What is a J-1 visa doing in a research lab?
What the visa means, how international researchers and students contribute, and who comes to ASU.
A J-1 visa lets researchers come to the U.S. for a set period.
Someone based at a university abroad might join an ASU lab for a few months, teach, or work with a research team for several years.
The State Department oversees J-1 exchange programs. ASU sponsors participants and issues a form called the DS-2019 after reviewing their plans and financial support. They use that form to apply for a visa from the U.S. government.
How is this different from other visas?
J-1
Research, teaching and study
Come to research, teach or study
A J-1 visa is for someone taking part in an exchange program with an approved sponsor, such as a university. Different types of exchange have different rules and time limits.
For example: a researcher from another university joins an ASU lab for a temporary research appointment.
F-1
Academic study
Study at a U.S. school
For full-time academic study or an eligible language-training program. It is a common route for international students earning U.S. degrees.
For example: a student comes to ASU for a bachelor’s, master’s or PhD. Employment and practical training have separate conditions.
H-1B
Employment
A job requiring specialized knowledge
For qualifying specialty-occupation employment. The job generally requires a bachelor’s degree or higher in a directly related specialty, or its equivalent.
For example: a university petitions for a qualified researcher to take a specialized job. This route has employer and wage requirements.
O-1
Extraordinary ability
Work by someone with an exceptional record
For people who meet the extraordinary-ability standard in fields such as science, education, business or the arts, or the separate achievement standard for film and television.
For example: a scientist with sustained national or international recognition comes to work in their field. Having a PhD alone does not establish eligibility.
J-1 describes exchange status. It doesn’t tell you someone’s job, pay or who supports their work.
A J-1 researcher might be an ASU-employed postdoc or a visitor supported by another institution. J-1 also includes student categories; F-1 and J-1 are not interchangeable.
What does Arizona get out of it?
Research takes people, equipment and time. International students and researchers contribute experiments, software, specialized skills and new questions.
Some work has a clear use now. Some is groundwork for discoveries years away.
Research often advances through developing a method, testing an idea or learning how to use a difficult technique. Its value may become clear over years.
How international scholars contribute to Arizona.
At ASU, international students and researchers have helped test wastewater for COVID-19, study potential cancer treatments and develop software to study stress. These stories show some of their contributions.
International scholars also contribute to the work of the people around them.
A U.S. study of patent holders found that immigrant inventors contributed to their U.S.-born collaborators’ productivity, as well as producing inventions themselves.
Bernstein et al.: The Contribution of High-Skilled Immigrants to Innovation
Research often advances through work like this: developing a method, testing an idea or learning how to use a difficult technique. Its value may become clear over years.
International scholars at ASU.
How many come, what they study, and how the population changes from year to year.
The total Fields Origins Over time
713
scholars in one academic year.
ASU international scholars for 2024–25. Each dot represents one scholar. Some visits last a few weeks; others last much longer.
One academic year
One dot represents one scholar.
Different fields of research.
41% of scholars work in engineering or computer science. Others work in fields including health, the arts and the social sciences.
By field of research
One dot represents one scholar.
Where researchers are from.
Scholars come from eight world regions. The largest group is from East and Southeast Asia.
By country of citizenship
Circle area shows the number of scholars. Markers show regions, not travel routes.
13 years, side by side.
Participation dipped in 2020–21, then grew again.
Each bar counts a reporting year. A person may appear in more than one year.
Annual participation
Annual counts, starting at zero.
A few practical questions.
How does ASU compare? Who pays? How long can someone stay?
01
How many people are at ASU on J-1 visas?
260
people at ASU
on J-1 visas.Total J-1 participants · 2025–26
How does ASU compare with other universities?
The figures below count international scholars across visa categories, including J-1, H-1B and O-1, as well as scholars working under F-1 Optional Practical Training (OPT).
The 10 universities hosting the most international scholars
PositionUniversityScholars
- 1Harvard University4,596
- 2Stanford University4,466
- 3Yale University3,271
- 4Columbia University3,130
- 5University of California, Berkeley2,544
- 6University of California, Los Angeles2,459
- 7Johns Hopkins University2,417
- 8University of California, San Diego2,347
- 9University of Michigan – Ann Arbor2,281
- 10Massachusetts Institute of Technology2,222
02,5005,000 scholars
All bars use the same scale, starting at zero. Source: IIE Open Doors
See all 40 universities
- 11University of California, Davis2,075
- 12University of Pennsylvania2,008
- 13University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign1,790
- 14Duke University and Medical Center1,787
- 15Northwestern University1,781
- 16University of California, San Francisco1,758
- 17University of Wisconsin – Madison1,612
- 18Purdue University – West Lafayette1,608
- 19University of Pittsburgh – Pittsburgh1,553
- 20Washington University in St. Louis1,502
- 21University of Minnesota – Twin Cities1,351
- 22Cornell University1,350
- 23Ohio State University – Columbus1,340
- 24University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center – Dallas1,326
- 25Emory University1,287
- 26University of Arizona1,275
- 27Rutgers University – New Brunswick1,274
- 28New York University1,273
- 29Boston University1,265
- 30Princeton University1,258
- 31University of Maryland – College Park1,131
- 32University of Texas – Austin1,124
- 33University of Florida1,106
- 34University of Illinois – Chicago1,056
- 35University of California, Irvine1,056
- 36Texas A&M University – College Station1,033
- 37University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill977
- 38University of Washington942
- 39University of Missouri – Columbia917
- 40University of Southern California917
ASU has appeared in the top 40 only four times in the last 25 years
International-scholar rankings · historical data through 2024–2025.
2015–2016
No. 40
2016–2017
No. 39
2019–2020
No. 38
2021–2022
No. 38
02
Does the U.S. benefit when people come here to study?
Yes. Some former international students have founded companies. Others have led businesses that millions of Americans use. Their U.S. education was one part of a career that developed over many years.
Indra Nooyi
From India
Studied at
Yale School of Management
Master’s, public and private management
Former CEO
PepsiCo
Earned her Yale degree in 1980; later served as PepsiCo’s CEO for 12 years.
Mike Krieger
From Brazil
Studied at
Stanford University
Symbolic Systems
Co-founder
Instagram
Moved to California to study in 2004; co-founded Instagram in 2010.
Peggy Cherng
From Hong Kong
Studied at
Oregon State · University of Missouri
Mathematics, computer science and electrical engineering
Co-founder
Panda Express
Came to the U.S. for college; later used her engineering skills to develop systems for the restaurant business.
Satya Nadella
From India
Studied at
University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee
MS, computer science
Became CEO in 2014
Microsoft
Earned his master’s in 1990, then built a career in the U.S. technology industry.
Michelle Zatlyn
From Canada
Studied at
Harvard Business School
MBA
Co-founder
Cloudflare
Met a co-founder at Harvard. Their student project became a business that helps websites run securely.
Luis von Ahn
From Guatemala
Studied at
Duke · Carnegie Mellon
Mathematics and computer science
Co-founder
Duolingo
Studied mathematics at Duke, then earned a PhD at Carnegie Mellon. Later co-founded the language-learning company.
Daphne Koller
From Israel
Studied at
Stanford University
PhD, computer science
Co-founder
Coursera
Came to the U.S. for her PhD in 1989; co-founded the online education company Coursera in 2012.
Sundar Pichai
From India
Studied at
Stanford University
MS, materials science and engineering
Business leader
Google / Alphabet
Earned his master’s in 1995; later led Google and its parent company, Alphabet.
03
Who pays for a researcher’s stay?
There isn’t one arrangement. Support can come from ASU, a research grant, a home institution, a government, a fellowship or personal funds. Sources can be combined.
An ASU employee
ASU funds or research grantASU PayrollSalary
ASU is the employer. A grant may pay for the position.
An externally supported visitor
Home institution or fellowshipOutside supportLiving costs
The researcher may visit without becoming an ASU employee.
$2,500
per month · scholar only
ASU’s sponsorship guidance uses this amount to check support for estimated living expenses, with additional amounts for dependents. It is not a salary requirement or a statement of what ASU pays. ASU guidance
04
Are J-1 researchers paid less?
There isn’t one J-1 pay rate.
Some J-1 researchers are ASU employees and receive a salary. Others are supported by another university, a government or a fellowship. These are different arrangements, even though the visa is the same.
How would you check for a pay gap?
Compare actual pay for people doing similar work, with similar experience and hours. Published salary rules alone cannot tell you whether their pay is equal.
Applicable employment laws still apply. H-1B has a separate wage rule: the higher of the prevailing wage or the employer’s actual wage for similar workers. Department of Labor
05
Do they compete for jobs Americans could do?
Some hold paid appointments that U.S. applicants could also seek.
Others visit without becoming ASU employees. J-1 status does not tell us how an appointment was filled, who applied or whether another applicant was displaced.
Employee
A paid appointment
Research visitor
May be supported elsewhere
Research scholar and professor exchanges are not for candidates seeking tenure-track positions. State Department rules
Sources and notes
Program information
Research and population data
Each ASU story and national profile links to its source above. Dates on the ASU stories are publication years.
- Bernstein et al.: The Contribution of High-Skilled Immigrants to Innovation in the United States. The national finding is about immigrant inventors, not J-1 participants.
- ASU’s international population snapshots and Open Doors survey definitions. The public scholar snapshots include multiple visa statuses.
The ASU population charts use illustrative figures. The university comparison uses the supplied Open Doors counts for 2024–25, covering international scholars across visa categories. ASU’s total of 260 J-1 participants includes students and other participants. The 2025–26 year label and the historical Open Doors positions come from the supplied comparison graphic. The ASU stories and national educational histories are drawn from linked sources; illustrations and portrait circles are not documentary images. Comparison sources checked October 17, 2026; Musk’s profile and the comparison’s visa categories checked October 19, 2026; other sources checked October 15, 2026.