Apply for Academic Training

Important Information:

• You must apply and be approved for AT before your program end date listed on your Form DS-2019.  Please submit all required documents at least 10 business days before the end date to allow for ISSS processing time.
• Your AT must begin no later than 30 days after your program end date.
• All AT authorization, regardless of it being full or part time, will count as full time against the time you are allowed for AT.
• You may engage in AT anywhere in the United States.
  • For Middlebury College students: If you choose to remain in Middlebury, you will no longer be eligible to live on campus or partake in student benefits, such as use of the dining hall.  You will need to seek non-student positions available through the Human Resources website.
• You may begin engaging in AT as of the date it is authorized by ISSS and continue to participate as long as your Form DS-2019 remains valid.
• AT authorization is employer specific. You must request a new AT authorization (using the application processes described below) for each employer before you begin employment with any employer.
• If you are granted AT to begin after you complete your degree/program, ISSS will extend your DS-2019, and therefore your J-1 status, as part of the process of granting AT.
  • Additional financial documentation may be required. ISSS is required to establish that you have sufficient funding to cover the extended period of time of the DS-2019, if you are not paid for your AT or your income for your AT will not be enough to cover the additional amount needed. ISSS will communicate how much we need to see and what documentation is acceptable when we review the request.
• You are responsible for notifying ISSS of a change of address within ten days of the change as long as throughout your DS-2019 program dates.

Travel and Reentry before and during AT:

If you plan on leaving the United States after you complete your program of study and reenter the country for J-1 Academic Training, you must obtain employment authorization before you leave.  Otherwise, you may experience difficulty when attempting to reenter.

If you wish to depart the United States during your authorized period of AT, you may return for the remaining authorized period provided you have all of the following documents to present at the U.S. Port of Entry:

1. Valid passport (must be valid for another 6 months or more at time of reentry)
2. Valid Form DS-2019 that is signed for travel (the signature should be fewer than 6 months old at time of reentry)
3. A valid J-1 visa
4. A letter from your J-1 sponsor authorizing AT
5. A letter from your current employer explaining you are returning to the U.S. to continue the opportunity, following your trip abroad.
6. Most recent I-94 record

The completion of your AT is followed by a 30-day grace period during which time you may either depart the United States, transfer to another institution or change to another status.  Employment is not allowed during this 30-day grace period.

Middlebury College Application Process for College-sponsored J-1 Students (Exchange Students and TAs)

1. Schedule an appointment via the ISSS Calendly appointment system with Janet Hulnick or Kas Singh to determine:
   1. If you and the opportunity are eligible for AT as per the J-1 student regulations.  
   2. If you are an Exchange student, you may need to obtain written approval from your home institution as per the Middlebury-home institution exchange agreement for your exchange program.
   3. If the dates of the AT opportunity will NOT exceed the total amount of time allowed for AT as per the J regulations.
   4. If you will need to show additional financial documentation for the AT opportunity period.  You will be told the minimum amount that is needed to show and the acceptable documentation evidence via email.  
   5. If the opportunity falls within the Middlebury institutional policy for the program of study and/or exchange agreement governing Exchange student or TAs program/purpose at Middlebury.
      1. Exchange students may be able to be authorized for AT during the Winter Term, if they are on an academic year Exchange program.  
      2. Exchange Students will not be granted authorization to do AT during the Fall and Spring terms due to the nature of their programs of study at Middlebury.
      3. TAs may be approved for AT if and only if they are hired to work as Bilinguals and/or Language School Faculty for the Middlebury Language School summer program related to the language of their TA program.
   6. That you have or you will obtain the regulatorily required J health insurance for the period of the AT opportunity, if it is done after the end date of your current DS-2019.
2. If you are eligible for AT, obtain the AT Employer Letter from the prospective employer or organization offering the opportunity.  It MUST be related to your field of study at Middlebury and, also, if an Exchange student, your home program of study/degree program. This letter will need to be shared with your Academic Advisor (see step #3) and with ISSS (see step #4).
   1. A sample AT Employer Letter can be found on the Student Employment Authorization section on the Forms page. This letter should be printed on official company letterhead dated with an original signature.  It must contain the following information:
      1. The MM/DD/YYYY start and MM/DD/YYYY end dates of your training.
      2. The title of the position.
      3. A brief description of the work to be performed.
      4. The number of hours to be worked per week.  If it will vary - put the highest number of hours estimated to be worked per week to be safest to avoid working more than authorized for.
      5. A brief description of the work to be performed.
      6. The exact street address, city, state, and postal code of the location where you will be working.
      7. Total stipend/compensation/salary information, if receiving any remuneration for the opportunity.
      8. The name, address, email, and phone number of your supervisor.
3. Schedule a meeting with your assigned Academic Advisor at Middlebury - bring the AT Employer Letter to that meeting. Your advisor will need to complete the AT Advisor Letter (located on the Student Employment Authorization section on the Forms page). This is the letter of recommendation that ISSS needs to verify the direct relation of the opportunity to the student’s program of study.  The Advisor provides the completed, signed letter to the student for step #4.
4. Submit the following documents via the Document Submissions Form (found on the Forms page):  
   1. AT Employer Letter, dated and signed
   2. AT Advisor Letter, completed, dated, and signed
   3. Most recent Form I-94 (obtained from https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/home, click on “Get Most Recent I-94”)
   4. Additional financial documentation evidence (see step #1), if applicable
5. ISSS will review the documents submission and determine if AT can be authorized with in 5-10 business days of receipt of all needed information.  If ISSS determines it can be authorized, it will be authorized in SEVIS (prompts an updated DS-2019 to be issued) and an authorization letter will be issued.
   1. If you are doing AT after the end date of your academic J-1 program, the end date of your DS-2019 will be extended at the same time the AT authorization is done in SEVIS.  This automatically extends your J-1 status.
6. You will be e-mailed to pick up the updated DS-2019 and AT Authorization letter.  These documents along with your passport and I-94 admission record will be you current, valid J-1 status documents.  Please keep all previous DS-2019s and printed I-94 records for you records.
7. You will need to submit a copy of the policy of the J Health Insurance showing coverage through the end date of the updated DS-2019 (see step #1f). This can be submitted via the Document Submissions Form (found on the Forms page). 

Middlebury Institute Procedures for Institute-sponsored J-1 students:

The sample AT Employer Letter and AT Advisor Letter (for MIIS) referenced below are located in the Student Employment Authorization section on the Forms page.  Please follow the below steps:

1. Schedule an appointment via the ISSS Calendly appointment system with Tabitha Fleming to determine:
   1. If you and the opportunity are eligible for AT as per the J-1 student regulations. If you are an Exchange student, you may need to obtain written approval from your home institution, as per the Middlebury-home institution exchange agreement for your exchange program.
   2. If the dates of the AT opportunity will NOT exceed the total amount of time allowed for AT as per the J regulations.
   3. If you will need to show additional financial documentation for the AT opportunity period.  You will be told the minimum amount that is needed and the acceptable documentation evidence via email after the meeting.
   4. If the opportunity falls within the Middlebury institutional policy for the program of study and/or exchange agreement governing exchange student program/purpose at Middlebury.
      1. If the opportunity is during the academic year and it is not a requirement for your program (needed to graduate), then you will be authorized for no more than 20 hours per week during the academic year.
      2. If during the summer or is required in your final term, then you may be granted authorization for full-time (anything more than 20 hours per week but usually 40 hours per week is the standard for full-time work).  
   5. That you have or you will obtain the regulatorily required J health insurance for the period of the AT opportunity, if it is done after the end date of your current DS-2019.
2. Obtain the AT Employer Letter from the prospective employer or organization offering the opportunity.  It MUST be related to your field of study at Middlebury and also to your home institution’s degree/program of study, if you are an exchange student, your. This letter must be shared with your Academic Advisor (see step #3) and with ISSS (see step #4).
   1. This letter should be printed on official company letterhead, dated, with an original signature. It must contain the following information:
      1. The MM/DD/YYYY start and MM/DD/YYYY end dates of your training opportunity.
      2. The title of the position.
      3. A brief description of the work to be performed.
      4. The number of hours to be worked per week.  If it will vary - put the highest number of hours estimated to be worked per week.
      5. A brief description of the work to be performed.
      6. The exact street address, city, state, and postal code of the location where you will be working.
      7. Total stipend/compensation/salary information, if receiving any remuneration for the opportunity.
      8. The name, address, email, and phone number of your supervisor.

3. Schedule a meeting with your assigned academic advisor. Bring the AT Employer Letter to that meeting. Your advisor will need to complete the AT Advisor Letter (for MIIS). This is the letter of recommendation that ISSS needs in order to verify the direct relation of the opportunity to your program of study.  The advisor provides the completed, signed letter to you for step #3.

   NOTE: The academic advisor should refer to the Advisor’s Letter of Recommendation Specifics at the bottom of this section for more details.

4. Submit the following documents via the Document Submissions Form (found on the Forms page):  
   1. AT Employer Letter, dated and signed
   2. AT Advisor Letter (for MIIS), completed, dated, and signed
   3. Most recent Form I-94 (obtained from https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/home, click on “Get Most Recent I-94”)
   4. Additional financial documentation evidence (see step #1), if applicable
5. ISSS will review the documents and determine if AT can be authorized within 5-10 business days of receiving all needed information.  If ISSS determines it can be authorized, it will be authorized in SEVIS. If you are doing AT after the end date of your academic J-1 program, the end date of your DS-2019 will be extended at the same time the AT authorization is done in SEVIS.  This automatically extends your J-1 status.
6. You will be e-mailed with instructions on how to receive your updated DS-2019 and AT Authorization letter.  These documents, along with your passport and I-94 admission record, will be you current, valid J-1 status documents.  Please keep all previous DS-2019s and printed I-94s for you records.
7. If your end date has been extended, you must submit to ISSS a copy of the policy of your health insurance showing coverage through the end date of the updated DS-2019 for you and any J-2 dependents (see step #1f). This can be submitted via the Document Submissions Form (found on the Forms page). 

Advisor’s Letter of Recommendation Specifics:

The student’s academic advisor must fill out and sign the AT Advisor Letter for the academic training approval. This letter includes:

• The goals and objectives of the specific training program.
• A description of the training program, including its location, name and address of the training supervisor, number of hours per week, and dates of the training.
• How the training relates to the student’s major field of study.
• Why it is an integral or critical part of the academic program.

ISSS will accept either the Academic Advisor or the Career Advisor completing the letter.  Bear in mind that the advisor that completes and signs this letter should be able to sufficiently address the requirements listed as related to the student’s program of study.

Questions? Please contact us at isss@middlebury.edu. 

updated 05/19/2025