Update on MIT's Visiting Student Program

Dear Colleagues,

Beginning this September, the process for inviting Visiting Students to campus will open for January enrollment. We are writing to provide you with an updated timeline and some key changes to the program going forward.

Visiting Students are individuals who are enrolled in degree-granting programs at their home institution either in the US or abroad and are approved to conduct research on campus for a set duration. Please note that visiting students are ineligible to enroll in or attend classes and, therefore, are distinct from cross-registered students.

All Visiting Student appointments beginning on January 1, 2022 and after must be entered into the Visiting Student Portal, slated to be available for Principal Investigators (PI) and Department, Lab, and Center (DLC) administrators mid-September. Visiting Students who come to MIT to conduct research for a visit of less than five weeks are exempt from fees and mentoring plans, but must be entered into the new Visiting Student Portal. Harvard and Wellesley visiting students, while exempt from fees and new enrollment management maximum allocations described below, must also be entered into the portal.

Additionally, the general requirements for DLCs hosting Visiting Students with this start date and beyond include:

• Faculty-created mentoring plan required for visits longer than 5 weeks, with DLC contact designated to monitor progress / be a resource.

• Standardized start and end dates (e.g., appointments beginning on 1st & 15th of a month and ending on 30th or 31st of a month). If the 1st or 15th falls on a weekend or holiday, the visit should start on the next business day (e.g. if the 1st falls on a Saturday, the official visit start date should be Monday, the 3rd.) Visit start dates should coincide with business days.

• Required enrollment in the MIT Student Extended Insurance Plan (MIT SEIP). Students may elect to enroll in additional coverage for their dependent(s) and/or partners. (Please note exceptions may be made for students enrolled at universities and colleges in Massachusetts if they can provide documentation showing that they are enrolled in their home institution’s health insurance plan.)

• Processing Fee - one time $1,000 fee to be paid only by the host PI or host DLC’s discretionary funds. Visiting Students are prohibited from paying or reimbursing the host for this charge.

• Visiting Student Fee * - monthly fee of $600 that includes research, required enrollment in the student MIT SEIP, and student life fees paid in full for the entire appointment, prior to the student’s arrival. This fee is replacing the previously charged term fees.

• Department Head and final School/College Dean’s Office approval under the new enrollment management maximum allocations. (Provost Martin A. Schmidt and Vice President for Research Maria T. Zuber provided the context for the implementation of enrollment management in a July 1, 2021 announcement. Please refer to that notice for details.)

• Visiting Students and host faculty must complete a final evaluation form at the conclusion of the student’s appointment, even if shorter than five weeks for visa compliance issues.

• All Visiting Students are required to be vaccinated before their start date, or to have an approved medical or religious exemption as part of MIT’s return to campus plan. For more details see this FAQ.

Your School/College may have additional guidelines for hosting Visiting Students. Please confer with your Dean’s Office for your Visiting Student allocations for each fiscal year. The International Students Office (ISO) and IS&T will follow up with information on training sessions for the new platform in mid-September.

If there has been a change in primary contact for Visiting Students within your DLC, please complete this form to receive access to the new Visiting Student Portal when it launches.

As a reminder, Visiting Students should be the primary beneficiary of the visit. Donations to PI host’s discretionary fund are prohibited by Visiting Students to cover the host’s administrative fee. Attempts to circumvent program standards may result in a suspension of privileges to host visiting students (i.e. inviting students on a tourist visa to do research). Visas will continue to be processed by ISO. Questions regarding visiting students may be directed to vsrequest@mit.edu.

We hope these enhancements to the program help provide each Visiting Student with a positive experience and enable them to make the most of their time at MIT. We look forward to welcoming them back to campus in the coming academic year.

Sincerely,

Ian A. Waitz
Vice Chancellor for Undergraduate and Graduate Education

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Visiting Student Fee Structure

Visiting Students are subject to a monthly Visiting Student Fee that includes research, MIT Student Extended Insurance Plan (MIT SEIP), and student life fees for the time of their stay. The monthly fee entitles visiting students to conduct research, use MIT’s fitness facilities, participate in student life programming at the Institute, as well as access to care at MIT Medical. The Visiting Student fee is charged per month regardless of a student start date of the 1st or 15th and is required to be paid in full for the entire appointment, prior to the student’s arrival. For students wishing to enroll family members the cost includes not only the MIT Student Extended Insurance Plan (MIT SEIP) but also the MIT Student Medical Plan.

Fee	Frequency	Amount	Allowable payee
Processing Fee	One time	$1,000	Principal Investigator discretionary funds
Visiting Student Fee	Monthly	$600 Includes Research, Student MIT SEIP, and Student Life fees	Student, PI/DLC discretionary funds, or third party
Optional additional family medical coverage	Monthly	$133 - Partner portion $66 - Dependent(s) portion $199 - Partner and dependent(s) portion	Student, PI/DLC discretionary funds, or third party