Doctoral at MIT

• Doctoral at MIT
• Post Doctoral at MIT
• Research Stays at Politecnico
• Roberto Rocca Young Researchers Fellowship
• Rocca Fellows

The Progetto funds 6-18 month research stays at MIT for 5-6 Politecnico PhD students every year. High-quality profiles are sought. Priority will be given to students who participate in collaborative projects between MIT and Politecnico research groups. Please note that in addition to academic excellence, the fit between the applicants’ interests and those of the hosting labs is a major criterion for selection

The Roberto Rocca Doctoral Fellowships amount to $ 6,500 per semester, plus a $ 1,500 una tantum travel allowance.

Successful applicants come to MIT as visiting students. As such, they have access to MIT facilities and their labs, and can audit seminars and classes with instructors’ permission. However, they cannot receive credit or enroll in language classes, and are not eligible for a MIT degree. Unless otherwise explicitly agreed by the host faculty, students should time their stays to coincide with MIT semesters: from the beginning of February to the end of May for the Spring semester, and from the beginning of September to the third week of December for the Fall semester.

The Progetto also accepts pre-applications from students with the required high-quality profile who do not have identified a MIT host. Interested students should send all the documents —except for 2 and 5—well ahead the application deadlines. The more defined your interests and project, the more likely it is you’ll find a host faculty.

Applications are due May 20th —for the Fall Semester —and October 30th, for the Spring Semester. Pre-applications are due at least one month before these deadlines. All documents are to be submitted electronically.

Applications must include:

1. A one page description of the student’s research project at MIT.
2. The name of the MIT faculty who will “host” the student
3. An indication of the desired length of stay at MIT (one, two or three semesters)
4. A letter of recommendation from a Politecnico faculty,
5. A letter of acceptance from the hosting MIT faculty
6. The authorization to study abroad by the candidate’s PhD coordinator
7. A recent Curriculum Vitae
8. The student’s graduate and undergraduate academic record
9. Proof of English Proficiency ( TOEFL or similar test)

Please send your complete application in electronic format to the Scuola di Dottorato del Politecnico di Milano, progettorocca@polimi.it
Applicants will be assessed by members of the MIT-Italy Program Scientific Committee and relevant faculty.

Selected applicants must satisfy all the necessary MIT financial and visa ( J-1) requirements. Admission to MIT as a visiting student is conditional to the successful completion of the following procedures, which take several weeks:

• Your host faculty needs to have your visit approved first by his department’s head, and then by MIT VP for research. Your host department also needs to enter your basic data in the MIT database. Your host professor needs to initiate these procedures.
• Once your visit to MIT has been officially approved, the MIT International Student Office http://web.mit.edu/iso/about/iso.shtml will request a DS-2019 form on your behalf. You need this form in order to make an appointment at the US consulate in Italy and apply for a J-1 visa. To initiate the visa procedure, you will need to provide the ISO
  • a letter from POLIMI certifying you will remain a full time student at POLIMI while at MIT
  • letters from POLIMI and the Progetto Rocca certifying you meet funding criteria for the visa through your combined fellowships
  • a completed financial form*
  • a signed form that commits you to purchase MIT health insurance.*

* these will be sent to you after you’ve been accepted as a visiting student

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