Exceptional Approval Policy

• An initial or renewal appointment of over one year in length (appointments are granted up to 12 months at a time)
• Renewal appointments more than the allowed cumulative two-year maximum (e.g. 3rd-year appointment)
• A candidate who wishes to be a visiting scholar without a Ph.D. or equivalent terminal degree (holds a Bachelor's or Master's degree); would generally possess training equivalent to that required for the Ph.D., and have demonstrated exceptional fitness in independent research in addition to that required for the Ph.D. degree or experience as an independent research worker aside from research for the doctoral degree; extensive industry experience at a senior level.
• A candidate who wishes to be a visiting scholar with a recent Ph.D. or equivalent terminal degree earned within the last five years (this candidate would normally be a postdoc (e.g. Marie Curie Fellow) not a visiting scholar; permitted when certain conditions are met: a postdoc appointment elsewhere, holds/held a professoriate position, is employed full-time; evidence required)
• A candidate who wishes to be a visiting student researcher and is a currently enrolled non-University of California undergraduate student pursuing a bachelor's degree
• A faculty sponsor requesting an initial one-year length or renewal appointment beyond the maximum one-year length for a visiting student researcher

The faculty sponsor should compose a brief memo addressed to VSPA Senior Manager Cecilia Fura on departmental letterhead which contains all of the pertinent information below. BRS Partner will upload the required documents into the Gateway system prior to submitting an application for an appointment. Alternatively, the memo and documentation may also be emailed to vspa@berkeley.edu(link sends e-mail). Please note that the University Services Fee (USF) must be paid prior to or when submitting the request.

• Name of the visiting scholar or visiting student researcher 
• Type of exception requested (e.g. recent Ph.D., no Ph.D., is an undergraduate student)
• Justification for the exception
• Brief description of the research (2-3 lines)
• Brief description of how the visit benefits the university, faculty sponsor, and host department

• Visitor’s curriculum vitae (CV) 
• Evidence of institutional funding for the length of the visit (VSRs with appointments more than one year in length)
• Proof of funding for undergraduate VSRs
• For visiting scholars only: CV, and evidence of full-time employment, or evidence of current postdoc appointment at another institution when the Ph.D. was conferred within the last 5 years