International Visiting Research Student

An International Visiting Research Student (IVRS) is an international student interested in collaborating with an RIT faculty full-time research project without earning an RIT degree.

An IVRS can be an undergraduate or graduate student and can select to come to RIT for a research experience from as little as 2 weeks to up to 2 years. They must be a current degree-seeking student at an international university and receive the approval of both their home university and RIT to participate in the program.

The IVRS program can be a great opportunity to recruit highly qualified international students into an RIT master’s or Ph.D. program. Many faculty and IVRS teams publish papers during the experience and support developing academic connections between RIT and international partner universities. Students often come with home university funding, scholarship, or even prestigious fellowships.

Is this Program the Right Fit?

Please respond to the question below to determine if this program is right for you and your students.

  • Have you been approached by a highly qualified undergraduate or graduate student from an international university interested in completing their capstone, thesis, or dissertation research at RIT?


OR

  • Are you connected to an RIT international partner university and wish to select a qualified undergraduate or graduate student to conduct research on the RIT campus?

If your answer is YES: This is the correct program for you and your student!

If your answer is NO but you are interested in working with a qualified international visiting research student, the RIT Global Office would be happy to connect you with international partner universities with strong academic and/or research programs in your area for further discussion.

The RIT Global Office does not identify or select research students. Contact lyndsey.mcgrath@rit.edu for more information or to confirm if your visitor qualifies for this program.

Frequently Asked Questions

The faculty member working with the international visiting research student is committing to providing oversight and guidance to the student throughout the time of the program. The faculty must ensure the student is engaged in their research for the required minimum of 30 hours/week but does not need to be present for all of these hours. The faculty and student may set an agreed-upon meeting schedule. The faculty is responsible for assessing the student’s research at the end of the program and submitting a letter grade in SIS for the 0-credit course.

The research experience must be approved by the department head or dean's office of the RIT host department. Department or dean's office level signature is required on the RIT Visiting Research Student Request form. It is the RIT host department's responsibility to ensure export control compliance.

No – an RIT college/department may provide funding toward a student’s expenses while at RIT (ex: funding for housing or a meal plan) but it is not required. As a part of the visa process, the student will need to show that they have the appropriate finances in place to cover costs while in the U.S. (see "What are the student costs for participation?" below). This funding may come from the home university, the student’s personal finances, family/sponsor financial support, and/or RIT financial support. The student should not be paid for the research completed and may not be registered for co-op. If the RIT faculty/department wishes to commit funding toward the student, the RIT Global Office can provide guidance on how to manage this process and notify the student of taxable implications.

Each visa status allows certain activities and prohibits others. RIT International Student Services is responsible for reviewing each request and determining the most appropriate visa for compliance of both RIT and the student to support the activities and goals. 

The student will receive an RIT ID card which can be coded for lab/room/equipment access. Access to a faculty lab, equipment, or other RIT research should be at the discretion of the department. International visiting researchers must be approved by the department chair and follow all guidance/regulations as identified by RIT Policy, Sponsored Research Services, Office of Compliance and Ethics, and the office of Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer as relevant.

The RIT International Visiting Research Student program does not generally include credit bearing coursework while at RIT. The primary intention of the student’s time at RIT should be research under the RIT faculty guidance. Students must be engaged in at least 30 hours/week of research.

Students will be enrolled in a full-time equivalent 0-credit course managed by the RIT Global Office. The faculty providing research oversight will be responsible for submitting a grade at the end of the semester.

A student interested in enrolling in credit-bearing coursework in addition to the research should consider their available time to complete the course. Students should also be prepared to pay RIT tuition for any credit-bearing courses. You can find the cost per credit for the current academic year on the Tuition and Fees webpage.

Yes - The student may work on-campus only as a student employee up to 20 hours/week. However, the research completed does not qualify as student employment and the student may not be paid for their research.

Yes! IVRS students have full access to RIT Housing, dining plans, and student facilities and resources across campus. RIT Global will work with the student and the RIT Housing Office to determine housing availability and support the student as they prepare for their time on the RIT campus. 

The following provides estimated monthly costs. Please work with the RIT Global Office to review the expected visit dates and costs.

  • RIT Housing: $990/month (pro-rated estimate of 175 Jefferson; Costs may vary based on student dates and housing availability)
  • Meals: $880/month (reflects a pro-rated estimate for the RIT Tiger meal plan which estimates $195/week for a semester)
  • Health insurance: $200/month
  • Student Health Center fee: $255/semester
  • Total estimated monthly cost: $2,325

RIT Processing Fee (paid by the RIT Academic Department/College): $400 /one time fee

 

Please reference the International Visiting Research Student Request Process section for next steps.

Request Process

Planning early to bring an International Visiting Research Student to RIT is important to a successful program. We suggest planning 4-6 months in advance of arrival to RIT. IVRS requests with less than 4 months of planning may be requested but are not guaranteed. 

Step 1: Confirming the student-faculty mentorship match
Students must first identify a potential host faculty member. Students should communicate with the faculty to confirm their willingness to host the student and provide mentorship and oversight throughout the student’s RIT research experience. The RIT Global Office and International Student Services cannot select research students or confirm matches.

Faculty who have identified a student they wish to invite to RIT for a research experience can move to step 2. 

Step 2: RIT College Approval
Faculty must secure college approval to host an international visiting research student and ensure commitment of the $400 processing fee. Faculty can easily complete this step by completing the IVRS-Request Form and request an approval signature from a department chair, dean, or other supervisor. Either the faculty or supervisor must also have budget authority on the account number provided for the administrative processing fee. Please return this form to Lyndsey McGrath and Megan Kless. 

Once your form is received, RIT Global will reach out to your research student for required student documentation within 10 business days. 

Step 3: Student Documentation
RIT Global reviews the IVRS Request Form, then emails the invited student within 10 business days providing estimated program expenses for the student and requesting the following information:

  1. Completion of the IVRS-Student Info Form
  2. Copy of passport bio page
  3. Financial documentation reflecting at least the estimated program expenses. Financial information can include: 
    • Funding letter from the student’s home university
    • Fellowship or scholarship letter specific to the U.S.-based research experience 
    • Personal or financial sponsor bank statements. Financial sponsor statement must also include a signed letter of commitment to support the student during the research experience at RIT. 
    • Funding commitment letter from the RIT host department. 

Documents are returned to Lyndsey McGrath.

Step 4: RIT Processing
RIT Global will use the student documents to create an RIT student record and computer accounts. The International Student Services Office (ISS) will issue the I-20/DS2019** certificate necessary to apply for an F-1 or J-1** student visa. This step may take 2-4 weeks to complete.

Step 5: Student Visa Request
Student will be provided with an electronic I-20/DS2019** and instructions on the SEVIS and visa interview request process and proceed to apply for F-1 or J-1** visa. If there are any delays or issues with the visa process, the student will inform RIT Global and ISS immediately.

Once Student is granted their F-1 or J-1** visa, they will be allowed in the country, no more than 30 days before the program start date as stated on their I-20/DS2019** certificate.

Step 6: Pre-Departure
RIT Global will guide the student through preparation to come to RIT, including applying for housing, submitting required health documents, and more. Students will receive a check-list of next steps and access to an RIT Global staff member for guidance. 

Step 7: Arrival
RIT does not provide transportation between the airport and campus, but students will be guided on easy options to navigate to campus. It is highly recommended that students arrive during business hours but no later than 11 p.m. in order to check-in to their RIT Housing. Students will be given directions on how to check in to their assigned housing. RIT Global and ISS will schedule a required in-person orientation within the first week of the student’s arrival which will include their immigration check-in.

**DS2019 (J-1) will be issued only when determined as required by ISS.