Application Guidelines for Visiting Scholars

CSHE > Research > Visiting Scholars Program > Application Guidelines

The Center for Studies in Higher Education invites a small number of leaders and scholars in higher education to visit for varying periods of time. In addition, the Center welcomes applications from scholars interested in higher education issues from all over the world. As space and other resources are limited, guidelines have been established to evaluate applications.

Applications will be reviewed twice a year. Deadlines for review are February 1 and September 1. Those who plan a short visit of two weeks or less may apply at any time. Applications should be addressed to:

Anne MacLachlan
Senior Researcher and Visiting Scholar Program Coordinator
Center for Studies in Higher Education
University of California, Berkeley
South Hall Annex
Berkeley, CA 94720-4650

An application should consist of:

• A cover letter explaining your interest in coming to the Center, your proposed dates of visit, funding sources, how and where you learned about the Center, whether you have had contact with any of the Center's members, and with whom you would expect to work;
• A complete curriculum vitae;
• A two-to-five page proposal describing your project and the resources you intend to use while on campus. Proposed projects should relate to the existing thematic areas of interest of the Center and its academic staff as described on our website (Questions on research topics should be directed to the individual researcher);
• Letters of reference, especially for student applicants.

Please note the following important application points:

• We prefer applications from those already holding a Ph.D. or from doctoral students working on a dissertation topic that includes an American higher education component;
• The project should be clearly articulated and specifically linked to the resources and opportunities available at the Center and on the Berkeley campus;
• Foreign scholars are required to provide proof of income for the intended length of the stay;
• While applications are accepted for review by February 1 and September 1, we encourage you to apply several months up to a full year before the intended visit.

You will receive a letter of acknowledgment soon after the receipt of your application.

If accepted as a visiting scholar at the Center, we will process your visa application (J1) and provide you with a library card, an e-mail account, and access to all other Berkeley campus facilities. You will be, however, responsible for the applications' costs (visa $390 and Visiting Scholar $200). In addition, you will be required to pay the SEVIS fee of $100 when you apply for your visa at the local USA embassy (Homeland Security database). The CSHE library and journal collection will be available to you. We will assist you in securing a workspace either at the Center, if available, or on campus. During the academic year, the Center sponsors a large number of talks, seminars, and conferences that you are welcome to attend. The Center hopes to provide an environment that enables a visitor to pursue his or her work as freely as possible.

Following the Center's tradition, a visiting scholar is expected to present and discuss his or her research project in a public seminar and to provide a paper that may be included in our Research and Occasional Paper Series.

Please contact Dr. MacLachlan at if you have any questions regarding the application process or the Center.