Eligibility Requirements
The Scholar must have a Bachelor’s degree in hand at the time of application. If there is question as to whether the Exchange Visitor’s degree is the equivalent of a Bachelor’s degree, a third party credentials evaluation may be necessary.
If the Scholar does not yet have a Bachelor’s degree, but is an enrolled degree seeking student in their home country, please see the J-1 Student Intern Program.
You must provide USC evidence of adequate financial support for your stay in the U.S. USC estimates the minimum cost of living to be $2,267 USD per month for the J-1 scholar, plus $555 per month for the first accompanying J-2 dependent and $444 for each additional J-2 dependent.
Certification may come from a scholarship or fellowship, personal savings, a salary from USC, other verified funding, or a combination thereof. If you will be paid by USC, the salary will count towards the total certification amount.
- If your funding comes from USC, the hiring department must determine appropriate compensation and issue an offer letter accordingly.
- If your funding comes from sources outside of USC, the host department will appoint you as a non-salaried affiliate per policy UNIV 2.50.
- Scholars supported by an organization other than USC must submit a signed letter of financial award on official stationary from their home institution or sponsoring agency; the award letter must include the name of the recipient, the funding time period and the amount of support in U.S. Dollars that will be provided.
- Scholars supported by personal funds must submit an official bank letter verifying funds available in U.S. dollars. Documents not in English must be accompanied by a translation. Scholars should keep a copy of financial documents to submit to the U.S. consulate during the visa application process.
NOTE: You may need additional funding to pay out-of-pocket health care and/or health insurance expenses for yourself/your family members.
English Language proficiency is required to participate in the J-1 Exchange Visitor Program. To participate in the J-1 Exchange Visitor Program, you need to be able to communicate effectively with your colleagues and to complete daily tasks as part of living in the U.S. More information here.
J-1 Categories
The activity must be temporary with an emphasis on research, observation, or consultation, and may include teaching responsibilities (Research Scholar). The activity must be temporary with an emphasis on teaching and may include research, observation, or consultation (Professor).
Length of stay: The length of stay for Research Scholar is anywhere between 3 weeks and 5 years. No extension beyond 5 years is possible.
Eligibility for repeat participation: Once an Exchange Visitor ends their J-1 program in the Professor or Research Scholar categories (including J-2 dependents), regardless of the program’s duration, the Scholar will be subject to a 24-month bar on repeat participation in the Research Scholar or Professor categories. The 24-month bar does not go into effect if a Research Scholar transfers between institutions within the U.S. to continue their current J-1 program.
The activity must be temporary and may include research, observation, consultation, and teaching.
Length of stay: The length of stay for a short-term Scholar is up to 6 months. There is no possibility of extension beyond these 6 months.
Eligibility for repeat participation: Regulations do not prohibit an Exchange Visitor who has participated as a J-1 short-term scholar from making future visits to the U.S. in J-1 status to engage in a new program or activity. Departments that invite Exchange Visitors for 6 months or less but anticipate extending their stay beyond 6 months should request either the Professor or Research Scholar category instead of the short-term Scholar category. Departments that invite Exchange Visitors for 6 months or less and do not plan to extend them beyond 6 months should request the short-term Scholar category, especially if future visits to the U.S. in J-1 visa status are anticipated within the next two years.
The J-1 Student Intern category facilitates temporary, full-time internship opportunities for international students who are studying at one of our overseas partner universities or are invited to do an internship on campus with a USC faculty supervisor.
Length of stay: Internships can last anywhere from 3 weeks to 12 months. 12 months is the maximum duration of stay for this category.
Eligibility for repeat participation: If the Student Intern is in the U.S. for more than 6 months, they automatically become subject to the 12-month bar on repeat participation. This bar entails that the student is not eligible to come to the U.S. in the J-1 Research Scholar or Professor category for 12 months after completion of their program.
Program activity must equate to a full-time work load and must be confirmed in prescribed course of study from faculty supervisor. The term "prescribed course of study" is defined in as "a non-degree academic program with a specific educational objective."
Length of stay: Programs can last anywhere from 3 weeks to 24 months. 24 months is the maximum duration of stay for this category.
Research
Check out the ever-growing list of publications from our Exchange Visitors here.
Did your research at USC result in a publication? Share that with us!