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Global Professional Research Program

The GPRP program is perfect for well-established academics and professionals who want to focus on conducting research in collaboration with relevant MSU academic departments or units. Admission to this program is subject to an agreement with the MSU academic department hosting the participant.


GPRP will allow you to recharge without the daily responsibility of teaching, administration or management burdens and will let you focus on enhancing your research capacity. Connecting with and working alongside world-leading scholars, professionals, and scientists at MSU will offer you an opportunity to further develop new research ideas and directions.

Admission to this program is subject to agreement with the relevant MSU academic unit which is expected to host a participant. You are strongly encouraged to directly contact a relevant MSU academic school or a department in your field to explore the possibility of researching in that school or department. VIPP can also serve as a liaison to connect you to the department.

Once an academic department accepts you, VIPP will process your J-1 non-degree student or J-1 scholar visa (please note that we only can process J-1 scholar visa when an MSU department agrees to host you). The full settlement service includes: 

  • Visa processing: DS 2019 for J-1 non-degree student or scholar visa 
  • Pick up at airport  
  • On-campus badging and computer system authorizations
  • Finding housing
  • Enrolling in health insurance
  • Getting a driver's license, purchasing a car, and signing up for car insurance
  • Family support including enrolling children at local schools

For current information on fees and living expenses, see the Fees and Finance page.

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