Yale-UCL Student Exchange Programme – Terms and Conditions

IMPORTANT: Please read these guidelines carefully before applying.

Purpose of the Exchange
Eligibility
Length of Exchange
Status at Yale University
How to Apply
Costs and Funding
Other Information 

Purpose of the Exchange 

Yale and UCL offer a unique opportunity to doctoral students called the Yale-UCL Collaborative Student Exchange Programme. 

As part of this initiative, UCL doctoral students are able to apply for the opportunity to study at Yale for a defined period during their UCL research programme. 

This opportunity enables students to experience working in a different academic setting at another world-leading research-intensive university and to gather skills that will enhance their current work as well as future personal and professional plans. 

As ambassadors for UCL, Exchange participants will be expected to make the most of their time at Yale by engaging as fully as possible with Yale’s research community. It is hoped that the experience will allow UCL’s doctoral students to forge future links and collaborations between the two institutions and within their disciplines. 

Eligibility 

  • Applicants must be a doctoral student registered for an MPhil/PhD or EngD at UCL, in any research area.
  • Applicants must have successfully completed the first year of enrolment on their research degree programme at UCL by the time they would begin their Yale placement.
  • Applicants with Completing Research Student status while on the Exchange Programme are not normally eligible to apply.* 

* As a doctoral student’s circumstances are often unique, exemptions to this stipulation can be made by the Doctoral School on a case-by- case  basis. If you will be a CRS student by the time of your intended exchange and believe you have justification to apply, please email docschool@ucl.ac.uk for further information before submitting an application.

Length of Exchange 

Exchanges should be a minimum of 3 months (90 days) and longer periods are considered if specifically agreed to by the student and proposed Supervisor. 

Status at Yale University 

Exchange participants will be considered “Exchange Scholars” at Yale and will not be eligible to receive any degree or other qualification from Yale. They will have access to facilities and supervision. 

How to Apply 

Step 1: Identify Application Round You Want to Apply to 

  • Applications must be submitted at least four months in advance of the proposed start date of the Exchange to allow for sufficient time for the necessary subsequent processes (formal admission to Yale, visa processing etc.).
  • Round dates and the deadlines to apply are regularly updated on the Yale UCL Student Exchange Programme web page. 

Step 2: Apply to UCL for Nomination to the Programme 

  • Discuss the opportunity with your UCL Supervisor and identify a Yale Graduate School program and faculty advisor who is willing to supervise you for the period of the Exchange. View the Yale Graduate School’s current program listing.
  • Complete the online application form. Incomplete applications or applications submitted after a round deadline will not be accepted.
  • You will receive the outcome of your application via email approximately two weeks following the application deadline. If you are successful, this email will include a nomination letter for your records and, if applicable, will also confirm whether you have been allocated funding. 

Step 3: Apply to Yale 

  • For the full guidance and the link to Yale’s exchange student application form please visit the Yale University website.
  • Your application must be submitted no later than 60 days prior to your intended start date for visa purposes. (We recommend at least 90 days.)
  • To submit an application, you will be asked to provide the following:
    • Basic biographical information and education history, proposed dates of study, the name of the Yale faculty member who will act as your adviser, and department of affiliation.
    • A statement of purpose of 500-1000 words describing your past work, your preparation for the proposed exchange, and an overview of your planned academic activities at Yale.
    • A current resume/CV
    • Transcripts for all degrees at institutions of higher education
    • Enrolment verification from your current graduate degree program. You can download a Statement of Student Status from Portico to use as enrolment verification. View the Confirmation of enrolment and award webpage for guidance on how to download this statement.
    • A letter of recommendation from your academic adviser who can evaluate your academic work, intellectual ability, or academic potential for graduate work. You will be asked to provide their contact details and they will receive an email link that will allow them to upload a reference letter directly for you.
    • A letter of nomination from the administrator who manages international exchanges at your home institution (UCL). You will be asked to provide a contact name and email address. Please enter: Prof. Geraint Thomas, docschool@ucl.ac.uk (DO NOT PROVIDE Geraint Thomas’ personal email). The Doctoral School will upload a letter of nomination directly for you.
    • Proof of health insurance.
    • Non-US citizens or permanent residents must also provide proof of sufficient funding to cover living expenses while at Yale. Please see Living Expenses under Costs and Funding for further details. 

Step 4: Acceptance to Yale and Final Arrangements

  • When you receive your Yale award letter, please send this to the Doctoral School for our records. Once received, we will also release any funding you have been awarded.
  • Ensure you arrange your visa, travel/medical insurance, accommodation, and any health requirements prior to your arrival, as per the guidance below.
  • Ensure you do a risk assessment and meet any ethical approval requirements for your research project prior to your arrival, as per the guidance below.

Step 5: After You Return 

  • Participants will be required to write a brief report on their experiences of the Exchange on their return to UCL which will be shared with Yale, and must agree also to provide other reports for UCL publications if required. The report should cover the outcomes of the Exchange, its impact on the participant’s research, and details of the future links that have been enabled by the experience.
  • You will be expected to provide a brief overview of your expenditure whilst at Yale on your return: any bursary funds that remain unspent at the end of the Exchange must be returned to the Doctoral School.  

Costs and Funding

All expenses will be the personal responsibility of the Exchange participant. There are a limited number of Yale-UCL Bursaries available (see below), otherwise participants will need to cover the costs themselves. 

Tuition Fees 

  • Students will not be charged tuition or fees (including application fees) by Yale, the host institution, provided they are fully enrolled at UCL.
  • UCL students can apply for study leave for the duration of exchange at Yale to incur lower fees during their placement. Please note that if you are fully funded, it is not normally necessary or beneficial to apply for study leave; however, you need to ensure you remain within the terms & conditions of your normal studentship funding. 

Living Expenses 

  • International applicants to Yale (including exchange scholars) must provide proof of sufficient funding to cover their living expenses while at Yale. To be eligible for a J-1 student visa, you must be able to demonstrate funds to cover a minimum of $3,700 (approx. £2,784) per month of your proposed stay and at least 51% of your financial support toward living expenses must be from an external (non-personal, non-family) scholarship, fellowship, stipend, or assistantship.
  • Yale’s Office of International Students and Scholars can advise regarding locating suitable local housing in New Haven.

Visas 

Health & Vaccinations

Yale have a number of health and vacination requirements that are mandated by Yale University policy and Connecticut State regulations and must be completed no later than one month in advance of your start date.

Depending on the circumstances you may have to pay a fee for your health practitioner (e.g. GP) to complete Yale’s health form and for any vaccinations and/or immunisation tests you require to attend Yale (if you have not already received them or have proof of immunisation).

Please see Other Information for further guidance.

Yale-UCL Exchange Bursaries 

If you/your funder are unable to cover the costs associated with your Exchange, the Doctoral School is pleased to offer a limited number of Yale-UCL Bursaries. 

  • There is an option to apply for funding for your Exchange in the application form. You will be asked to provide a breakdown of all relevant estimated expenses, justifying your costs and providing quotations as appropriate.
  • The maximum amount of an award is £6,000.
  • Please ensure your estimates are based on the most cost-effective accommodation and fares.
  • Information on UCL’s preferred travel provider, policies and documents and useful contacts can be found on the UCL’s Travel webpage.
  • If you are awarded funds, you will receive details with your nomination letter. Funding will be transferred to your UK bank account when you provide the Doctoral School your Yale award letter.
  • If you receive a Bursary and subsequently receive other funding towards your expenses, please inform the Doctoral School immediately. Any unused funding must be returned to the Doctoral School upon completion of your placement.
  • Funding for US students wishing to travel to their country of origin will only be awarded in circumstances where there is clear evidence of the academic merit of the trip.
  • Funding is not guaranteed. Each application is considered on its merits; however, funds are limited and so there may be occasions when it is not possible to make a financial award. 

Other Information 

Visas 

Insurance

Medical treatment can be very expensive in the US; there are no special arrangements for Exchange Scholars. You must ensure you have appropriate health, travel and third party liability insurance cover for the duration of your exchange and to cover the requirements of your J1 visa. Please note that the Yale admissions office may require your immunisation records—please check before your departure. 

  • For travel to the US under 90 days: students embarking on a term abroad in a US university under an F or J1 visa can use the free UCL travel insurance which is “J” Visa compliant and is sufficient if the US entity confirms that they accept J Visa insurance. You must register your trip in advance with the insurance providers – for full details of the cover and register please visit UCL’s Travel Advice page.
  • For travel to the US for more than 90 days: students are required to obtain a greater level of health insurance cover than that of a generic UK Travel Insurance Policy. For an additional cost, the UCL insurers have developed a policy.The “Bronze Plan” in the link should be adequate cover but it is advised that you confirm this with the US institution who may have additional requirements which exceed that of the J1 Visa.
  • Contact the Serena Ezra in the Insurance Team if you have any questions or queries on the cover.
  • Further information about health insurance coverage whilst at Yale may be obtained through Yale’s Office of International Students and Scholars.
    N.B. Yale’s own comprehensive Health Insurance Policy is very expensive, updated figures can be provided by Yale’s Office of International Students and Scholars. 

Health & Vaccination Requirements

Please ensure that you comply with the UK Department of Health recommendations. 

Yale have a number of health and vacination requirements that are mandated by Yale University policy and Connecticut State regulations and must be completed no later than one month in advance of your start date.

A healthcare provider (e.g. your GP or similar) will need to complete a form (stating vaccination, immunisation proof etc.). You may also need to book vaccination(s) and/or an immunisation test if you have not previously received one or more of Yale’s mandatory vaccinations and/or cannot prove immunisation.  

If you are registered to an NHS GP, you may be able to get the form completed and your vaccinations for free, though this depends on your GP, area and, also, whether your vaccination is considered routine or not. 

We advise you look into Yale’s health requirements and contact your GP to see if completion of the form and any vaccinations you require (if applicable) will come with a cost. If you are required to pay any fees we advise that you: 

  1. Contact the Occupational Health Service (OHS) team if you require any vaccinations. If you are employed by UCL (e.g. a PGTA) or are a professionally regulated student then you may be entitled to receive travel vaccinations via OHS. You can contact the team via: wh.occupationalhealth@ucl.ac.uk
  2. After contacting the OHS, if you are required to pay any fees and you are applying for a bursary, please add an estimate of these to your costings.

Risk and Safety 

You are required to undertake a risk assessment for your work at Yale. Please refer to the Fieldwork page for information on how to do this. 

Some research will not need a full risk assessment but will require you to have consulted the travel checklists in the Fieldwork planning section. 

You need to ensure that you discuss the risk assessment with both your UCL supervisor and Yale advisor and any safety training required in the case of laboratory research, for example. 

Research Ethics Approval 

If your research requires it, UCL Research Ethics Committee (REC) approval and local level approval from the Yale Institutional Review Board (IRB) need to be in place before you start your research at Yale. You must read the REC guidelines to ensure you comply with requirements (please note that UCL REC approval takes at least six weeks). 

You need to ensure that you discuss Yale ethics approval with your Yale advisor to ensure that all necessary IRB approval is in place for your work there. 

Accommodation at Yale 

You will need to arrange your own housing for your time at Yale but you can seek advice from the Yale off campus office if you need help finding suitable housing:  

Tel: +001-203-432-9756
Email: offcampusliving@yale.edu
Hours: Monday – Friday, 9a.m. – 4p.m. EST 

You can register for a Yale Off Campus Housing account which will give you access to properties for rent or sale, landlord ratings, maps of New Haven and the Yale Campus, and links to additional resources. 

Other Accommodation Options 

Housing Facebook Page – (Open group within Yale) A Facebook page where Yale community members post about housing available for rent and subletting, and furniture for sale. It is an open forum, so please take care when making arrangements.

Elm Campus Partners – Yale have a number of apartments that they own but are managed by property management company, Elm Campus Partners.

Update your Contact Details and Keep in Touch

You must update your postal address, telephone number and email address if appropriate on Portico for the period of your absence. You must also ensure your next of kin/emergency contact details are up-to-date. You must check your UCL email regularly while you are away.