Visiting Student Interns

WHO ARE VISITING STUDENT INTERNS (VSI)?

Students who are enrolled in a non-Columbia University degree program and would like to visit Columbia to conduct research training with a PI will now be treated as Visiting Student Interns. This position as visiting student intern can be either an undergraduate or graduate student in a U.S. or foreign educational institution. The period of the internship cannot exceed one year, and the student is expected to resume their academic degree program at their home institution at the conclusion of their research internship at Columbia. This group includes visiting students who perform research in the laboratories of Columbia faculty or officers of research.

Prior to this new policy, such visiting students held an appointment at Columbia with internal or external funding. At the undergraduate level, this population was referred to as Visiting Student Intern-Research. At the graduate level, Masters students were appointed as Staff Associate I and PhD students as Staff Associate II

TO SPONSOR A VSI, THE FOLLOWING THREE CONDITIONS MUST BE MET:

Please provide proof of enrollment throughout the duration of the visit in a non-Columbia University degree program, either at the undergraduate or graduate level.

We expect students to have funding support of at least $3000 per month. Acceptable funding sources that can be used to satisfy 49% of this funding requirement can be found here for both domestic and international students.

For domestic students, proof of housing at no cost to the student (e.g., such as a letter written and signed by a family member/friend confirming a VSI living in the same household) can substitute for the 49% funding requirement.

The remaining 51% of the funding must come from the student’s home institution, an external funding agency, and/or from the Columbia sponsor.

If a student has 100% funding from their home institution or an external funding agency, there is no need for the PI to provide funding.

To support the designation of the Visiting Student Intern, the Columbia sponsor must provide a brief statement on the Visiting Student Intake Form indicating the training components of the internship.

The Columbia sponsor should indicate specific knowledge, skills, or techniques that the student will learn; how the knowledge, skills, or techniques will be taught (including specific tasks, activities, and methodologies of training); and how the acquisition of new skills will be measured. 

TO PROCESS VISITING STUDENT INTERN REQUESTS:

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THOSE WHO ARE NOT AFFECTED BY VSI POLICY INCLUDE:

✘ Visiting Scholar/Scientist

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Visiting students who come to Columbia to use the University’s libraries and facilities to pursue their own independent (non-collaborative) research.  On the Morningside campus, these visitors are currently designated as Visiting Scholar/Scientist and should continue to be designated in this manner. For more information about designating visiting scholars/scientists, see this link.

✘ Short-term visitor

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Short-term visitors. This population of visitors includes students (e.g., high school students) or non-students who come to observe programmatic activities or to receive training by observation in specific research or clinical techniques for three months or less. For more information on short-term visitor policies in research-related and clinical activities, see this link.

Visiting Student Intern Invitation Workflow

Non-US Citizens

[1] Please see https://isso.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/content/Forms/FundingDocumentsChecklistScholars.pdf for a list of valid documents. Students may have up to 49% of the requisite USD $3000/month covered by personal funds. Proof of housing at no cost to the student (such as a letter written and signed by a family member/friend confirming a Visiting Student Intern living in the same household) may also be used to count toward the 49% coming from personal funds.
[2] Proof of enrollment can take the form of an official transcript, or a letter from the Registrar’s Office, an academic adviser, or a senior administrator at the student’s home university.
[3] In some cases, the Dean’s Office may determine, in consultation with the Provost’s Office, that the nature of the student’s training will constitute employment, rather than qualifying for the visiting student designation. Such cases
will require an academic appointment.
[4] The $500 fee for a J-1 Student Intern will be waived.

US Citizens/Permanent Residents

[1] Please see https://isso.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/content/Forms/FundingDocumentsChecklistScholars.pdf for a list of valid documents. Students may have up to 49% of the requisite USD $3000/month covered by personal funds. Proof of housing at no cost to the student (such as a letter written and signed by a family member/friend confirming a Visiting Student Intern living in the same household) may also be used to count toward the 49% coming from personal funds.
[2] Proof of enrollment can take the form of an official transcript, or a letter from the Registrar’s Office, an academic adviser, or a senior administrator at the student’s home university.