J-1 Student Intern Program
The J-1 Student Intern program allows Tufts departments to host students attending overseas institutions for experiential learning and work-based internship opportunities at a Tufts. Internship arrangements may be a part of an exchange agreement or memorandum of understanding between Tufts and an overseas institution, or arranged on an individual basis. In all cases the decision to host a student intern must have both department and school Dean approval.
In order to qualify for the J-1 Student Intern program the following criteria must be met:
- Participants must be currently enrolled and in good standing at an accredited postsecondary institution of higher education outside the US
- Participants must be pursuing a degree at their home institution to which they intend to return following completion of the internship
- The internship experience must be related to their degree and facilitate degree completion requirements
- The internship experience must be a minimum of 3 weeks to a maximum of 12 months (one year)
- Participants are not considered admitted Tufts students and are not permitted to pursue academic or degree opportunities at Tufts during their internship experience
- Internship experiences may be paid or unpaid; the host department at Tufts may but is not required to offer wages, compensation or remuneration to support the student intern
Read below for more detailed information about the J-1 Student Internship Program eligibility conditions and requirements and instructions on how to initiate a J-1 Student Intern visa document request. Please note that the International Center does not create or provide information about internship opportunities under this program. Students interested in becoming J-1 student interns are responsible for contacting and working with host departments directly about internship opportunities, if any. Host departments are then responsible for contact the International Center to initiate the J-1 Student Intern visa process.
Student Internship Eligibility Conditions and Requirements
- The student must be currently enrolled and in good academic standing at an accredited post-secondary institution outside the US
- The student must intend to return to that institution to complete their degree requirements following completion of the internship
- The student must have sufficient financial resources to meet the estimated living expenses for their stay in the US
- The student must have insurance coverage that meets J-1 visa insurance requirements while they are participating in the internship experience
- The student may participate in a J-1 student internship for a maximum of 12 months, inclusive of any prior student intern experiences, for the same degree and major
- The internship must be full-time, i.e., at least 32 hours / week with no more than 20% clerical work
- The internship must help the student to fulfill the educational objectives for their degree program to which they will return following completion of the internship
- The internship must be a minimum of 3 weeks to a maximum of 12 months
- The internship should consist of work-based learning rather than ordinary employment or unskilled labor
- The internship should not be used to displace American workers
- The internship experience should expose the student intern to American techniques, methodologies, and technology and expand upon the intern's existing knowledge and skills, rather than duplicating existing knowledge
- The internship CANNOT place a student intern in any position that involves the following:
- Unskilled or casual labor
- Child care or elder care
- Aviation
- Clinical positions or similar work that involves patient care or contact
- Any position that would bring the program into notoriety or disrepute
- The internship cannot involve staffing or placement agencies
- At this time, internship sites are restricted to Tufts University departments, offices, and units alone; placement at outside, third party sites is not permitted
- Obtain department chair and school Dean's approval to host a student intern for work-based academic learning experiences
- Offer adequate supervision, facilities, and resources to provide the work-based learning experience for the student intern
- Evaluate or secure documentation through one of the options below, verifying the student intern's English language ability to meet the day-to-day responsibilities of the internship
- A videoconference interview by the department sponsor
- A recognized English language test result (e.g., TOEFL, IELTS, etc.)
- A signed letter from an academic institution or English language institute verifying English language ability
- Assist the student intern with completing a Form DS-7002 Training / Internship Placement Plan (T/IPP), and sign all department sections
- Assist the student intern in gaining access to any necessary Tufts resources and facilities for which student intern access is authorized under University, school, and department policies and procedures
- Direct the student intern to the International Center for orientation and immigration advising
- Develop and carry out evaluation procedures to fulfill student intern evaluation requirements
- A final evaluation is required for all student interns prior to the completion of the internship
- A midpoint evaluation is required if the internship experience will last more than six months
- Pay the $650 International Center processing fee (DeptID required)
- The International Center processing fee is $650.00 and must be paid by the Tufts host department or sponsor
- Host departments may not charge student interns directly as a condition of placement at a Tufts internship site or require student interns to pay the International Center processing fee
- Student interns are directly responsible for all US government visa-related fees, including
- I-901 SEVIS Fee to be paid prior to the issuance of a J-1 visa (currently US $220)
- DS-160 visa application fee (currently US $160)
- Student interns are responsible for any other visa and travel costs relating to participation in the program, such as costs relating to passport application fees, reproduction of educational records, health insurance, immunizations, travel costs, housing, etc., unless the host department explicitly agrees to cover any or all of these costs
- Host departments are responsible for the cost of providing adequate resources, facilities, and supervision to support the student intern in work-based learning experiences
Steps for Inviting a J-1 Student Intern
Preparatory Steps by Department / Student Intern
The host department should begin by preparing and collecting the following information:
- Dean and Department approval of the student intern request
- Verification of English language proficiency
- The department must conduct a videoconference interview and submit a signed verification indicating the date and manner of the interview, the student intern's name and the person conducting the interview, and verifying that the student intern has adequate English language ability to carry out the day-to-day responsibilities of the internship as well as ordinary daily living tasks
- Alternatively, the department may request that the student submit scores from a recognized test of English language proficiency (e.g., TOEFL exam) or a signed letter from an academic institution or English language institute verifying their English language ability
- DS-7002 Training and Internship Placement Plan (T/IPP) Intake Form
- The faculty supervisor of the student intern must complete all portions of the form
- Department ID for International Center processing fee
- Confirmation of Financial Resources provided by Tufts University
The student intern must prepare the following documentation:
- Proof of non-Tufts financial resources as applicable
- Proof of health insurance for J-1 Exchange Visitors
- Home University Enrollment Verification Letter
- The letter must attest the student's expected graduation date
- It must confirm that the student plans to return to their home institution to complete their degree program after the internship
- Copy of Passport Identification page
Upon gathering all of the required information, the Department must Submit the J-1 Student Intern Request through the International Center Portal. Refer to the Preparation Guide for J-1 Student Intern Request to complete the submission.
Refer to the next section for information on using the International Center Portal.
Get access to the new International Center Portal for Department Requests
To invite a J-1 Student Intern, the department manager or administrator submitting the request must have access privileges to the portal. Send an email to internationalcenter@tufts.edu if you do not already have access to the portal.
Accessing the International Center Portal
| Steps | Instructions |
|---|---|
| Step One | Click on the appropriate link:
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| Step Two | Use your Tufts username (UTLN) and password to log in.
|
| Step Three (a)
Step Three (b)
|
Upon accessing the application, you will be prompted to search or create a new user. The term "new user" refers to the scholar for whom the department is creating a J-1 visa request.
Do not use the search tool (currently disabled). Scroll down the page to use the "Add New User" tool. For new J-1 student interns You must add the invited student intern into the International Center Immigration Portal. If the student intern is visiting your department for the first time, scroll to the bottom of the page and please add them as a new user by typing their e-mail address. Click "Next" and proceed to type the student's first name, last name and gender. Finally, click "Create New" to add the student intern and proceed to answer the internship related questions.
If the student has previously visited your department, please type the student's e-mail that was previously used for an application. Do not use the Directory search function. Upon finding the record, select "Yes" to proceed to add new internship information for the new visit.
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| Step Four | Once information is submitted by the department, an automatic invitation will be sent to the invitee's e-mail address. The invited student intern will complete the remaining information necessary for International Center staff to produce the DS-2019 and Form DS-7002.
The International Center will contact department and invited student intern with further information once documents have been issued. |
Required Student Intern Evaluations
Department sponsors are required to complete a written evaluation of the student intern's performance.
- For internships that are longer than six months, two evaluations are required: a midpoint evaluation of the first half of the internship experience, and a final evaluation. For internships lasting six months or less, only a final evaluation is required.
- Departments may choose any format to evaluate student intern performance; for convenience, departments may also use this J-1 Student Intern Evaluation Template.
- Evaluations should be completed before the end of the internship and must be presented to the student intern. Both the student intern and the department sponsor conducting the evaluation should sign the evaluations to confirm that the evaluation was conducted and presented to the student intern. The student intern may choose to offer comments in response to the evaluation.
- An electronic copy of the completed and signed evaluation should be sent to the International Center at internationalcenter@tufts.edu once the evaluation has been presented to the student intern.