"I really need to know… should I stay or should I go?": The Struggle of Study Abroad Students in Jordan

On 1 October, Iranian missiles struck Israel. Two days later, St Andrews students studying abroad in Amman, Jordan received communication from the Global Office (GO) insisting that they return either to the UK or to the University’s other partner institution in Morocco — effective immediately. 

Their peers from other study abroad programmes like Oxbridge and Edinburgh received no such order from their respective universities. In contrast, Max Coady, a student on the study abroad programme at the Qasid Arabic Institute, recounted how St Andrews students were told to “have a grab bag ready in case the whole country goes ‘red’ [the most severe FCDO risk category].”  

Whilst their original email clearly emphasised a sense of urgency on the University’s behalf, from this point onwards, according to the students involved, communication from the University failed to reflect this. “They spoke about urgency, and yet they sent the letter two days after missiles flew over our heads,” one student said. 

Coady also recalled that “because the planning [of the move] and [how] everything went over the weekend, it was like, ‘Oh well, there’s not going to be a response for two days.’” Given the implied urgency, many felt it wasn’t unreasonable to expect staff to have replied to emails on a Saturday.

The students also felt that communication — or rather the lack thereof — from the University was sub-par given the gravity of the situation. One recalled how, after leaving Jordan, they heard “nothing”: “They didn't even ask us if we had reached our next destination.”

The student also found that often the Global Office “didn't even acknowledge that they received their emails.” “They left us in the dark completely,” they said. 

Whilst this was undoubtedly a difficult situation for the University to navigate, it was not their first time doing so. After the war broke out on 7 October last year, St Andrews students in Jordan found themselves in a similar position to that of the current cohort.

Amy, who was in Jordan at the time, described how, after arriving for her working year abroad, “the first point of contact from the University was the 17th of October” — ten days after the first attack.

During this period, Amy remembered seeing “warplanes overhead” and even “felt the flat shake.” “It was ten days of us going, ‘What do we do?’” she said. 

Amy recalled how study-abroad students were given the option either to remain in Jordan or to study from home in the UK. This raises the question as to why the University has not maintained a consistent position when it comes to students in Jordan. Why were they no longer given the option to stay?

As of October 2024, the GO maintains that their recent decision “was made with very careful consideration of the escalation of the conflict,” but with no explicit reference to FCDO guidance. A spokesperson from the GO stated that the University’s stance was to “await a ceasefire and period of calm before considering options for return to Jordan.” 

At the time, this condition left students frustrated and confused. Especially because Jordan remained ‘green’, or at the lowest level of risk according to FCDO guidance. “It seems ridiculous to say that the terms of you returning to Jordan need to be better than when we sent you there in the first place,” said Coady.

Since there was little likelihood of a ceasefire before the end of the semester, this condition seemingly enabled the University to give the students an answer without actually giving them an answer at all. 

Furthermore, some of the students found that, even in this original stance, the University seemed unsure. Following an email to the GO from the students' parents, in which they gave permission for their children to remain in Jordan, the University appeared to “change their stance,” one student recounted. 

The terms for their return went from the definite need for a “peace treaty,” to “we'll see if the Israel-Iran situation has calmed down, and then we'll send you back,” one recalled. 

It is also important to note that this email was sent in light of the students repeatedly attempting to contact the GO over the possibility of a return to Jordan and instead being met with what they described as “radio silence.”

The University’s quicker response to the students’ parents, albeit still three days after the parents’ sent their email, coupled with their new, more hopeful stance on the matter, gave the impression that the University valued the opinion of the students’ parents more than that of affected students. “Why should our parents have to get involved?” questioned one student. “We’re not in school anymore, we are adults ourselves. Does our opinion not matter?”

For the students, this unconvincing response brought little solace. Aside from a return to Jordan, all they wanted was clarity from the University. “We understand that [the University] made this decision. What we don't understand is why they can't come back with a definite response and say, ‘Listen, you're not going back to Jordan’ or, ‘Yes you can go back’, rather than leaving us in limbo,” one said. 

Then on 28 October, after three weeks of uncertainty, poor communication, and disrupted learning, the University made a U-turn and allowed the students to return to Jordan — despite no ceasefire being called. 

When asked about this change, a spokesperson from the GO replied, “Whilst we had originally indicated that we would await a ceasefire and period of calm before considering options for return to Jordan, we are conscious of representations from students about the desire to return to Jordan. Given current FCDO guidance, which has travel to Jordan as ‘green’, we have taken the decision to give students the choice of whether to return to Jordan and continue their studies there.”

This statement leaves unanswered why FCDO guidance was now sufficient grounds for allowing the students to return to Jordan when it wasn’t enough to let them stay only a few weeks prior. 

“The travel advice has remained green the whole time, so we don’t understand the decision making,” one of the students explained. “The situation is still just as tense.” 

Furthermore, the students are in agreement that the disruption has affected their learning. “Online school was terrible,” said one. “We feel like we lost out on so much valuable time.” 

The situation meant that Coady was unable to complete his midterm exams, a consequence that he believes will “undoubtedly” impact his grades. 

Beyond the classroom, it is the long-lasting emotional impact of the original decision that has left a sour taste in the students’ mouths. “Having to leave behind all the friends I made was really hard,” Coady recalled. 

“It's been the most stressful experience,” said another. “The whole situation has been very unsettling.”

Whilst the University may have supported the students on a practical level — organising flights, giving the option to complete the course online or to transfer to a partner school in Morocco — it seems the same cannot be said for the provision of emotional support. “To be honest, I’m feeling neglected by the University,” said Coady.

Amy remembers a similar lack of concern for students' wellbeing. During her time in Jordan whilst the conflict was ongoing, she said, “there were possibly two emails of reassurance.”

Given that FCDO guidance was ‘green’ and that most other universities with study abroad programmes in Jordan saw no heightened cause for concern following the October missile strikes, the key question on the students’ minds is why St Andrews believed otherwise.

Whilst a spokesperson from the GO ascertained that the University stands by its original decision and claimed that “our primary concern was the safety of our students,” some of the students are sceptical.  

As far as Coady is concerned, the University’s original decision was a matter of protecting a reputation. “They didn’t do it based on any rational understanding of the facts, but rather just the University’s constant fear of being seen as not ‘politically correct’ or going down in the rankings,” he said. 

“The communication from the University has shown consistently that they really do not understand the situation at all in terms of Jordan or anything that is going on in the Middle East right now,” Coady concluded. “The Uni’s rash decision-making has created more problems than it solved.” 

Illustration: Elizabeth Lang