Becoming a CLIC Visiting Scholar/Student

CLIC welcomes visiting scholars and students. We believe in intellectual exchanges across disciplinary and national boundaries, and our past experiences have all been very positive, with mutual benefit for our students and faculty as well as for our visiting colleagues.

Typically visitors are supported by their own funds (e.g., from their own home institution or a grant agency) and must make their own arrangements regarding travel and living accommodations. Since office space is limited at UCLA, usually visiting fellows do not have their own office or desk. There are, however, reading rooms (e.g., in the Anthropology Department) and other spaces on campus that are open to everyone (e.g., desks and facilities in some of the UCLA libraries offer unrestricted use). There are also computer rooms and digital laboratories in various departments affiliated with CLIC. Access to these facilities is subject to specific regulations and restrictions established by each department (visiting fellows should first inquire about such facilities through the mediation of CLIC faculty). Use of the libraries (e.g., access to the stacks) is open to the public at UCLA, but borrowing books and journals is subject to restrictions and regulations which are usually lifted for CLIC Visiting Students and Scholars with proof of official status.

Once accepted as a CLIC Visiting Scholar or Student, a person is entitled to participate in any CLIC-sponsored activity (e.g., seminars, workshops, conferences). Participation in regular classes is also usually possible and welcome, however, some restrictions might apply. Visiting students and scholars are encouraged to directly contact the instructors offering the courses they would like to attend. Instructors differ in terms of pre-requisites and expectations.

Visiting scholars and students who are planning to carry out research that involves collecting data involving human subjects while at UCLA must apply to the UCLA Office for the Protection of Research Subjects (OPRS) and comply with their procedures and regulations. Students will need a UCLA faculty sponsor (the CLIC Director or other CLIC faculty should be consulted for guidance in this matter).

To receive a letter of support/acceptance from the CLIC Director for visiting CLIC, the following documents are needed:

• A brief description of the reasons for coming to UCLA (e.g., a project description and the names of the CLIC faculty with whom the visitor intends to interact).



• A curriculum vitae.



• A letter (via e-mail or regular mail) from a sponsor (e.g. a professor or colleague at the visitor's home university) that provides an evaluation of the applicant's background and on-going project(s).



• A commitment to come for at least a full quarter if the applicant wants to attend classes.




Applicants who need to secure a visa to the U.S. through CLIC must allow for at least two months for the procedure.  In addition, international visiting affiliates who do not hold a PhD will have to pay fees for UCLA benefits and services.  These fees are summarized at the International Education Office website.  At this time, domestic visiting scholars and affiliates and international scholars who hold a PhD do not have to pay these fees.