Editor's Note (Updated July 15, 2026): As a correction to a previous version of this story, student travel remains suspended throughout the Middle East. The following announcement applies to faculty and staff on University-affiliated travel, which will be reviewed on a case-by-base basis.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State Global has removed the suspension of University-affiliated travel to the Middle East for faculty and staff. However, faculty and staff who are traveling will still be required to undergo strict review of their travel plans. Student travel remains suspended throughout the Middle East.
Penn State Global previously suspended all University-affliated travel to the Middle East in March.
"While the blanket suspension is lifted, travel to the overall region remains restricted," said Mel White, director of Global Operations and Initiatives. "We will do a trip-by-trip review of each proposed travel plan to these restricted countries."
The affected countries remain in Global Safety’s “Tier IV” of risk, meaning that travel must undergo the restricted travel review process through the Global Safety Network prior to travel.
The Global Safety Network will be undergoing a platform change and will be unavailable from Aug. 1 to Aug. 16, so any travel for August must be entered prior to Aug. 1.
The affected countries are:
- Bahrain
- Cyprus
- Israel (including West Bank and Gaza)
- Jordan
- Kuwait
- Qatar
- Oman
- Saudi Arabia
- United Arab Emirates (including Abu Dhabi and Dubai)
Egypt and Pakistan had been previously removed from the suspended countries list, on March 24 and April 30, respectively.
For more information, visit the Global Safety webpage or contact globalsafety@psu.edu.