I have funding to visit another department. Can I come to NYU?
We are able to take a limited number of visiting students. A student who wishes to apply for visiting student status in the Philosophy Department should email the following to Perri Greenbaum at pbg2@nyu.edu by April 15 of the preceding spring semester (e.g., April 15, 2023 for a visit in the September 2023 - May 2024 academic year):
- his or her CV;
- a brief statement of the research project he or she intends to pursue while visiting us;
- the dates he or she wishes to visit;
- the name of a faculty member he or she would like to supervise his or her work (in order to be accepted as a visiting student a faculty member has to agree to supervise the student's work);
- a sample of philosophical writing; and
- a letter of recommendation from his or her current advisor.
Applicants will be told whether they have been accepted shortly after April 15.
What if I'm not now in a PhD program?
Sorry, we can only sponsor visiting students who are in good standing in other PhD programs.
What does being a sponsored visiting student get me?
Someone on the faculty would take nominal responsibility to supervise your stay. You will have an official status as a Visiting Student and will be given an NYU ID card, email address, and library access; Also, you’ll be able to participate in seminars at the discretion of the instructors and to participate in departmental life—receptions, colloquia, etc. You will also have to pay the University tuition for auditing courses (which gives you no formal credit for the course), and you must have medical insurance. If you can’t demonstrate existing coverage, you must purchase the University's student insurance. Please visit Student Health Services for comprehensive information on our insurance plans or the process of waiving out of insurance if you maintain your own plan.
How about an office?
Unfortunately no. However, there are a few open public spaces in the department where people can work, and visiting students do make good use of them.
How about help with housing?
Unfortunately no. Most of our graduate students live in shared private housing, usually in Manhattan or Brooklyn. Shared apartments may be found through craigslist, and NYU has an off-campus housing office.
Do I have to submit an application through the graduate school (GSAS)?
If we'll be sponsoring you, eventually you will, but you don't do that until later. If we sponsor you as a visiting student we'll steer you through the paperwork (see below).
What about test scores?
None are required for visiting student status.
My fellowship deadline is next month and to be eligible for the fellowship I must have a letter saying you agree to sponsor me. Can you decide on my application now, rather than waiting until late April?
Probably we can't. If your application looks especially strong, we might be able to give you some letter for your fellowship application, though likely it won't yet amount to a firm commitment to sponsor you. We strongly prefer to make such decisions in late April, when we can see all the other candidates asking to visit at the same time. Part of what we need to track is how many visitors want to come and with whom they want to work.
What about visas?
If we can sponsor you as a visiting student, and you need a visa, we'll help you with the paperwork.
If you agree to sponsor me as a visiting student, what happens next?
If we agree to sponsor you, you will need to email Graduate Enrollment Services (GES), the admissions office of our grad school, forwarding to them our dated email giving you permission to "apply" as a visiting student. If you are not a US Citizen or Permanent Resident, they will discuss your academic plans with you to determine whether they are viable given your visa circumstances.
Note that visiting students are not eligible for any financial aid from the university. Student visas also severely constrain your employment possibilities in the US. Also, as part of your application, you'll need to provide proof of at least $2000/month funding for living expenses for the time you're going to be visiting. At least 50% of this funding must come from a source besides your personal funds, such as your school or a fellowship. That funding amount reflects living expenses. Additionally, you must show that you have funding for the required insurance and the tuition costs needed for the semester. If all is well, GES will ask you to complete an online Non-degree Application for Admission. There is an application fee, and you’ll need to provide undergraduate transcripts (and English translations, if needed) showing proof of a bachelor's degree or the equivalent. These must be official transcripts sent directly from your university, or sealed copies given to you. The Graduate School will evaluate the credentials for equivalency before granting permission to register. More details on this process are available at the GSAS Application Resource Center.
I don't need a visa or an ID card, do I need to go through all this rigmarole?
No, you don't. If you prefer, you can just come to New York without any formal affiliation to the University, and drop in on our public colloquia. You might also be allowed to attend some seminars at the instructor’s discretion. Faculty who work in your research areas may or may not be available to meet with you sometimes for discussion. Most of us are over-committed by several orders of magnitude, and already scrambling to attend to our existing obligations, so the opportunities for this are scarce. But if we're feeling especially conscientious, or your work sounds especially interesting, we'll try. The benefits of coming unofficially are that you won't have to pay NYU any fees, and you won't have to compete with other students for a few sponsored spots. Also we won't need to review any of your work ahead of time. Though we do welcome you to write to philosophy.admissions@nyu.edu so we know you'll be coming, and we can tell our colleagues who you are. The downsides are that you won't get an NYU ID, and so you'll have more trouble getting into University buildings, you won't have library or gym access, and so on. Also, we won't feel we have responsibility for you, and you might have less priority to attend seminars.
Where can I learn about university activities, living in NY, and so on?
- GSAS Student Life
- Living in NYC, Maps and Directions
- NYC Resources
- International Student Reference Guide