Safety tips for international students: How to stay alert and make your university experience fun

Before you arrive: Safety prep that can’t wait

Even before you touch down in your new home away from home, you need to keep a few safety matters in mind. Preparing for your departure calls for more than just booking your plane tickets. You need to make sure all your documents are on you (as are the copies, and the copies of those copies), plan for emergencies with the right insurance plan and think about how you’ll access the internet while traveling so you can stay connected with your friends and family at home. Your D-day will be stressful enough, so planning ahead will save you some stress while you queue for your airport check-in or ride the train to campus.

Sort your documents (and back them up)

Your personal documents are the most important item you’re taking with you. According to joint NordVPN and Saily research, stolen travel documents are a hot commodity for criminals. So before you leave, create physical printed copies of your personal documents and keep them stashed away in a safe location.

Some countries require you to have your ID on you at all times by law, so having a copy can be useful in case you lose it. Look up the nearest embassy or consulate and save its address and emergency number. Sometimes the nearest consulate might be in a neighboring country. You can also create digital copies and store them in a secure cloud. Avoid keeping digital document copies in chats or email inboxes, because hackers can get to them there more easily.

Before you leave, make sure your passport is valid for at least six months after your study program is over. Some countries might need you to get a special student visa and show proof that you have sufficient funds to live abroad, so sort these docs out.

Get the right insurance (and know what it covers)

You have other boring yet important bureaucratic matters like insurance to sort out. As a university student, you might be able to find special health and travel insurance plans that will cover you from the day you set off from your home until you put on your graduation cap. If you’re on a student visa and plan to travel around while studying for your degree, check if your health and travel policy extends to other countries. Plan before each trip and look into their requirements. Don’t go uninsured, though — you never know what might happen, and having this safety cushion will help you get the help you need without breaking the bank.

💡Pro tip: If you’re an EU resident, you can get the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), which is valid for emergencies in any member state.

Plan your phone and data connection before you land

You should think about how you’ll stay in touch with people once you arrive — you don’t want to be lost without internet access in case you need to find help quickly or even if you want to quickly look up information, check your travel route, or let your family know you got there safely.

Your first stops will probably be airports and train stations, where you might be able to catch public internet networks. However, using public Wi-Fi can be risky, so consider having a safer alternative on hand. You can download an eSIM app before your departure and get the plan that covers your destination country. Once you arrive, you will be able to access data as soon as you need it.

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Day-to-day study abroad safety tips: Habits that can make a real difference

When you get settled in, you’ll need to think about your new routine. You’ll probably want to get a little bit of everything out of university life — the classes, the communities, and the parties. To keep yourself from getting underwhelmed while adjusting to a different pace, you should take a few security precautions and do a bit of research on your surroundings.

Be aware of your surroundings

If you’ve never visited your study destination before, you might worry about easily getting lost. Look up your campus on a map and learn the route from your home to your classes first. Don’t forget to look up places where you can get support fast, like the nearest hospital and the police station. Check if your campus has an urgent care center for emergencies, so you don’t have to worry in case the hospital isn’t close by.

Know where the nearest grocery store is — that way, if you forgot to pack any essentials, like a toothbrush or cutlery, you can just buy them once you arrive at your new home. You can also check if you can find any shops nearby selling delicacies from your home country to soothe a homesick heart.

Learn to blend in and protect your valuables

Scammers know how to spot signs of a newcomer in a university town — they look around more often and tend to have their phone out to triple-check if they’re taking the right path. Do as the Romans do as much as you can. Try to figure out how the locals act. Keep your phone and personal documents close to you, like an inner jacket pocket or a hidden compartment in your bag.

Use transport safely

Some students choose to keep driving themselves even once they move abroad. If that’s your plan, check if your driver’s license will be valid. In some cases, you might need to retake the exam. If you move to a country where the driver’s seat is on the other side, like the UK, Australia, or Japan, you might take some time adjusting.

Public transport is usually the easier way to go. Look into the payment options to help you get to and from campus safely. Download and set up a public transport app before you even arrive, letting you easily plan ahead for your commute.

💡Pro tip: In many places, students get special discounts on public transport tickets or even ride for free.

Know the local laws

Look into local legislation and see what behavior can get someone charged. You can expect the usual stuff — like theft or physical violence. However, some countries have unique laws, and not knowing them won’t save you from the repercussions.

Don’t forget to read your university’s code of conduct. Schools usually have specific rules for how you should act while on campus. You’re now a representative of your new school, so you will need to act the part. Serious academic misdemeanors could get students expelled, so make sure you know what the code of conduct says.

Drink responsibly and stay in control

University life is often all about socializing, especially in the early weeks. Various communities host parties that let students mingle and have fun before the hard semester work starts. Just don’t get carried away — drink responsibly and don’t push yourself past the limit. Aside from risks of injuries or alcohol poisoning, acting inappropriately while drunk could be against the university’s code of conduct. For personal safety, always keep your drink with you and don’t take substances from people you don’t know. Keep a medical emergency contact number saved in your phone in case you need immediate help.

Common scams targeting international students and how to avoid them

Your first weeks as an international student will fly by. As you sort out your schedule, meet new friends, and learn how to get around, scammers will be keenly trying to spot you in the crowd. They have a few tricks up their sleeves to lure in students who might feel confused, lost, or isolated in a new country. According to the COVER Student Risk Report, 1 in 129 students living abroad have experienced theft or robbery. Knowing how these criminals work and spotting the red flags early will help your adaptation period pass more smoothly and safely.

• Housing scams. Living on campus is convenient, but renting privately can sometimes be cheaper. Scammers create false rent ads to lure students in using fake images and offering too-good-to-be-true rates. Check the renter’s background to make sure what they’re offering is legit and never pay a deposit before signing a contract.

• Tax scams. One of the biggest fears for many international students is forgetting to pay an important tax. Foreign tax systems can be confusing, and scammers might try contacting you, claiming you need to make an overdue payment. Hang up, compare the number to official institutions’, block the caller, and don’t agree to dodgy transactions.

• Phone scams. Some students want to set up a new, local phone number to stay in touch with new peers more easily. However, not all providers are legit — scammers can pretend to represent a phone company on campus and hand you a “brand new” SIM. In reality, the scammers know the number they gave you and use it in SIM swapping scams. So if you’ve set up a new number for login verification codes, they’ll get them before you do. Only talk to official service providers and avoid using SMS verification for safety.

• Job scams. Students often want to make a living and take on work between classes. Unfortunately, scammers take advantage of students desperate for an income by creating false advertisements and using fake job ads to steal personal details. Even if the job ad turns out to be real, shady hirers might underpay students even if it’s against the law. To find reliable employees, get in touch with your university’s careers office before you apply.

• Romance and friendship scams. The first weeks abroad can feel lonely. Your friends and family are far away, and you haven’t had enough time to make new friends. Some people try to “befriend” foreign students, building an emotional connection before starting to ask for money to help out with emergencies. If you begin to feel suspicious about a person you’re talking to, block them immediately and cut future contact.

Protecting your digital data abroad

Physical safety is important, too — don’t talk to suspicious people, don’t be obvious with your money or credit cards, keep your phone close, and don’t get into drunken fights with other freshers. However, your digital safety shouldn’t take a back seat. With your student ID, you get access to valuable university resources, and cybercriminals would love to get access to them. Don’t forget how you can stay safe online:

• Set a screen lock for your phone. The last thing you want is someone running off with your phone and accessing your contacts and apps with a swipe. Don’t use a simple pattern or code — those can be easily guessed. Instead, opt for a longer PIN or use biometrics as a safer lock alternative to protect data on your phone.

• Always log out of shared devices. If you’re using the university’s computers, tablets, or even printers for a short time, make sure you’ve logged out of them before you leave your workstation. This will prevent malicious actors from seeing your personal accounts. If you need to leave the desk temporarily, make sure the device is fully locked.

• Don’t leave your devices unattended. Even if the campus feels safe, you never know when someone might take the opportunity to grab an unattended laptop or phone. Always make sure you have your phone on you, and if you need to pop out for a second, ask a university employee or a fellow student you know to watch your stuff.

• Avoid using public Wi-Fi. Study sessions at cafés and libraries are part of the student culture. However, you shouldn’t access any sensitive information on public Wi-Fi. Always use protected networks to log in to your university portal, email account, banking, and similar sites holding your personal info. You can also take the safer route and use your own mobile data with an eSIM. It gives you a private and affordable data connection without worrying about getting a brand new phone number in your host country.

Other tricks can help you protect your data from snoopers, like getting a privacy screen for your laptop and keeping Bluetooth off so no one can send unknown files to your phone. On campus, you might see lots of flyers with random QR codes — if you don’t know what the code is about, ignore it, because it might lead to a phishing page. For more safety tips to follow in your first weeks abroad, check out our safety checklist.

What to do in an emergency

You never know when things might go awry while you’re studying abroad, but you can pre-plan for emergencies to keep the panic at bay.

• Save emergency numbers on your phone. Sometimes calling a friend for help isn’t enough. Save the contacts for emergency services (it’s not 911 all around the world), your nearest embassy or consulate, the university’s international student support line, and your insurance provider.

• If you’re robbed or attacked, contact the police. File an official report and keep it for insurance claims. Ask a local student or a university staff member for help if you don’t speak the country’s language.

• Know where to reach out for medical assistance. Your university should have a designated medical service. Otherwise, call the local emergency services immediately. If you need psychological help, get in touch with your university’s counseling services. It might be able to provide free aid.

• Enroll in your home country’s travel registration system.  If your host country experiences a crisis, the nearest embassy or consulate will issue travel warnings and use the registration system to reach you. If you’re from the US, that’s the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP).

• Have a local emergency contact. Your university will ask you to provide an emergency contact. Find a person you can trust, like a flatmate or your program coordinator, and let them know what to do if they can’t reach you and need to contact your family directly.

• Make sure you have a reliable internet connection at all times. If you need help while traveling away from your host country, consider getting an eSIM that covers multiple regions. Saily’s Global eSIM is an easy pick if you’re hopping from country to country, with data plans covering more than 200 destinations. No matter where you are, it’ll help you stay connected and find all the information you need.

References

1. UNESCO: https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/record-number-higher-education-students-highlights-global-need-recognition-qualifications

2. COVER Student Risk Report