Admission to the Visiting Scholars Program is on a competitive basis; a limited number of Scholars are accepted at any given time to assure adequate facilities and mentorship for each individual. Acceptance is not automatic. Applicants must hold a professorial title at another insitution. Interested individuals should submit the following documents to Visiting Scholar Coordinator. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.
A UW Restorative Dentistry faculty member who has expressed interest in working with the Visiting Scholar must verify interest to the Department of Restorative Dentistry Visiting Scholars Program Committee Chair in writing for inclusion in the application file. If no faculty member is noted on the application, the coordinator will attempt to identify faculty advisors or mentors based on faculty availability and will try to match a faculty member with the interests and goals of the applicant. In any case, a host member of the Restorative Faculty must be identified prior to application approval.
If an applicant wants to bring family to stay with them while the Scholar is at the University, the applicant is responsible for additional visa fees, demonstration of funds to support the family, and any travel, insurance, or other costs associated with family while they are here.
Visiting Scholar Application Form (online application)
Required Supplemental Documents
Note that all supplemental documents should be uploaded to the application form where specified.
Curriculum Vitae:
The CV should be in pdf format, and be up to date, including all training, publications, and experiences that might be relevant to an experience at the University of Washington.
Statement of Purpose (1-2 pages):
The applicant must submit a statement of intent outlining their goals for their visit to the Department of Restorative Dentistry. This statement should explain why the applicant wishes to visit and why the UW Department of Restorative Dentistry is their preferred choice to achieve these goals. The statement should be in PDF format and uploaded to the application.
Letter of Recommendation:
A letter of recommendation is required from faculty or other dental professionals who can best assess the applicant’s potential for a positive experience in the United States. The letter should provide a candid evaluation of the applicant’s ability to achieve their goals for the proposed visit. Please address the letter to the Department of Restorative Dentistry Visiting Scholars Program Committee, formatted as a PDF, and uploaded to the application.
Verification of Academic Status:
Visiting scholars must hold professorial (including research titles) positions at their home institutions…must be appointed as a part-time or full-time dental faculty at their school. An official letter from their dental school Dean or Associate Dean verifying their faculty appointment and academic title. Please upload letter as a PDF file to the application.
Letter of Financial Support from Sponsoring Institution/Employer:
All non-U.S. applicants must provide evidence of sufficient funding to cover living and transportation costs for visa processing. At least 50% of the required minimum funding must come from an institutional, governmental, business, or agency source. The total combined funding must meet the minimum requirement. Please refer to the Minimum Funding Requirement for details on the required amount.
A sponsoring institution/employer letter must be uploaded to the application. The letter must be in English and include the scholar’s name, funding source, funding duration (specify start and end dates), and the exact amount in U.S. dollars.
If personal funds are used to meet the minimum funding requirement, a bank verification letter on official letterhead, signed by a bank official, is required. The letter must be in English and include the scholar’s name and the amount in U.S. dollars. Please upload this document to the application.
Proof of Highest Academic Degree
(photocopies sufficient) is required to process visa requests. Documents should be in English or be translated into English.
J-1 English Proficiency Requirement: All J-1 exchange visitors must demonstrate sufficient English proficiency to participate successfully in the program. Sponsoring departments are required to verify and document English proficiency using one or more objective measurements as outlined on the International Scholars Office website. Please refer to the J-1 English Proficiency Requirement for details on the required documentation. Please upload supporting documents to confirm that you have met the English proficiency requirement.
Required for Program D only
Research Plan (2-3 pages):
A research plan is required and must be co-signed by the faculty mentor. The plan should include research location, proposed study, and funding source. Please upload the research plan as a PDF file to the application.
Applicant Deadline and Timeline
Applications are accepted year-round.
Recent changes in the U.S. immigration procedures require that all Visiting Scholars should submit their applications at least 4 months prior to their anticipated arrival in the United States.
Assessment of applications takes at least 3 weeks from the date of receipt, and will take longer if the application is incomplete. Applications will not be processed until they are complete.