Emergency Procedures

While most students who go abroad do not find themselves in an emergency situation, it is important that you know what to do in case an emergency arises while you are abroad. Although we won’t be physically present, the Study Abroad Office is available 24/7 to help respond to emergencies affecting program participants. You will receive site-specific information during your program’s pre-departure and on-site orientations regarding emergency protocols, however, please review these general steps below to be aware of what you should do in the event of an emergency.

  1. Seek immediate help. Make sure you know what the local equivalent of 911 is since it is not universal.
  2. Notify your program staff/faculty member. You will have dedicated program support staff and/or faculty members in country. In the event of an emergency, get in touch with them as soon as possible to update them about the situation so they can provide assistance.
  3. Contact the UIC Study Abroad Office. After you have sought on-site help and when it is safe to do so, contact the UIC Study Abroad Office to notify us about the emergency situation. You can contact us during normal business hours at 1 (312) 413-7662. If after hours, you can call UIC’s 24/7 emergency phone number at 1 (312) 355-5555. This number is for the UIC Campus Police department who will then work to get in touch wth university staff to help coordinate a response.
  4. Contact your insurance provider if needed. For students on programs that use UIC’s Gallagher/AJG Insurance, Contact AXA 24/7 Travel Assistance by calling 1 (866) 693-6873 (from inside the US) or 1 (312) 935-9242 (from outside of the US). The Global team at Gallagher works closely with the 24/7 travel assistance team at AXA to monitor all cases. When you call one of the telephone numbers above you will be greeted by the AXA team with “Thank you for calling Gallagher Global Assistance” and you will be connected with a customer service representative. If you are participating on a program that includes a different insurance provider, your program sponsor will give you the relevant contact information in your pre-departure materials.
  5. Communicate with your family and friends. Once it is safe to do so, make sure you provide regular updates to your loved ones who will likely be very concerned for you.