No. Students must book their airfare through Swarthmore's study abroad travel agency, Key Travel. If you purchase your own airfare, Swarthmore will not be able to reimburse you for this expense.

For details on the purchase of study abroad flights by Swarthmore, see "Does Swarthmore Cover my Flight?" on the Direct Payments section of the Study Abroad Finances page.  

For details on other flight-related expenses that can be covered by Swarthmore (luggage fees, airport transportation, etc.) see the Reimbursable Expenses section of the Study Abroad Finances page. 

For information on flight-related expenses that are not covered by Swarthmore (overweight bags, non-programmatic ticket changes) see the Student Responsibility section of the Study Abroad Finances page.

Important: Once you have authorization from Key Travel and GEO, do not delay in moving forward with your flight arrangements. If you delay the purchase of your flights and the costs go up, you will not be given additional funds.

Swarthmore has a "commitment deadline" by when students are required to complete a set of post-acceptance requirements (November 1  for Spring term departures / May 1 for Fall term departures). By this point, students should have received definite arrival and departure dates for their program.

Only students who have completed the necessary requirements in their GEO Portal will be eligible to begin booking their travel through Key Travel.  Shortly after this commitment date, students can expect to receive an email from their GEO Advisor regarding next steps. 

Tip: travel arrangements should not be made before reviewing how the visa process may affect your travel plans (if applicable).

Please wait for instructions from Swarthmore to begin the process. As an overview, the process will involve the following steps:

• Complete a Key Travel form specifying your flight preferences (e.g., dates/times and locations).
• Receive flight options from Key Travel, with guidelines on the "fare threshold" for your program.
• Select a Swarthmore-approved flight. If the flight is above the “fare threshold,” pay the cost difference between the flight and the threshold (see Finances page for details).
• Receive your e-tickets from Key Travel.

Yes, flights to/from your program site will be covered for each Swarthmore semester abroad. This is true if you are studying abroad for a full year in one location, or for two semesters in different locations.

You are subject at all times to the policies of the host institution. Under no circumstance are you allowed to negotiate a different start or end date to your program. You are required to take final examinations according to the scheduled program timetable. Conflicting start dates of summer jobs and internships are NOT considered valid reasons to request an early dismissal from the program. 

Under no circumstances are you allowed to arrive in your host country after your program start date or return before your program end date. 

Depending on the program, you may arrive in your host country earlier than the program start date and/or remain following the program end date. It is YOUR responsibility to take the following steps:

• Check whether your visa is valid during your extended stay
• Secure your own housing outside program dates (if program-arranged housing is unavailable)
• Purchase extended insurance abroad
• Pay all other fees associated with your extended stay (e.g., meals).

Swarthmore is not responsible for any safety, financial, or other aspect of students’ stay abroad outside program dates.

Outbound Flight Traveling to your Program

When embarking, you may depart from any location of your choosing.  However, you might need to pay part of the cost (see above: “Will Swarthmore cover the cost of my flight for my semester abroad?”).  

It is Swarthmore's responsibility to provide international airfare to a student's program city or proximate airport. We are unable to approve any itinerary that arrives at an alternate location and/or includes an extended stopover in a site other than the program base.  Flights booked by Key Travel must always arrive in your program location before or on the program start date, and depart from the program location on or after the program end date.

Return Flight Traveling from your Program

It is Swarthmore's responsibility to provide international airfare from a student's program city or proximate airport. While you can specify your final destination, we are unable to approve any itinerary that departs from somewhere other than your program location and/or that includes an extended stopover in a site other than the program base.

"Open Jaw" Flights Using Multiple Airports

It is possible to book a ticket that includes an inbound flight to your host city from "Airport A" with a return flight (from your host city) terminating at "Airport B".   Be aware that a more complicated itinerary may result in costs above/beyond those covered by the program.

Sometimes travel plans change and you may want to adjust your dates after your flight has been ticketed. In such cases, the costs for changing flights will be covered by the student, not by Swarthmore. 

In contrast, when a change is instead due to a change in the program or the result of a health/safety issue, these change fees would be covered by Swarthmore.