The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) of the federal government requires that all graduate students in the United States on student visas be full-time students (taking at least nine graduate credits per semester) and that they make satisfactory progress toward their academic goals. United States immigration regulations require that international students accepted for study at Gallaudet provide evidence of adequate financial support. The Immigration Form I-20 or DS-2019 will not be released without sufficient financial certification.
International applicants are defined as applicants who are neither a United States citizen nor a Permanent Resident of the United States. Admission as a graduate special student is available to international applicants in two ways. First, international applicants who wish to take a course(s) on campus or to take an extension course in the United States, and who will be physically present for the classes, must hold an appropriate visa, F-1 or J-1, during the semester the course is taken. Second, an international applicant who is not residing in the United States and who wishes to take only on-line courses from a department within Gallaudet University will be permitted graduate special student status without visa restrictions. In both cases, all other Gallaudet restrictions apply, including the tuition surcharge for international students.
The International Visiting Scholar Program is designed for international school personnel, researchers, professionals, and students from other countries who are not pursuing and who do not desire to pursue an academic degree program at Gallaudet University. The program is individually designed to meet the needs of each scholar, allowing participants to audit courses, gain practical experience by being exposed to what is happening at Gallaudet, and visit schools, organizations, and agencies. There are great opportunities to do intensive data collection and acquire specific information and skills relating to deafness. This is a one- or two-semester, non-degree program.
If you are interested in applying for this program, please contact Center for International Programs and Services at cips@gallaudet.edu or (202) 651-5815 Voice or (202) 448-6954 via facsimile.