J-1 Scholars

J-1 Scholars at USC must be engaged in a full-time research or teaching with a specific educational objective. J-1 Exchange Visitors are issued a DS-2019 by the Office of International Services at the sponsoring academic department’s request.

If you are a J-1 Scholar, interested in one of the categories listed below, this section of the OIS website is designed for you, your dependents, and the USC faculty and staff interested in sponsoring your visit.

J-1 Categories Available:

  • J-1 Research Scholar (conducting full-time research at USC)
  • J-1 Professor (teaching full-time at USC)
  • J-1 Short-Term Scholar (conducting full-time research or other duties at USC)

Our website is divided into four sections to help guide Exchange Visitors and their sponsoring departments through the process of bringing a J-1 Exchange Visitor to USC.

If you are a J-1 Degree Student, we would like to redirect you to the webpages listed below:

If you are a J-1 Non-Degree Student, we would like to redirect you to the webpages listed below:

The J-1 Exchange Visitor program aims to increase intercultural understanding between the local and international communities through education and cross-cultural exchange.

The University of Southern California has a long and proud tradition of facilitating such exchanges. We welcome more than 1,100 J-1 Exchange Visitors annually from 70 different countries in the J-1 visa category. They include graduate students taking advantage of USC libraries to complete thesis or dissertation papers, post-doctoral researchers supporting USC research efforts while furthering their own education, or tenured faculty from prestigious foreign universities coming to share their experience with our students and faculty.

Regardless of their individual pursuits, J-1 Exchange Visitors greatly contribute to the rich and diverse Trojan Family. Their experience at USC allows them to achieve their goals, as well as enrich the university’s global initiatives.