Penn State suspends university travel to the Middle East. What to know
Penn State suspended all university-affiliated travel to several Middle East locations indefinitely, it announced in a news release on Tuesday.
The suspension comes after the U.S. Department of State issued an advisory to U.S. citizens in several Middle Eastern countries on Monday, urging them to leave using commercial means. University-affiliated travel has been suspended to more than 15 destinations until further notice:
- Afghanistan
- Bahrain
- Cyprus
- Egypt
- Iran
- Iraq
- Israel (including West Bank and Gaza)
- Jordan
- Kuwait
- Lebanon
- Qatar
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Saudi Arabia
- Syria
- United Arab Emirates (including Abu Dhabi and Dubai)
- Yemen
Penn State said the suspension impacts any travel to these locations that has not departed from the United States. Faculty, staff and students who are planning travel to other destinations in the Middle East, or other international travel, are urged to stay informed about current events and monitor developments closely, the release states.
For those who are already abroad, the release states that relevant communications and updates will be sent to them directly from Penn State Global. A Penn State spokesperson told the Centre Daily Times there are some travelers abroad but could not provide specifics.
“We have a small number of travelers abroad in locations affected by current hostilities. Penn State Global Safety is in contact with those travelers to provide support and assistance. Due to the small number of individuals involved, we cannot provide more specific information to protect their confidentiality,” the spokesperson said in an email. “We understand that this is a very difficult time for our community members abroad as well as those from the region who are currently on campus, so the University also is in contact with students from impacted countries to provide support and resources available here.”
The release includes safety advice for all travelers from Penn State Global Safety, which includes monitoring communications from the airline for any potential changes and plan accordingly. If a flight is scheduled to travel through any affected areas, travel may be delayed, rererouted or canceled.
Those who have flights booked with Anthony Travel, Penn State’s official travel partner, can contact Anthony Travel’s after-hours emergency support line at +1-888-669-3948 for help with cancellations, delays and/or changes.
Penn State Global Safety also advises travelers to follow U.S. Embassy directives, including shelter-in-place orders, and to enroll their international travel in the U.S. Department of State’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program to receive emergency alerts from the nearest U.S. embassy.
The release also provided Penn State Global Safety’s emergency duty phone, available 24/7, for urgent health, safety or security assistance abroad: +1-814-360-2829, via call/text/WhatsApp.
The university’s international emergency assistance provider International SOS can be reached at +1-215-942-8478.
Contact Global Safety for administrative or non-emergency issues at +1-814-863-8788 or globalsafety@psu.edu.
This story was originally published March 4, 2026 at 11:25 AM.
