Requirements and Resources for Invited Visiting Scholars/Students

Appointment Documents/Forms

All accepted visitors must provide the following in order to officially register as a Visiting Scholar/Student at UCSD. All materials will need to be submitted electronically through the online Visiting Graduate Student portal or directly to Collette Isachsen at cisachsen@ucsd.edu.

Visiting Scholars/Researchers (with a PhD or equivalent)

Current Curriculum Vitae
Brief summary of research project you will be working on at UCSD.
UC Patent Acknowledgement Form (PDF): Please sign and save as a .pdf or other uploadable document. For non-US citizens: Please only sign for the ‘Patent Agreement' section at the bottom, not the ‘Oath.'
Proof of Funding: Documentation - in English - of funding from home institution, agency, or personal funds of at least $2,400 per month for the duration of visit.
Also see below if you are an international visitor requiring visa sponsorship.

Visiting Graduate Students

VGS Appointment Form - You will receive an email notifying you to complete this form online and upload all of the documents listed below once the department creates a UCSD VGS account for you.
UC Patent Acknowledgement Form (PDF): Please sign and save as a .pdf or other uploadable document. For non-US citizens: Please only sign for the ‘Patent Agreement' section at the bottom, not the ‘Oath.'
Current Curriculum Vitae
Proof of Registration in a graduate program (PhD, Masters, or MD). This is typically a letter from your home institution and must confirm you will still be a registered student for the duration of the time you will spend at UCSD.
Proof of Health Insurance - Enrollment in UCSD's visitor plan or documentation of other coverage that meets minimum requirements.
Proof of Funding: Documentation - in English - of funding from home institution, agency, or personal funds of at least $2,400 per month for the duration of visit.
$100 Visiting Student Registration Fee - Must be paid within one month of arrival on campus.
Also see below if you are an international visitor requiring visa sponsorship.

Living in San Diego - Information on Housing, Transportation, etc.

International Visitors

Though UCSD staff are here to assist with questions about immigration policies and provide general advice, it is the visitor's responsibility to learn and adhere to the rules that affect their status. All international visitors are asked to review our International Scholar Handbook prior to submitting the items below to ensure that they are aware of all visa requirements and procedures. This handbook also provides helpful information on a wide-range of topics related to your arrival in the U.S. and on campus.

For those visitors requiring departmental sponsorship for a DS-2019 to obtain a J-1 visa, the following must be submitted along with the items listed above 3 months prior to planned arrival date. The scholar is responsible for inputting their information in our online visa portal and uploading all required documents.

List of required documents: https://ifso.ucsd.edu/dept-facilitators/j1/index.html#Gather-Scholar-Documents
Detailed visa application instructions: https://ifso.ucsd.edu/_isd/scholar_guidebook.pdf
$525 campus visa processing fee. This must be paid online before your visa application can be processed.