Emergency Situations
If you encounter an emergency while participating in the Exchange Visitor Program, the Department of State requests that either the program or the student/scholar contact them as quickly as possible.
The is administered under the oversight of the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Private Sector Exchange, Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs (ECA). The Office of Designation is organized under two divisions, of which, you would need to contact the Academic and Government Programs Division by phone at 202-632-2805.
Stolen Documents
If your documents (passport/DS-2019) are stolen, or another emergency occurs that affects your physical safety or well-being, this information must be reported to the Department of State.
Please also reach out to our office immediately so that we can help you during your time of need.
Safety or Health Emergency
If you are experiencing a safety concern or health emergency, we would encourage you to call 911 (or 9-911 if dialing from an on-campus phone.) When you call this number in the US, either a police officer or an ambulance will be immediately dispatched depending on your current need. In the past, we have had students go to the emergency room when they health situation was not an emergency. We would advise you to avoid going to the emergency room unless it is truly an emergency… due to the costly nature of going to the emergency room, typically, people living in the US only go to the emergency room if it is a life or death situation or a broken appendage (another health concern that needs immediate attention.)
Other Concerns
If it is a not medical or safety concern, you can call our office to request help. Generally, if an emergency happens during regular business hours, you can contact our front desk at 605-688-4122. We should be able to get you connected with someone in our office to help you during your time of need. If an emergency happens after hours, you can attempt to email one of our international advisors and when we see the message, we will respond immediately. If it is something that needs immediate attention, you can call the University Police Department’s phone number at 605-688-5117.