Travel Study Updates and Reminders- Academic Year 2025-2026

Travel Study courses must be managed/vetted by DLL. Travel study courses fit into one or more of the following criteria:

• Takes place during Summer University/Winter Session and involves travel
• Domestic fall/spring courses that have a significant travel component, usually including overnight travel
• Any course with international travel, year-round (aside from study away or abroad, which are handled through the Office of International Programs)
• Any course for which DLL is collecting a fee from students and paying for trip-related expenses using our general ledger account
• Any course for which DLL is paying a faculty salary/overload from DLL’s budget, with a travel component (day trips or overnight)

DLL must receive notice of intent (via the DLL Course Approval Form) to offer a travel study course at least nine months prior to the course start date for domestic trips and 12 months for international trips; 15 months is preferred for brand-new travel courses. All paperwork and approvals must be completed prior to student registration for the course.

Reminders and changes for FY26

•  UMS Risk Management no longer automatically requires an annual review of domestic travel study courses.

• Instructors are still required to submit risk management forms to DLL prior to course approval- no change in forms.
• The DLL Director of Finance & Operations will review forms to ensure they are complete. If significant potential risks are identified (international travel, potentially risky activities, etc.), or if this is the first time a course has been offered/reviewed in four semesters, the course will be subject to UMS Risk Management review.
• UMS Risk Management review/approval is only required once every four semesters for domestic travel courses, provided no significant changes are noted in the risk management forms/syllabus. Updated forms must be submitted to DLL every time a course is offered.
• International travel study courses will be reviewed by UMS Risk Management every time they are offered.

• All student forms will continue to be collected using AdobeSign, which ensures that all fields are completed. DLL staff will send the student packets to all individuals listed on the course roster.
• Budgeting for travel study- Starting in Fall 2025, DLL will provide a course budget template to each faculty member. This required template will provide detailed information to DLL regarding budgeted expenses, vendors, methods of payment, etc. to prevent delays in the procurement and accounts payable process. The existing course fee form must still be fully signed and approved prior to student enrollment in the course, as it is used to both gain Provost’s Office approval for student fees and to add them to student accounts.
• The travel study administrative fee will now be tiered based on the location of travel, as articulated below. This fee not only covers software and other expenses related to managing the travel study program but will also be used to help defray the additional, unexpected costs associated with travel that departments/units will not cover.

• Travel Study fee structure:

• $50 per student for domestic courses
• $100 per student for international courses

• Examples of Travel Study fees from other institutions are:

• Texas A&M: $500
• UMASS: $750 for summer or winter, $1075 for semester and $1545 for year
• University of Nebraska-Lincoln: $550 for summer programs and $750 for semester and $900 for year
• Colorado State University: $600 fee for all travel abroad experiences

Standard language for syllabi: Please make sure that this language is included for student review.

• Required Travel Forms- Students traveling overnight for academic purposes must complete several forms, including the student intent form, after enrolling in a travel course. These will be sent to your university email for electronic completion by the Division of Lifelong Learning, which manages for-credit student travel. Please complete these forms by the deadline. Failure to do so will prevent you from traveling with the class, which may impact your grade in the course. For questions about these forms, please contact um.travelstudy@maine.edu.

Contacts: 

General questions, um.travelstudy@maine.edu

Raphael Okutoro, Manager of Summer Programs, raphael.okutoro@maine.edu

Barbara Cochran, Administrative and Fiscal Coordinator, barbara.cochran@maine.edu 

Cindy Barnes, Financial Manager, cynthia.barnes@maine.edu 

Beth Maberry, Director of Finance and Operations, elisabeth.maberry@maine.edu