J-1 Student Intern
“Student Intern” is a subcategory of the College and University Students category of the Exchange Visitor Program. A foreign national enrolled in and pursuing a degree at an accredited post-secondary academic institution outside the United States may participate in the Exchange Visitor Program as a “Student Intern” if the internship in the United States will fulfill the educational objectives for his or her current degree program at the home institution. Participation as a Student Intern is limited to 12 months for each degree/major.
Internships must be full-time positions consisting of at least 32 hours per week. Duties and assignments must provide a “work-based learning opportunity” rather than “ordinary employment or unskilled labor” and may consist of no more than 20 percent clerical duties. All tasks assigned must be necessary for the completion of student’s internship program. Supervisors must devise a placement plan and are responsible for submitting evaluations to ISSS. Student Interns are not required to be enrolled in classes at Emory, but may enroll in one class each semester, if desired, at their own expense with the permission of their supervisor. Enrollment may not interfere with the internship responsibilities.
Emory is not required to offer compensation to Student Interns. However, Student Interns may be employed or provided other compensation with pre-approval from the home institution’s academic advisor or dean and the Responsible Officer of Emory’s Exchange Visitor Program.
Student Internships are not allowed in the following areas:
- Unskilled or casual labor;
- Child care or elder care;
- Aviation;
- Clinical positions or any other kind of work that involves patient care or contact;
- Work that requires the intern to provide therapy, medication, or other clinical or medical care (e.g. sports or physical therapy, psychological counseling, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, social work, speech therapy, or early childhood education);
- Any position, occupation, or business that could bring the Exchange Visitor Program or the Department into notoriety or disrepute.
Enrollment in a University outside of the United States
Statement of Intent to Return Home
In order to participate in the Student Internship Program, a student must:
- Be in good academic standing at the post-secondary academic institution outside the United States in which he or she is enrolled;
- Have verifiable English language skills sufficient to function on a day-to-day basis in the internship environment;
- Be in the United States to engage in the student internship program rather than to engage in employment or provide services to an employer;
- Be accepted into the student internship program at Emory University Have sufficient finances to support self and any accompanying dependents for their entire stay in the United States;
- Provide evidence of health insurance for the length of stay for self and any accompanying dependents;
- Return to her or his academic program outside the United States to fulfill the educational objectives of the degree program after completion of the internship program.
Sponsors must ensure that the internship:
- Fulfills the educational objectives for participant’s current degree program at the home institution;
- Exposes the participant to American techniques, methodologies, and technology and expands upon the participant’s existing knowledge and skills;
- Does not duplicate the Student Intern’s prior experience;
- Program placement has been secured and Form DS-7002 has been completed and signed.
Enrollment in a University outside of the United States
Student Interns must provide official evidence of current enrollment in a degree program at a postsecondary academic institution outside the United States. Evidence includes an official transcript and copies of any postsecondary degrees. The academic advisor or dean must complete the Academic Advisor Recommendation Form verifying that the student:
- Is currently enrolled in a degree program;
- Is in good academic standing;
- The internship meets a degree requirement;
- Is authorized to engage in employment pursuit to the internship, if applicable;
- Is expected to return to the institution following the completion of the internship to complete the degree program.
- May or may not engage in employment pursuant to the internship
Student Interns are required to have English language skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening at least at the intermediate level. The department must determine English language proficiency by using one of the following recommended verifiable methods and indicate the method used on the Checklist and Compliance Form and attach documentation to the Departmental Request Form:
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Test of English as a Second Language (TOEFL) Score Report;
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Other recognized standardized English language test;
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Personal interview conducted by the department in English (in person, video conference/web cam, etc.);
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Signed statement on official letterhead attesting to English language proficiency from the Student Intern’s academic institution or an English language school.
The minimum amount of financial support for a Student Intern is $2,000/month. If Emory is paying the Student Intern a salary, the amount must be listed on the Departmental Request Form. If Emory is providing housing or other non-monetary support, the dollar value should be added to the list of financial support from Emory on the J-1 Student Intern Information Form. Financial support from other institutions or agencies must be verified by an official letter on letterhead stating the amount of support and the period of sponsorship. Personal or family funds are also acceptable sources of support. The Student Intern must provide a bank letter indicating the amount of money available to the student. If the bank account is in the student’s name, the bank letter will be sufficient for proof of funds. If the bank account is in someone else’s name, the account holder must provide a signed letter naming the Student Intern and describing the amount and duration of support. All financial support documents must be recently dated, written in English or officially translated, and state the amount in U.S. dollars.
Students Interns accompanied by dependents must provide evidence of additional funds sufficient for their support. For the spouse, an additional $700 month is required and an additional $350/month is required for each child.
[Back to Top]Student Interns are required to obtain and maintain health insurance coverage for the length of the program for themselves and any accompanying dependents. The insurance must adhere to the Department of State minimum requirements. Student Interns who are paid by Emory University for six months or more may qualify for Emory’s employee insurance for themselves and any accompanying dependents. (For more information, contact the Emory Benefits Office.) Student Interns and any accompanying dependents must enroll in the "International Scholar Health Insurance Plan" offered by ISSS unless they present evidence of health insurance coverage provided by their educational institution, government, or other sponsoring organization that meets the Exchange Visitor Program requirements. More information about the health insurance requirement is available here. Student Interns are required to attest on the J-1 Student Intern Information Form that they are aware of the insurance requirement and have or will obtain the necessary insurance coverage for their entire period of stay. Student Interns insured by a sponsor will need to provide evidence of insurance with the J-1 Student Intern Information Form. The "International Scholar Health Insurance Plan" offered by ISSS may be purchased upon arrival.
[Back to Top]Statement of Intent to Return Home
The Student Intern regulations specifically state that “the student intern will return to the academic program and fulfill and obtain a degree from such academic institution after completion of the student internship program.” To ensure understanding of this provision in the regulations, Student Interns must attest that they intend to return home following the completion of the internship on the J-1 Student Intern Information Form.
In order to ensure the quality of the internship program and its effectiveness and appropriateness in achieving its stated goals and objectives, the supervisor must evaluate each Student Intern. All required evaluations must be completed prior to the conclusion of the student internship program and the Student Intern and his or her immediate supervisor must sign the evaluation forms. At a minimum, all programs require a concluding evaluation. Programs lasting longer than six months also require a midpoint evaluation. The J-1 Student Intern Program Evaluation Form is provided for this purpose.
The supervisor must devise a Placement Plan for each Student Intern. A Placement Plan will include the objectives and goals of the student internship program and detail the knowledge, skills or techniques to be imparted to the Student Intern. It will also describe the methods of performance evaluation and the frequency of supervision. All parties involved in the Placement Plan will complete and sign this document, including the supervisor, the Student Intern, and a Scholar Advisor at ISSS. The Placement Plan Form (DS-7002) must be completed in the following manner:
- Supervisor completes the Site of Activity Information on page 1 and all of page 2
o Program Sponsor Name is “Emory University” and Program Number is P-1-00874
- Supervisor sends the Placement Plan Form (DS-7002) to the Student Intern for his or her signature, which serves as the Student Intern’s acceptance of the internship
- Student Intern sends signed form to supervisor along with required information forms
- Supervisor signs the form and submit it with the Departmental Request Form and supporting documents to ISSS. If the form is acceptable, the Scholar Advisor will sign the form as the “Sponsor,” approving the Internship Placement Plan and making the required certifications
The Internship Placement Plan, DS-2019 Form, and Pre-Arrival packet of information will be prepared for the Student Intern, picked up by the hosting department, and mailed to the Student Intern.
[Back to Top]On-campus housing is available for Exchange Visitor Program Student Interns during the summer ONLY. Because of the difficulty in locating housing for three months, Student Interns here just for the summer may find it convenient to live in campus housing. Additionally, Student Interns who arrive to begin their internship during the summer may also find it convenient to live in campus housing temporarily while seeking other accommodations. For information on specific accommodations, terms and conditions, and rates, please see Emory’s Summer Intern Housing Program website. For off-campus housing information, please see our section on Housing Information for Students.
Employment is not required for participation in the Student Intern Program. However, Student Interns may be employed or provided other compensation with pre-approval by their home institution’s academic advisor or dean and the responsible officer of Emory’s Exchange Visitor Program. If your department will pay Student Interns, use Job Code 9859, Exchange Visitor Program Intern, Grade 99, Exempt. You must indicate FT6MO on the HRAF in order for Student Interns to receive benefits. Student Interns must be full-time and work at least 32 hours per week. Even though they are paid on a salaried basis, they should not work more than 40 hours a week. Student Interns are classified as temporary employees in Employee Class 7. Although classified as temporary employees, your department must pay the full fringe. Student Interns do not accrue leave, however. Please consult the Emory University Benefits Eligibility Chart for General Staff (Employee Class 7) for the benefits for which employed Student Interns are eligible.
Student Interns who will be employed for six months or more qualify for medical/dental insurance and other benefits. Please see the Emory University Benefits Eligibility Chart for General Staff (Employee Class 7) for the benefits for which employed Student Interns are eligible. Student Interns who are employed less than six months or not employed at all are required to enroll themselves and any accompanying dependents in the "International Scholar Health Insurance Plan" offered by ISSS unless they present evidence of health insurance coverage provided by their educational institution, government, or other sponsoring organization that meets the Exchange Visitor Program requirements. More information about the health insurance requirement is available here.
[Back to Top]Departments must complete the pre-boarding information for Student Interns employed by Emory. Once they are in the Human Resources system, Student Interns may obtain an Emory Card and a network ID. Departments must apply for sponsored accounts on behalf of Student Interns who are not employed by Emory in order for them to obtain an Emory Card and a network ID. Student Interns do not automatically qualify for an Emory email account. Departments may pay for an account for Student Interns or request the forwarding of their email to a non-Emory account, such as Gmail. For more information, please click here.
Because Student Interns will not be enrolled as full-time students, they will be taxed as trainees and not as students even though their immigration category will be non-degree student. Student Interns should contact the Non-resident Tax Specialist, Mary Chenault, for information on tax treaty benefits and to complete tax withholding forms.
Quick Links
- Exchange Visitor Program - General Information (Web)
- ISSS Request Training Program Sign-Up (Web)
- PeopleSoft Log-in Page for Department Request Form (Web)
- J Student Intern Program Checklist and Compliance Form (PDF)
- J Student Intern Information Form (PDF)
- Academic Advisor Recommendation Form (PDF)
- Form DS-7002 (Placement Plan) (PDF)
- Student Intern Performance Evaluation Form (PDF)
- J Student Intern Extension Form (PDF)
- End of Program Form (PDF)