Visiting Students

How does the visiting student process work?

The Visiting Student Program was established to protect non-MIT student visitors; an appointment as a visiting student ensures that these students have an officially recognized affiliation with MIT.

The MIT International Students Office (ISO) is responsible for overseeing the Institute-level process for both U.S. and international students. At the department-level, the procedure for admitting visiting students is centralized within the EAPS Education Office. However, host faculty members and their administrative assistants are crucial in the process, providing the necessary information to initiate and complete an application.

Eligibility

Students who are pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree at an institution of higher education in the US (other than MIT), or abroad, and who have been invited by an MIT department or laboratory to do research in their field of study, may apply for a Visiting Student (VS) appointment for a minimum of 3 weeks and a maximum of 12 months. All research must be conducted on the MIT campus. 

It is strongly advised that students invited to conduct research on the MIT campus, no matter how short their visit, have a visiting student appointment for the minimum term of 3 weeks. This includes REU students conducting research with a faculty member in EAPS.

Timelines

• Minimum appointment length: 3 weeks
• Maximum length: 12 months
• Appointment start and end dates are standardized:
  • Available start dates: 1st or 15th of the month
  • End date: last day of the month

Fees + Class Registration

• The faculty host is responsible for a $1,000 processing fee; research funds cannot be used for this purpose.
• Either the faculty host or the visiting student is responsible for the monthly Visiting Student Fee ($625/month; includes registration, MIT Student Extended Insurance Plan (SEIP), and Student Life fees). Full monthly fees are charged regardless of whether the student starts on the first or the 15th of the month. The total fee for the duration of their stay must be paid in full and in advance.
• For students whose visits are less than five weeks in duration: the Visiting Student Fee will be waived, but they will still be required to enroll in the MIT SEIP unless their host institution is in Massachusetts and they can provide proof of enrollment in their school’s student health insurance plan.
• Visiting students must register for 12.NIV, but the student cannot register for other classes or earn academic credit while at MIT.

---

How do I start the process?

Please be aware that the appointment process can take up to 120 days from the day ISO receives the required application documents on iMIT for international students.

1. To initiate the VS appointment process, the faculty member or Administrative Assistant should complete:
   • a Visiting Student Mentoring Plan (not required for visits of less than five weeks)
   • an English Proficiency Assessment Form (for international students)
   • a Department Invitation Letter (must follow the ISO template on EAPS letterhead)
     
2. The faculty member or Administrative Assistant must then submit information about the student, including uploads of the forms above, via the EAPS online Visiting Student Request Form. (All applications must be submitted via the linked form; Word documents will not be accepted.)
   
3. The EAPS Education Office will then input the provided information into MIT’s Visiting Student Portal to get the process with ISO started.
   
   
   Note: all of the information requested must be uploaded to the portal by the EAPS Education Office simultaneously. The application will remain incomplete while any documents are pending, which will extend the student’s wait time and possibly their arrival time.
   

What happens once my appointment has been approved?