Take advantage of scholarly research opportunities at the University of Washington!
Program Description
The Visiting International Student Engaged in Research Program (VISER) permits students pursuing degrees at foreign universities to engage in a full-time prescribed course of study with a specific educational objective at the University of Washington for a period between 13 to 24 months.
VISER students must either be substantially (at least 51%) supported by their home government or home university, or be part of a written exchange agreement between the UW and the foreign educational institution. The UW agreement should be signed by the Vice Provost for Global Affairs. Please note that VISER students may not engage in employment of any kind.
Parties Involved
Parties involved in VISER include:
- The international participant (referred to as a “VISER student” or simply “international student”)
- The UW host - A faculty professor from an academic department or program supervising the VISER student
- International Scholars Operations (ISO), responsible for visa compliance
- UW’s International & English Language Programs (IELP), administrator of the VISER program
Program Requirements
VISER students are required to do the following, or they will be terminated from the program:
- enroll full-time in an individualized Advanced Research Methods course through UW IELP. The course will consist of student research and student/supervisor meetings, but does not include additional coursework
- engage in a full-time, supervised research project at the UW that fulfills the educational objectives of the VISER Placement Plan for a minimum of 13 months
- not stay at the UW beyond the 24 months of the research project
- not accept payment from the UW for their research nor seek campus employment at the UW
- not seek admission to the University of Washington as an undergraduate, graduate or professional student, or enroll in additional coursework, including ESL courses
- return to their home institution to obtain a degree
- purchase LewerMark Plus Copay medical insurance through UW IELP if they don’t have proof of insurance from home
- pay all required fees
- participate fully in the activities described on the VISER Placement Plan, and follow the terms of the J-1 visa and University of Washington polices
