Doctoral Mobility Grant

Application materials include the following documents and must be submitted in English on the application form at https://alliance.columbia.edu/form/doctoral-mobility-application:

1. Applicant’s Curriculum vitae
    
2. Student ID from the Graduate School of one of the 4 Alliance partner institutions: Columbia University, Ecole Polytechnique, Sciences Po, or Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne
    
3. Letter of recommendation from the Ph.D. Supervisor from the home institution:
   • To protect confidentiality, this letter should be emailed directly by the Ph.D. supervisor to the Alliance Program at: [email protected].
      
4. Letter of Invitation:
    
   • For Students from Ecole Polytechnique, Sciences Po or Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne:
     
     Letter of invitation confirming the sponsorship of a Columbia University Faculty member: Scholars should secure the sponsorship of a Columbia faculty member. These sponsors agree to provide guidance regarding the visitor’s research. The faculty member will be the student academic supervisor during their stay. It is strongly recommended that the student’s Ph.D. supervisor establish contact with the host faculty member.
     
     In order to protect confidentiality, the sponsorship letter should be sent to the Alliance Program by e-mail at: [email protected].
      
   • For Students from Columbia University
     
     Letter of invitation from a faculty member from Ecole Polytechnique, Sciences Po, or Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne: The professor will be the academic supervisor during the research stay.
     
     To protect confidentiality, this letter should be sent to the Alliance Program by e-mail at: [email protected].
     
     It is strongly recommended that the Ph.D. supervisor establish the contact with the host faculty member.
     
     For Columbia Law School and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, students must submit a copy of the Visiting Scholars application. Please refer to paragraph C of the call for applications.
      
5. Research project description:
   • The research project description should indicate how the visit will contribute to the applicant’s field of research, and how the stay at the partner institution will help the progress of their dissertation. Any additional information on the student’s specific interest in a visit at the partner institution (undertaking field work, courses or writing an article, etc.) may be included. The research project description should not exceed three pages (single-spaced, size 12).
      
6. Dates of the stay
    
7. A photo ID and short biography
    
   • Please note that the biography and photograph of selected scholars will be published on the Alliance website and the Newsletter announcing Ph.D. Mobility recipients.
     
     A description of the Alliance Doctoral Mobility program is available on the Alliance website. Applicants’ supervisors/advisors should forward this document when contacting potential faculty sponsors at the partner institution.

1. Columbia Law School (CLS)
    
   • In addition to required application documents by Alliance, all prospective Visiting Scholars must submit an application form and the supporting materials following instructions on the link below:
     
     https://passport.law.columbia.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgramAngular&id=10002
      
     • The Law School may request any Alliance Ph.D. Mobility program applicants who fail to conform to the deadlines listed on the Columbia Law School website listed above to explain any emergency or unforeseen circumstances that have prevented them from doing so.

• Please follow the instructions for theVisiting Scholars Program on the following link: 
  https://passport.law.columbia.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgramAngular&id=10002
   
• Program Fees Waived: only when a CLS faculty member – through the CLS internal process – formally confirms that he/she will sponsor a Ph.D. Mobility candidate and a fee waiver.
   

1. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS)
    
   • In addition to the application documents required by Alliance, all prospective students applying to come as Visiting Scholars to the Columbia University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences must apply to Columbia University GSAS.
      
   • Please follow the instructions for incoming International Exchange Scholars on the following link: 
     https://www.gsas.columbia.edu/content/non-degree-special-students-and-visiting-phd-scholars
      
   • Please note that being accepted by GSAS as a Visiting Scholar does not automatically entitle to an Alliance Grant.

A reviewing team of faculty members will help select awardees.

The review process will consider the overall academic quality of the proposal, the level of support from the two faculty members, the significance of the project to the field, the feasibility of the project and the contribution of the stay at the partner institution to the progress of the dissertation.

Project timeline: The project-related expenses should be incurred within one year of the date of award.

Communication: Awardees are responsible for informing, at least 3 months in advance, their two faculty supervisors of the proposed dates of their stay, as well as confirming the date of their proposed arrival with the Director of Academic Administration and Finance of the Host/Sponsor Department.

Awardees are responsible for contacting their Host/Sponsor Department to obtain the correct visa documentation (i.e., all Visiting Scholars entering the United States from a Paris institution must obtain J-1 status before arrival).

Report: Awardees are required to submit to the Alliance Program a final Academic Report on the research conducted at the host university, signed by the host institution supervisor, within one month of the end of their mobility period. This report (of no more than 750 words) will describe the benefits of the stay from an academic, personal, and professional point of view. A 200 words summary of the report is also required for posting on the Alliance website. The submission of the mentioned report is a requirement for the payment of the grant.

Payment of the grant. The grant will be attributed via expenses reimbursement upon completion of the research and conditional upon the submission of the final academic report. All expenses associated with the research project should be listed in a signed Expenses Report, which will be sent to the Alliance office within 120 days from the date of the first expense. Original supporting documents, including flight information, hotel bills, and receipts should be attached to this report, with appropriate proof of payment. In compliance with Columbia accounting practices, personal letters will not be accepted as proof of payment. Students should collect all receipts relevant to the Alliance grant from the outset.

All Alliance Doctoral Mobility Grant recipients entering the United States from a Paris institution must obtain J-1 status before arrival.

Conditions. Students who do not comply with the timeline and conditions detailed above will not receive the grant.

Acknowledgement. Recipients are expected to acknowledge the support of the “Alliance Doctoral Mobility Grant” in any papers, publications or resumes, and to provide the Alliance team with copies of these papers and publications.

All Columbia University students and faculty members who will travel internationally within an Alliance granted project should refer to the International Travel Planning Policy, and are encouraged to register their travels through the University’s Global Travel website.

Results will be announced by April 2024

Where can I find information on visas?

The International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO) has all the information, and contacted directly here  https://isso.columbia.edu/content/applying-visa-students 

What is the process once I am awarded the grant?

1. You have received your letter of Intent and your Guidelines

Now you must: 

2. Contact your host department (at least 3 months before your intended stay) and obtain a visa letter (a J1 or F1 visa is compulsory) 

3. Complete Paymentworks profile before your arrival - guidelines here https://www.finance.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/content/Training%20Documents/Training_Guide_PaymentWorks_Individual_Vendors.pdf  

What is the timeline for reimbursement?

• Send your academic report to [email protected]
• Send your reimbursement request (you have 120 days from the last day of your stay) 
  • allowable expenses: can be found here (link)
  • SPECIAL NOTE: if you intend to submit MTA (subway) tickets, we recommend you purchase a weekly or monthly pass, as it will be much less tedious for you to submit for reimbursement. 
• Complete non profiled payee form https://npp-expense.finance.columbia.edu/ 
  • PLEASE NOTE: Expenses MUST be in the same order as the receipts supplied. Otherwise, it will get denied, and the process will be exponentially longer. 
  • if you are submitting MTA receipts, please note, these have to be added ONE AT A TIME, again in the same order as the receipts. If these do not match, line by line, the expense sheet will get rejected.

I’ve requested to go to CLS, what is the process?

All prospective Visiting Scholars must submit an application form and the supporting materials on the Visiting Scholars page of the Columbia Law School website:

https://www.law.columbia.edu/academics/international-programs/visiting-scholars-program

I’ve requested to go to GSAS, what is the process?

All prospective students wishing to come as Visiting Scholars to the Columbia University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences must apply to GSAS and follow the instructions for incoming International Exchange Scholars on the following link: 

https://www.gsas.columbia.edu/content/non-degree-special-students-and-visiting-phd-scholars

Where can I find information on taxes?

https://isso.columbia.edu/content/filing-your-non-resident-tax-forms-using-sprintax-f-and-j

Do I need and how do I apply for an SSN or TIN? 

https://sfs.columbia.edu/content/tax-information#:~:text=The%20University%20is%20required%20to,complete%20and%20mail%20the%20form. 

Social Security Numbers

If you have a U.S. social security number (SSN), this is your taxpayer ID number. All U.S. citizens are assigned a social security number at birth. Any social security number is assigned by the federal government and should never be shared unless you trust the entity requesting it, such as a government or student loan application. 

An SSN is not the same as the nine-digit ID number assigned by Columbia that is found on your school ID card.

International Students

In general, international students and scholars need to have specially authorized employment to apply for a social security number (SSN). The following exceptions also allow for international students to seek SSNs:

 J-1 visa holders (exchange visitors), which are select students, researchers, and short-term scholars, are eligible to apply for an SSN without authorized employment.

 F-1 visa holders are doctoral fellowship stipend recipient students who do not work the first year of their program but will later have teaching and research responsibilities. These students may also seek an SSN.

Taxpayer ID Numbers

If the above employment or visa conditions do not allow for an international student to seek a social security number, then international students may need to seek an individual taxpayer ID number (ITIN) if they expect to receive payments from the university while in the U.S. Stipends, scholarships, grants, and other such payments may be considered taxable income for international students. The University is required to report the payment of stipends and on-campus employment to the IRS and to withhold local, state, and federal taxes.

To apply for an ITIN, you must print a W-7 Form from the IRS, complete it, and mail it back to the IRS. Review the instructions for how to complete and mail the form. 

ISSO can also assist with this: https://isso.columbia.edu/content/wages-and-stipends-columbia