Non-Matriculated Student Researchers

Occasionally, Stanford departments and faculty members invite students from other academic institutions to participate in university-sponsored research activities. Such students are not enrolled in any Stanford degree programs and are identified as non-matriculated student researchers.

Following are summary descriptions of the specific non-matriculated student researcher classifications. The roles are sponsored by specific schools and departments and participants are directly invited by the sponsoring faculty member. If you’d like additional information about these roles, you must speak directly to the sponsoring faculty member.

Undergraduate Visiting Researcher Interns

NOTE: Faculty or staff interested in creating an Undergraduate Visiting Research Intern (UVRI) position can get more details about the process and policies at the Inside Student Services website.

Schools and departments can sponsor an Undergraduate Visiting Research Intern (UVRI) to work under a faculty member in a Stanford research lab or research project. The university assigns the student intern the Undergraduate Non-Matriculated Student status only during the internship, which is valid exclusively for Summer Quarter. It can begin as early as June 1 and cannot exceed August 31.

To be eligible to attend Stanford as a UVRI, you must be invited by a Stanford faculty member and currently enrolled and matriculating in a bachelor’s-level degree program for at least two years at a U.S. college or university accredited by a regional accrediting association or at an international college or university of recognized standing. Additionally, you must be qualified to conduct research at a level comparable to that of Stanford undergraduates, and the research must benefit Stanford as well as your academic career.

See Fees, Responsibilities, Restrictions, and Privileges for UVRIs for some additional details. Specifics about the duties of a particular UVRI internship are determined by the sponsor and provided when the sponsor invites you to the position.

Visiting Student Researchers

NOTE: Faculty or staff interested in creating a Visiting Student Researcher (VSR) position can get more details about the process and policies at the Inside Student Services website.

Stanford faculty can, in limited instances, permit someone who has not yet obtained a Ph.D. (or its foreign equivalent), or who is not a recognized expert in their field, to engage in research on the Stanford campus using Stanford research facilities. Such instances might include a student at another university who is engaged in graduate-level research in a field of interest to the faculty member, or a person doing a laboratory rotation as part of a more extensive research study or grant. These individuals are known as Visiting Student Researchers (VSRs) and are appointed as non-matriculated graduate students. Their appointments are valid for no longer than one calendar year.

See Fees, Responsibilities, Restrictions, and Privileges for VSRs for some additional details. Specifics about the duties of a particular VSR position are determined by the sponsor and provided when the sponsor invites you to the position.

Students of New Faculty Hires

Current doctoral students of faculty newly hired by Stanford have options for continuing their doctoral program once their faculty advisor transitions to Stanford. These options, which apply only to doctoral students, help newly recruited faculty and their students make informed and timely decisions. Discussions about these options should take place early in the faculty recruitment process to facilitate students’ planning and progress. You are encouraged to consult with the Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education to understand the options.

For full details, see Students of New Faculty: Policy at the Graduate Academic Policies and Procedures website.