Traveling Scholar Application Information

For a doctoral student from a Big Ten Academic Alliance institution to become a Traveling Scholar, the following process is followed:

1. All students must first review the Eligibility information and the application steps on this page. Each student must consult with his or her advisor, who will determine whether the off-campus opportunity is likely to enhance the student’s education and ascertain that it is not, in fact, available on the home campus.
2. The student must discuss the proposed visit with the proposed instructor at the host university; the home and host faculty members should agree that the student is qualified to enroll in the course via the Traveling Scholar Program. Approval must be arranged prior to the student completing the online application.
3. When using the online application, each student must create his or her own log-in username and password. The log-in should be the student's email address. Students should provide an email address that will remain active until the Traveling Scholar course has been completed.
4. Once the online application is initiated, students have 30 days to complete it. To return to the online form, enter the username and password in the returning users section. Data can be saved by pressing submit. Once the entire application has been completed, it should be finalized. Finalizing the application will prompt the user if any of the required fields are missing.
5. If a student chooses to apply for one semester at two different Big Ten Academic Alliance universities, two separate applications must be completed.  Only one active (i.e., non-finalized) application can be saved at a time. A second application can be completed by applying as a 'New User' with the same log-in information used on the first application.
6. Students will be asked for their University/Student ID number on the application form.
7. Students should check with the host department for the name and contact information of the host faculty contact and enter that information into the online application.
8. Students who wish to withdraw their application before finalizing can do so by pressing the withdraw button on the online application form. Students who wish to withdraw after finalizing their application should also use the withdraw button which will forward their request to withdraw to their home Traveling Scholar Contact for processing. Students who withdraw after finalizing an application will receive an email once the application has been officially terminated.
9. Once students have finalized their application, a request for approval is forwarded to the student's faculty advisor identified on the application. If the faculty advisor approves the application, it is then forwarded to the Head of the  Department for approval. Once completely approved on the home campus, the application must also be approved on the host campus.
10. Students may check the status of finalized applications by logging in as a returning user. The entire approval process at both the home and host university can take several weeks. The host campus Traveling Scholar Contacts will notify students of final acceptance as a Traveling Scholar.
11. If a student's application is not approved at any point in the process, they will be notified.
12. Applications must be finalized at least six weeks before the start of classes at the host university. Applications arriving after the deadline may not be accepted by the host university.
13. All Big Ten Academic Alliance universities are on semesters except two that are on the quarter system (University of Chicago and Northwestern University). The University of Michigan has a fall semester, winter semester (January-April), spring term (May - end of June) and a summer term. Students interested in courses at the University of Michigan should choose spring semester on the online form for both the winter semester or spring term and then list the exact course dates in the additional comments box on the online application.