affairs and the College of Arts and Sciences, according to the email.
"As a result of this decision, the Study Abroad Office will not be able to support your participation in direct-enroll or non-approved study abroad programs during Summer 2020," Ward said in the email.
The email said the time frame of this decision provides students with time to make alternative plans for the summer. Students can participate in registration for UNC's summer school, which opens on March 16, the email said.
"It’s important to note that, even if the risks associated with Covid-19 are not the same for all members of our community, it is critical we all do our part to slow the transmission of the virus to protect the health of others who may be at elevated risk and to allow the health care system to care for those who become seriously ill," Ward said in the email. "Limiting travel is one way the University is actively trying to slow the transmission of the virus."
