The swine flu outbreak has forced the 13 students in the Guadalajara Engineering Program to decide whether to leave Mexico before May 21, the intended program end date, Boston University International Programs officials said. International Programs officials made the decision Monday to allow students to leave early, International Programs Institutional Relations Director Joseph Finkhouse said. Although departure is not mandatory it is highly recommended. Finkhouse said he thinks all 13 students have decided to return early, but does not know exactly when they will leave. Student Health Services Director David McBride has advised the students to return ‘directly home and not come to Boston right away,’ Finkhouse said. McBride suggested the students spend at least a week away from campus, which is the estimated incubation period for swine flu. Swine flu had caused at least 152 deaths in Mexico at press time, according to the Associated Press. There were 66 confirmed cases of swine flu within the U.S. as of Tuesday. The Mexican government closed all schools in the nation from April 27 to May 6, Finkhouse said. European Union Commissioner for Health Androulla Vassiliou recommended ending all but non-essential travel between the U.S. and Mexico Monday, according to the Associated Press, and Cuba became the first country to officially suspended all flights to Mexico the next day. Finkhouse said International Programs officials are working with the program’s professors in Mexico to allow the students to take their finals and complete their courses in the states, so the students can receive full credit for the semester. ‘The university there has been very cooperative in working with us,’ Finkhouse said. ‘We’re going to work with them [the students] through the College of Engineering to make sure they don’t have anything to worry about.’ The Guadalajara Engineering Program is a 20-credit program that runs only in the spring. International Programs does not run any programs in Mexico over the summer, but other universities have begun to suspend similar summer programs. Suffolk University was the first school to cancel its summer Mexican culture and language program, according to an April 28 Chronicle of Higher Education article. Many major North American airlines are offering waivers for typical reservation date change fees, but they are not canceling flights, according to the Associated Press. Finkhouse said he is unsure of the costs of leaving the program early or whether students will be reimbursed for losing three weeks of their program.