UW-Madison International Academic Programs canceled all study abroad opportunities in Japan for the Spring 2011 semester Thursday in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake and tsunami.
IAP said 14 students were enrolled in such programs this semester but only eight were currently in Japan due to semester breaks.
The students were attending four different universities located in Tokyo, Nagoya and Sapporo.
IAP Study Abroad Advisor Lauren Worth sent an email to the 14 students Thursday to inform them of the cancellation and give them advice on what the students should do.
She told students currently in Japan that their evacuation would be covered by their insurance program and asked them to call immediately to make travel plans. She also asked students on break to work with airlines to cancel previous plans for return trips.
She said students had the option to remain in the country, but if they did so they would be considered non-UW-Madison students. She said the students should consult their Japanese Institution about whether continuing study would be allowed outside the UW-Madison program.
The decision to halt the program came after the U.S. State Department issued multiple travel warnings to U.S. citizens.
The most recent warning issued March 18, urged citizens to avoid travel to Japan. Those in Japan were urged to strongly consider departing.
It also asked citizens within a 50-mile range of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant to evacuate the area due to possible nuclear fallout stemming from problems at the plant.
However, the evacuation range does not include any of the four university locations.
In the week following the March 11 earthquake, there have been hundreds of aftershock earthquakes, causing Japan to remain at risk for further tsunamis, according to the State Department.
