The British universities of Cambridge and Nottingham paused their study abroad programs in Cuba in February, a decision that became publicly known this week following an investigation by Latin America Reports, which reveals how the collapse of the Cuban regime has begun to isolate the island even from the academic world that once celebrated it.
The suspension occurred shortly after the British Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) issued an official warning against traveling to Cuba except for strictly essential reasons, which has been in effect since February and updated in September.
The agency cites shortages of fuel, electricity, water, and basic goods, frequent protests with the risk of escalation, and the inability to use international cards— including ATMs—on the island.
A spokesperson from the Department of Modern and Medieval Languages at Cambridge explained that the policies of the year abroad program are "strictly guided by the advice of the FCDO, partly because this determines the availability of travel insurance." She added that exchange students had experienced weeks without electricity and water shortages, which raised direct concerns for their safety.
Parvathi Kumaraswami, professor of Latin American Studies and director of the Centre for Research on Cuba at Nottingham, confirmed the suspension and warned that it could be the permanent end of these exchanges.
"I am fully aware that universities must follow the advice of the FCDO, whether regarding the safety of students abroad or insurance issues," he stated to Latin America Reports.
Kumaraswami emphasized the educational value of these programs: "Students return with an understanding of what Cuba truly is, for better or worse, and that is precisely the goal of our center: to provide a clear and objective perspective on Cuba."
The Nottingham program, active since 1994—when it was established during the Special Period in Cuba, following the Soviet collapse—has allowed around 300 students from the universities of Nottingham, Manchester, Wolverhampton, Sheffield, and Reading to study in Havana over the course of three decades.
Reactions among alumni are divergent. Hussein Sameh, a Nottingham graduate who studied in Cuba in 2011, characterized the suspension as a "violation" and fears that it will deepen the island's isolation from international scrutiny.
In June, Sameh was one of the proponents of an open letter signed by 60 former students and published in the Scottish newspaper The National, calling on Keir Starmer's government to oppose the U.S. embargo on Cuba; the British government did not respond.
In contrast, an anonymous former student who also spent her year abroad in Havana in 2011 stated that she would "absolutely not" return to Cuba under those conditions, although she acknowledged that the experience was "the best six months" of her life.
Raphael McMahon, a Cambridge graduate who studied in Havana from August 2022 to January 2023, defended the decision: "Those who organize exchange programs have a duty to take care of the students they send abroad. I am sure that this decision, although disappointing, was made in good faith."
The suspension of British programs adds to the closure of the CASA (Consortium for Advanced Studies Abroad) program, the last formal academic bridge between the United States and Cuba, which included institutions such as Harvard, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, and Johns Hopkins and has been indefinitely suspended since 2026. The University of California, Berkeley has also postponed its program "Cuba: Beyond the Icons" until the summer of 2027.
The academic isolation reflects a broader collapse: Cuba received only 477,707 visitors between January and September 2026, a decrease of 65.1% compared to the same period the previous year, while 73% of hotel facilities remain closed and at least 11 airlines have suspended or reduced their flights to the island.
Kumaraswami expressed with concern what is at stake: "Studying in Cuba has given students an understanding that the world is a diverse and fascinating place, and the opportunity to reflect on their own value systems, ideologies, and ways of life, not necessarily to embrace the Cuban system, but to make truly valuable comparisons."
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