911±¬ÁÏÍø

Scholar Application

Scholar Requirements

The scholar application is an online request process involving both the sponsoring department and the incoming exchange visitor.   The process is slightly different for new scholars, scholars who transfer status from another sponsor, and scholars coming to USF with sponsorship with a US Government Agency (Fulbright, IIE, AMIEAST). 

You will receive an official invitation letter that outlines the program objective, goals, and dates of the visit from your department sponsor.  Then they will initiate the Scholar Application in iStart. The application has four stages. 

• Stage One – collects information about the visit from the department.  
• Stage Two - collects information from you including  
  • Biographical Information – Passport upload and personal details
  • Financial information – Upload of financial documents – sponsorship letters, USF offer letters, and bank statements.  See the Required Funding page.
  • Scholar Dependent – passport upload and personal details  
  • Transfer In – Details of current program sponsor and DS-2019
  • Verify English Language proficiency per US Department of State guidelines and USF Protocol. See Scholar English Proficiency Requirements for details. 
• Stage Three - collects the approvals from the department and checks Export Control
• Stage Four – collects the processing charge and confirms the dates of the visit.

Timeline  

It takes approximately 3-4 weeks for the entire application process. OIS issues a DS-2019 within 10 business days of submission of a complete and correct online J-1 Scholar Application. After receiving your DS-2019 from USF, you retrieve the DS-2019 in iStart and receive instructions on applying for their visa and next steps. 
The visa process varies depending on the location and current world situation.   911±¬ÁÏÍø recommend that you plan to obtain the DS-2019 at least 3 months before the start date of the visit to USF.