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Once CILE has made a preliminary determination to accept you as a Visiting Scholar, we will submit your information to the University of Pittsburgh’s visitor processing system.  At that time, unless further information is required, a formal Visitor Participation Agreement and Letter of Invitation will be generated for you.  You must complete and sign both one copy of the Letter of Invitation and the Agreement, have the Agreement signed by an authorized person of your home institution, and return the executed Letter of Invitation and Agreement to CILE.

At this same time, unless you have taken either the TOEFL , IELTS or Duolingo examinations of English competency within the past two years, you must register for and take one of (a) the TOEFL iBT, (b) the IELTS, (c) the Duolingo exam linked here [https://englishtest.duolingo.com/applicants] or (d) the English3 J1 exam linked here.  The ability of the University of Pittsburgh to sponsor you for a J-1 visa is contingent upon your receipt of a satisfactory score on one of these four examinations.  The necessary score will depend in part on the length and subject of the proposed visit, but for Pitt Law Visiting Scholars we generally seek results equal to or greater than 100 on the TOEFL iBT, 7.5 on the IELTS, 130 on Duolingo.

Residence Details

Visiting scholars have access to a wealth of information at the Law School Library. Visiting Scholars may use the Library’s resources on-site during regular Library hours. 

You are strongly encouraged to engage with the faculty and student body, including the international students of the LLM and SJD classes. Scholars are invited to faculty workshops to hear presentations by Law School faculty and guests, and are occasionally asked to give a presentation to a student society or in a professor's class that touches on the scholar's research.

Applicants should be aware of the following:

  • Due to space restrictions, the Law School does not and cannot provide Visiting Scholars with office space or reserved library carrels.
     
  • Visiting Scholars do not have borrowing privileges at any University library, and are not provided with access to paid internet databases.
     
  • Except in extraordinary circumstances and with the prior permission of both the Dean of the Law School and the applicable professor, Visiting Scholars may not audit classes at the Law School or in other University units.  If you wish to take advantage of the world-class instruction available to our students, you should instead consider applying to Pitt Law’s LLM or SJD programs.
     
  • You are strongly encouraged to bring your own laptop, as the number of public computers in the Law Library is limited. Scholars are given full access to the Law School's wireless network while in residence.

Visa Requirements

An accepted visiting scholar will be required to apply for and obtain a United States Department of State J-1 Exchange Visitor (Scholar) visa. CILE has the necessary forms online, but you need not complete these forms until you have been notified of your acceptance into the Visiting Scholar Program. Upon your acceptance, you should complete the J-1 Exchange Visitor (Scholar) On-Line Department Request Form (DRF) Supplemental information and the J-1 Exchange Visitor Health Insurance Requirement Acknowledgment and Pledge Form. There is a $275 visa processing fee.

Under U.S. immigration regulations, you are required to maintain health insurance for the duration of your residence in the United States. The University of Pittsburgh has information for international visitors about obtaining health insurance, but does not provide health insurance and will not procure health insurance on behalf of any visitor. You should contact the CILE office with any questions concerning health insurance options.

Fee

There are two fees associated with the visiting scholar program at Pitt Law.  The first fee is a $275 Visa Processing Fee which is implemented by the Office of International Services. The admission letter will indicate the due date for this fee.  Secondly, there is a CILE Visiting Scholar Administration fee of $250 for each month of stay. This fee is due in full upon arrival at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.  All fees are non-refundable and must be submitted to the CILE office. Payments may be made through an international money order, an international draft, or a check in U.S. Dollars made payable to the "University of Pittsburgh."  Please write the name of visiting scholar on the check or money order. We cannot accept payment by cash or credit card.