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Visiting Student Researcher Programs

KAIST Visiting Student Researcher(VSR) Program

The Visiting Student Researcher(VSR) Program is for students who are currently enrolled in or taking a leave of absence from universities outside of South Korea and who wish to conduct research in one of KAIST’s laboratories for less than a year. This program does not provide any credit during the research period. Programs offering credits are the Exchange Program and International Summer School. More information can found at Incoming Exchange and KAIST International Summer School(KISS).

Entry Requirements

All applicants must satisfy the following criteria in order to apply for the Visiting Student Researcher Program

  • Completed a minimum of 1 year full-time study at their home university
  • GPA (Grade Point Average) of 3.0 or better (on a 4.3 point scale) or equivalent
  • Currently studying at a university outside of South Korea and interested in doing a research at a KAIST laboratory
  • Have contacted KAIST laboratories of interest and have received official permission from the professor who is in charge of the KAIST laboratory
  • TOEFL iBT 80 or its equivalent on another English language proficiency test (Students whose nationality is a native English-speaking country can submit a copy of their passport instead of an English language proficiency test score)

Application Period

At least 3 months prior to the start of your research at KAIST

Procedure

A. Contact the laboratory where you wish to work and obtain permission from the professor who is in charge of the lab. If the professor     approves your proposal, the lab is required to contact the KAIST International Relations Team (IRT) to start administrative procedures for     successful applicants. The lab will ask successful applicants to fill in the off-line application form via e-mail.


B. Complete the form that you receive from the lab and submit it back to them. Then, the lab will complete the documents and submit them to     IRT to further process your registration.


C. IRT will contact the successful applicants, who will then be required to fill out an online application form at the International Office (IO)     website (https://io.kaist.ac.kr/mobi/intern_online.do) and pay the registration fee online upon completing the application. For more     information about the registration fee, please refer to the fee information below.


D. After the submission and payment, KAIST will issue your student ID and inform you about the procedure for dormitory and visa applications     through the KAIST International Scholars and Student Services Team (ISSS).


  • Visa: C-3-1 (less than 90 days), D-2-8 (more than 90 days) Students may be exempted from obtaining a visa based on the visa exemption agreement. After finishing the online registration, guidelines and support for visa issuance will be provided from ISSS.
  • Health check-up (to be filled out by a physician) It is mandatory to submit the 『Certificate of Health Check-up Form』 before entering KAIST to check the status of health and to protect KAIST members from contagious diseases.
  • Allocation of dormitories (only for students who apply for the dorm)

    - Dormitory Fees: KRW 100,000~310,000 per month (paid after arrival)

    - Most of applicants(90%) will be assigned to a dormitory room. However, it is possible that the dormitory may not be available due to limited capacity. In this case, please find housing near KAIST. Information on finding your own housing and Korea’s real estate system can be found at "Finding Off-campus Housing by Yourself(link)" ISSS will assist you if you encounter any problems.

    - Dormitory rooms cannot be assigned to those who have contagious diseases such as phthisis.

  • Using KAIST facilities/equipments

    - A deposit (KRW 100,000) should be paid after arrival to use the library and school facilities/equipment.

    - Dorm room cleaning fees can be deducted from the deposit, and the remaining amount will be returned at the end of the program.

Fees

  • Registration Fee : USD 350

    - Students from partner universities will be exempted from the registration fee. Please consult the international coordinator of your home university to learn about the partnership status with KAIST. You can also find partnership information on the KAIST IO website (https://io.kaist.ac.kr/part/connections_institution.do)

  • Instruction fee for individual research: None~ up to KRW 1,000,000.

    - The instruction fee is decided by the professor in charge of the lab. Please inquire with the lab when applying.

Approximate Expenses at a Glance

(Registration USD 350) + (Instruction USD 0~910) + (Dorm USD 92~285 per month) + (Deposit USD 92) = Maximum USD 1,637 on the first month

* NOT including food and visa/alien registration card expenses.
* It is recommend by the Immigration Office to have a minimum of USD 592 (KRW 650,000) per month to live in Korea.
* For your information, students may be provided with a research stipend depending on the lab.

Inquiry

Application (irt@kaist.ac.kr), Campus Life (isss@kaist.ac.kr)

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