The Visiting Fellow Program offers opportunities for research, networking, collaboration, and cultural exchange to international professionals with a history of academic excellence.
2014
Program Started We originally started the program at California State University, Los Angeles, in 2014.
500+
Participants
We have a diverse group of professionals ranging from medical doctors, attorneys, engineers, business executives, artists, etc.
10
University Partners
We strategically partnered with universities in the major cities that are popular among our participants.
4
Major Cities in the U.S.
Prestigious Research Assistance Program
Stanley Prep's Visiting Fellow Program is one of its kind, designed for not only academia but also for professionals to conduct relevant research with world-renowned faculties in the U.S.
10+ World-Class University Partners
Excellent academic reputation that will enhance your professional credentials.
World-Renowned Faculty Advisors
The Faculty Advisors are experts in your professional discipline with a track record of academic accomplishments and professional networks.
Available in 4 Major Cities in the U.S.
Our University Partners are strategically located in major cities of the U.S. where research and relevant industries are readily accessible.
World's #1 Brand by Number of Participants
Since 2014, the Visiting Fellow Program has hosted more than 500 participants from all over the world. Our experience provides the most efficient ways to secure your research opportunity in your desired location.
Our Solutions
Here are the most common challenges you will face in the process. We will provide solutions to your challenges.
How can I find a host university?
Finding a host university is often the most difficult part. Sending numerous soliciting emails or calls does not work because the professors are often too busy and need to know you.
Research Assistance
Research opportunity at a premier university in the U.S. is GUARANTEED. A faculty advisor at the university is also arranged to help you with your research and to connect you to U.S. experts in your field.
How can I go to a more reputable university?
Getting a research opportunity at a U.S. premier university is difficult to get when you are not a professor or a researcher without proven research records or publications. Often, you need a stronger reference for premier universities.
Professional Reputation
You will be placed at a U.S. premier university that enhances your professional credentials and career advancement.
How can I find someone who can help my career?
While relationships are keys to success, starting a relationship in a new country in a short period is challenging. You would not know who to contact, and they would not know you well enough to engage with you.
Professional Network
Your faculty advisor is an expert in your research area and would connect you to their circles of experts in your industry. Premier universities in the U.S. major cities would open to many doors and people.
What if I am in trouble in the U.S.?
How does insurance work? What if my kids are sick? Can I travel outside the U.S. under this program? What are the requirements for maintaining a visa status? There will be a lot of questions and you will need a lot of help while you are in the U.S. We are more than happy to guide you in the right direction, if we do not know the answer.
Local Assistance
Stanley Prep is a Los Angeles-based company that can assist you with any local issues in the U.S. We are familiar with the popular communities near our university partners.
Can I get help on my application?
The application process is commonly hard to understand and not straightforward as each university has its own policy.Since this kind of visitors is less frequent than typical students, university staff will have less experience in handling your application efficiently and are more likely to make errors, and therefore, more complications.
Streamlined Process
We made the placement process fast and easy. The entire process takes about 3 months, between the application to getting a visa. We even replaced the official English test result requirement with our 10 to 15-minute English interview, Saving you time and a headache.
How do I prepare for a visa?
J-1 Research Scholar visa is required for researchers, which is disparate from the typical F-1 Student visa. Minimal information or expertise is available on how to prepare for this visa category. Don't take chance on this critical step.
Visa Interview Prep
You will receive a unique instruction guide on the visa interview process for researchers. You will be better prepared due to Stanley Prep's extensive history and experience in this visa category.
Our Goals for You
Advance Your Career
Take advantage of this professional development program at a renowned U.S. university and establish yourself as an industry authority by enhancing your knowledge and experience on a global stage.
Enrich Your Global Perspective
Emerge as a global authority with international perspectives. Your intercultural exposure on an American university campus and in your local community will make you more efficient in a global setting.
Explore the U.S. with your family
Let your family enjoy American culture and hone their English skills. This will be their
life-time experiences.
Premier Universities We Work With
Stanley Prep has partnered with premier state & private universities that are well-known for their academic reputation because we believe that a fundamental aspect of achieving success is finding the right environment to foster your skills and promote your personal and professional growth.
We strategically partnered with 10 universities in the major cities that are popular among our participants.
At California Baptist University, education extends beyond the classroom. Founded in 1950, California Baptist University is a comprehensive four-year university with a distinct global vision with world class programs that equip future leaders to transform the world. The quality academic choices offered will help you get a better understanding of your life’s purpose, which you can explore in an environment that nurtures your mind and spirit, and gives you the opportunity to apply your education! Whether you are fresh out of high school, transferring, or coming for a graduate program, CBU is a launching pad of opportunity with resources to help you build your life and live your purpose.
CBU’s Office of International Admissions is here to help you through the enrollment process when you are ready to get started. Thank you for your interest in CBU – we look forward to welcoming you to Lancer Nation!
Cal Poly Pomona is among the best public universities in the West and is nationally ranked for helping students achieve economic success. As an inclusive polytechnic university, we cultivate success through experiential learning, discovery and innovation. Our graduates are ready to succeed in the professional world on Day 1.
Faculty in all disciplines put theory to practice, providing students with opportunities to apply their knowledge in hands-on projects, research collaborations, and valuable internship and service-learning programs.
Our history and geography are unlike any other university in the region. Nowhere else can students ride an Arabian horse, practice on a Steinway piano, bring a new product to market, and build a liquid-fueled rocket
Centrally located in the South Bay and the heart of Los Angeles, CSU Dominguez Hills is a diverse, welcoming community of learners and educators collaborating to change lives and communities for the better. Through our strong and relevant academic programs, dedicated faculty mentors, supportive staff, attractive campus, and student amenities, CSUDH is committed to connecting our students to an affordable, high-quality, and transformative education. CSUDH provides our communities with a vital resource for talent, knowledge, skills, and leadership needed to thrive today and tomorrow.
CSUDH is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). A number of its academic programs are accredited by other agencies in their specialized fields.
California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) is a public research university in Long Beach, California. The 322-acre campus is the second largest of the 23-school California State University system (CSU) and one of the largest universities in the state of California by enrollment, its student body numbering 39,435 for the fall 2021 semester. With 5,830 graduate students as of fall 2021, the university enrolls one of the largest graduate student populations across the CSU system and in the state of California.
The Beach is home to one of the largest publicly funded art schools in the United States. The university currently operates with one of the lowest student tuition and mandatory fee rates in the country, at $5,742 per semester for full-time students with California residence as of 2021. CSULB is a Hispanic-serving institution (HSI) and is eligible to be designated as an Asian American Native American Pacific Islander serving institution (AANAPISI).
The College of Staten Island is a four-year, senior college of The City University of New York providing exceptional opportunities to all of its students and offering undergraduate and graduate degrees as well as certificate and continuing education programs. CSI is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
CSI’s academic year follows a two-semester pattern, with a separate summer and winter session. Classes are scheduled days, evenings, and weekends. The College has an extensive Continuing Education program and offers off-campus courses with and without credit.
Completed in 1994, the 204-acre campus of CSI/CUNY is set on the largest physical New York City college site. Surrounded by a park-like landscape, the campus is centrally located on Staten Island. A rural oasis in an urban setting, the campus includes 300 classrooms, laboratories and instructional spaces, study lounges, department and program offices, and faculty offices, along with extensive athletic facilities and an acclaimed Center for the Arts.
CSI is one of seven campuses to participate in the Macaulay Honors College of CUNY. Students accepted into this highly competitive program complete degree requirements at the College, including honors in their chosen major. The program is enriched by challenging special seminars, research opportunities, and co-curricular activities. Only a limited number of students who have demonstrated a well-developed commitment to learning and who intend to continue their undergraduate education in graduate and/or professional schools are admitted to this exclusive program.
Georgia State University is an enterprising urban public research institution in Atlanta, the leading cultural and economic center of the Southeast.
With six campuses throughout metro Atlanta, the university provides its world-class faculty and more than 52,000 students with unsurpassed connections to the opportunities available in one of the 21st century’s great global cities. A national leader in graduating students from diverse backgrounds, Georgia State provides a rich experience with award-winning housing, hundreds of student clubs and organizations, and one of the most diverse student bodies in the country. Students, faculty and alumni enjoy a unique campus personality and culture based on ambition, hard work, dedication and perseverance.
Georgia State is among the most diverse colleges and universities in the U.S., and annually graduates more African American students than any other public or nonprofit higher-education institution.
Georgia State has two libraries: University Library, which is split between Library North and Library South on the main campus and also divided among the Perimeter College campuses, and Law Library, which is located on the main campus. Together, both libraries contain over 13 million holdings and serve as federal document depositories.
Long Island University, founded in 1926, continues to redefine higher education, providing high quality academic instruction by world-class faculty. Recognized by Forbes for its emphasis on experiential learning and by the Brookings Institution for its “value added” to student outcomes, LIU offers nearly 250 degree programs, with a network of over 280,000 alumni that includes industry leaders and entrepreneurs across the globe.
LIU Brooklyn enables students to realize their full potential as ethically grounded, intellectually vigorous, and socially responsible global citizens. The campus offers more professional programs in health care than any other campus in the New York metropolitan area, including the Arnold and Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy & Health Science, and The Harriet Rothkopf Heilbrunn School of Nursing. LIU Brooklyn is home to Kumble Theater for the Performing Arts, a dynamic performance venue designed to nourish students’ artistic exploration, and Division I sports teams.
LIU Post is a scenic, historic, and scholarly campus that offers a small-school environment with the access and resources of a major metropolitan university. The University’s 330-acre campus is located on the estate of Marjorie Merriweather Post, 27 miles east of New York City on Long Island’s Gold Coast. The campus houses the College of Veterinary Medicine, the first professional School of Accountancy, an AACSB-accredited Business School, and an award-winning theater program. LIU is home to the world-renowned Tilles Center for the Performing Arts and the Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium, where supporters gather to cheer on the Sharks’ Division I athletic program.
LIU Global offers a one-of-a-kind bachelor’s degree around the globe. It spans eight countries on five continents, preparing students for careers as global leaders in business, policy, humanitarian relief, social entrepreneurship, economic development, and environmental sustainability.
From the shores of Long Island, to the epicenter of business and tech innovation in Brooklyn, to the far corners of the world, LIU offers a unique college experience for every student seeking academic enrichment and professional opportunity. Upon graduation, our students join a community of more than 280,000 alumni to become global leaders in fields that include the arts, health sciences, media, education, pharmacy, business, technology, public service, and professional sports.
The university’s main campus is situated on a landscaped campus in an urban community located at 2039 Kennedy Boulevard Jersey City. The University is committed to the improvement of the educational, intellectual, cultural, socioeconomic, and physical environment of the surrounding urban region and beyond. Established in 1927 as a training school for teachers, today NJCU is among the most comprehensive universities in the state. Located in Jersey City, NJ, one of the most diverse cities in the nation, and just minutes from New York City, NJCU’s College of Arts and Sciences, Education, Professional Studies, and School of Business offer 50 undergraduate degree programs and 30 graduate programs, including emerging and interdisciplinary fields.
NJCU students engage in rigorous applied-learning experiences that include opportunities to study abroad, and cooperative education internships. NJCU operates two additional campus sites—NJCU School of Business at Harborside Plaza 2 in Jersey City’s financial district and NJCU at Fort Monmouth in Monmouth County.
The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is part of the University of California 10-university system with 23,196 undergraduates and 2,983 graduate students enrolled in 2021-2022 located in Isla Vista, California, a suburb of Santa Barbara.
UCSB traces its origins back to the Anna Blake School, which was founded in 1891, and offered training in home economics and industrial arts.
The campus is divided into four parts: the Main (East) Campus of 708 acres (287 ha), which houses all academic units, plus the majority of undergraduate housing; Storke Campus; West Campus; and North Campus. The campuses surround the unincorporated community of Isla Vista.
UC Santa Barbara is a large, comprehensive, primarily residential doctoral university. The full-time, four-year undergraduate program comprises the majority of enrollments and has an arts & sciences focus with high graduate coexistence. UCSB is organized into five colleges and schools offering 87 undergraduate degrees and 55 graduate degrees. The campus is the sixth-largest in the UC system by enrollment with 18,620 undergraduate and 3,065 graduate students.
The campus is home to the California NanoSystems Institute, one of the first California Institutes for Science and Innovation. A research partnership with UCLA, the institute is creating revolutionary new materials, devices, and systems that will enhance virtually every aspect of our lives.
From hard sciences to studio art and all points in between, your educational opportunities abound at UCSB. We offer more than 200 majors, degrees and credentials, a number that includes 90+ undergraduate majors and more than 50 graduate programs.
“The team at Stanley Prep is fabulous. They helped us unlock our career potential. We have experienced continued growth due to their strategic and innovative approach.”
3. Sufficient finances as demonstrated via financial statements
For a 1-year program, the financial statement must reflect more than $50,000 (With more than 4 dependents, the financial statement must reflect more than $60,000)
For a 2-year program, the financial statement must reflect more than $100,000
2. Financial Statement
For a 1-year program, the financial statement must reflect more than $50,000 (With more than 4 dependents, the financial statement must reflect more than $60,000)
For a 2-year program, the financial statement must reflect more than $100,000
* Documents should be submitted in English.
* Resume, cover letter, and research statement must be submitted as Microsoft Word documents.
9. Faculty match is confirmed
If placement is unsuccessful, the program fee will be refunded according to our refund policy.
* Documents should be submitted in English.
* Resume, cover letter, and research statement must be submitted as Microsoft Word documents.
1. Visa document (DS-2019) processing begins
Application documents are reviewed and processed
Please allow 2 months for document processing after placement is confirmed
Sometime a host university may request additional documents or take more processing time to complete DS-2019 forms.
2. Receive completed DS-2019 forms and invitation letters from the host university
Your package will contain the following documents:
Acceptance letter from the university
Invitation letter from the university
Notice to U.S. Consulate
DS-2019 form(s) for you and your dependent(s)
Your agent will be sent an email containing the following:
The tracking number of your document package
Your university program number
SEVIS number(s) for you and your dependent(s)
1. Obtain health insurance
Appropriate health insurance for J-1 program is required by the Department of State.
This must be done through Stanley Prep before arriving in the U.S.
4. Prepare for relocation.
Contact Stanley Prep if you would like a referral to one of our selected relocation service agencies.
5. Notify Stanley Prep of your U.S. address and contact information
Updating your current addresses in the U.S. is required by the Department of State.
Gallery
Stanley Prep’s Exclusive USA Visiting Fellow Professional Program: A Transformative Collaboration with Premier Universities
This program invites scholars and experts to affiliated universities in the U.S. The visiting fellows will execute a joint or independent research project and participate in monthly seminars and networking events.
Stanley Prep will inform visiting fellows of the date of their orientation, which must occur within 30 days of their arrival in the U.S. During this orientation, visiting fellows will meet with an authorized school official and discuss the duties of the fellowship.
Each prospective visiting fellow must be interviewed in order to obtain a visa. Interviews are conducted at U.S. consulates in the home countries of prospective visiting fellows. Once an applicant submits the required documents, including the DS-2019 issued by the U.S. hosting university, the applicant can be interviewed. When making reservations for visa interviews, applicants must provide the program number stated on the DS-2019, as well as the SEVIS codes for everyone planning to enter the U.S.
Visas must be obtained in the home countries of visiting fellows and, therefore, cannot be extended within U.S. territories. However, the DS-2019 may be extended even if the J-1 visa has expired. In these circumstances, visiting fellows may legally stay within the U.S. during the permitted period, but will be subject to restrictions upon exiting and entering the U.S.
Host university officials may sign the Travel Validation section of the DS-2019. This signature allows visiting fellows to freely exit and enter the country. The signature is valid for six months and must be renewed upon expiration.
Visiting fellows may work with a J-1 visa. However, based on the exchange visit program, visiting fellows can only work for the host university or the institute designated by the host university, as shown on the form titled IAP-66 (Certificate of Eligibility), which is issued by the host university or sponsoring institute.
Spouses or children with J-2 visas can submit a work permit application (Form I-765) to the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and earn authorization to work. In order to receive this authorization, J-2 visa holders must provide proof that they are working to support themselves financially, rather than working to support the J-1 visa holder.
The documents required for enrollment in school include a vaccination confirmation (in English) and proof of enrollment (in English) for elementary students, as well as transcripts (in English) for middle and high school students. Other documents should be provided after settling in the U.S., such as their visa, passport, and proof of address.
A J-2 holder is dependent on the J-1 holder. Thus, it is best for a J-2 holder to enter the country with the J-1 holder. If this is not possible, the Travel Validation section of a J-2 holder’s DS-2019 must be signed by the authorized school official in order to allow a J-2 holder to enter the country separately.
The insurance criteria for a J-1 visa have been determined by the U.S. Department of State. Stanley Prep has vetted and designated the CareMed insurance to cover our participants.
The following is the minimum standard applicable to a J-1 visa:
Medical Benefit ($100,000), Repatriation of Remains ($25,000), Medical Evacuation ($50,000), Deductible per Accident or Illness ($500)
Insurance must be purchased through Stanley Prep before entering the U.S.
The J-1 visa is for visitors who will participate in the exchange visit program designated by the U.S. Department of State. There is a wide variety of corresponding exchange visit programs, including exchange professor, research and training, internship, and visiting students, etc. The J-2 visa is granted to the dependents of the J-1 visa holder, and the dependents are eligible for free public education.