A Visiting Student appointment is required for all students who are pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree at
- an institution of higher education in the US (other than MIT)
- or abroad (the majority of students in the Visiting Student program come from abroad)
and have been invited by an LNS research group to do research in their field of studies for a minimum of 3 weeks to a MAXIMUM of 12 months. Exceptions to this policy are made for Harvard and Wellesley students, and students coming to MIT with a newly hired faculty member (except for international students requiring MIT's J-1 visa sponsorship).
Current MIT regular or special students, or MIT students who have withdrawn or are on a leave of absence, cannot apply for Visiting Student status.
Standardized Program Dates
Visiting students will be admitted for the period of time specified in the initial invitation letter with appointments beginning on 1st & 15th of a month and ending on the last day of a month. If the 1st or 15th falls on a weekend or holiday, the visit should start on the next business day (e.g. if the 1st falls on a Saturday, the official visit start date should be Monday, the 3rd.) Visits start dates should coincide with business days.
Fees and Payments:
Processing Fee
- One time $1,000 fee to be paid only by the host PI or host DLC’s discretionary funds. Visiting Students are prohibited from paying or reimbursing the host for this charge.
- Waived if the student is from Harvard University or Wellesley College
- Waived for visits of less than 6 weeks
Visiting Student Fees
The Visiting Student Fee is a monthly fee of $625 that includes research, required enrollment in the student MIT Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP), and student life fees paid in full for the entire appointment, prior to the student’s arrival. This fee is replacing the previously charged term fees.
The Visiting Student Monthly fee is waived for Harvard University and Wellesley College students.
Timeline
- International students with MIT visa sponsorship: Submit applications at least 120 days in advance of the program start date.
- Students who do not require visa sponsorship: Submit applications in the Visiting Student Portal at least 60 days in advance of the program start date.
Information Needed from PI
Please send Elsye Luc (elsye@mit.edu) the below information so that the student can be entered into the Visiting Student Portal.
- Full Legal Name (Last, First, Middle) This MUST be exactly how it is written in your Passport:
- Dates of visit (From - To):
- Date of Birth:
- Country of Citizenship:
- Gender:
- Full mailing address:
- Email address, if any:
- Home Institute:
- Provide a Cost Object for the $1,000 processing fee.
- Who will be responsible for the Visiting Student Fee (PI or Student).
- Explain the research program for the visiting student, the activities and duties, as well as the benefit to the lab provided by the visiting student's presence. Research must be on campus.
- Visiting Student Certification of English Proficiency Assessment. (For international students only. Do not email to isoforms@mit.edu as indicated on the form)
- Invitation Letter for the Student. (Please see Sample Invitation Letter)
- Mentoring Plan
Please visit Office of the Vice President for Research website for information on the Visiting Student Process. To access this link, click on the "Log in with MIT Touchstone" on the page.
