Application & Registration

Both new and returning students should use the form linked below to join a VIP team every semester. Undergraduates can enroll for 1 or 2 credits using the process described below. For undergraduates, VIP MUST be taken for credit and cannot be audited.

Graduate students can participate in VIP in one of two ways: enrolling for 1-3 academic credits or participating as mentors under the direction of their research advisors. If they choose the latter option, graduate students should register for 0 credits for record keeping purposes. Graduate students should check with their academic advisors to confirm whether VIP credits can be counted towards their degree.

Time Conflicts

Note that ONLY returning students may register with a time conflict and ONLY with approval from the faculty advisor of their team. Each team has different policies for time conflict students, so check with your faculty advisor for time conflict policies on your team.

Switching Teams

Because students benefit most when they can take advantage of the leadership opportunities available to returning students on a VIP team, the VIP Program does not allow students to freely switch from team to team. As a disincentive, students must take a one-semester break (summer does not count) if they choose to switch teams.

Timelines

Application Available: Week 4 of the semester before participation (approximate)

Recruiting: The program begins actively recruiting and issuing registration permits during Phase I Registration. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.

First Week of Class: VIP teams (classes) meet

Online Students’ Last Day to Apply: Dec 15 for Spring, July 15 for Fall

On-campus students Last Day to Apply: Thursday of the First Week of Class

Please Note

  • You can only apply to one team at a time.
  • If you are not approved (team already has too many students from your academic rank/major, etc.), you can apply to another team.
  • If you change your mind about which team you would like, either before or after you are approved, you can apply to join a different team, and the new application will replace the old one.
  • VIP operates as a course. New students join at the beginning of Fall and Spring semesters.
  • VIP is not offered in the summer, but continuing students may be able to work with their instructor through the summer via an independent study.
  • Permits for VIP are only issued via the application system. Emails to vip@gatech.edu asking for a permit only delay the process.

Workload

  • 1 credit: 3 hours outside of full team meeting
  • 2 credits: 7 hours outside of full team meeting
  • 3 credits: 11 hours outside of full team meeting (available in 3rd semester, see note*)

Scheduled Commitments

  • Weekly full team meeting (50-minutes)
  • Subteam meetings outside of class, scheduled with teammates and instructor after semester starts
students at a conference table

* Undergraduates can only use the 3-credit option once. It is only available to students who meet 4 criteria: 1) in their third or later semester with the same team, and 2) in their last semester with the team, and 3) the student was enrolled with the team immediately prior to the 3-credit semester (excluding summer), and 4) the student has instructor approval. 

Application Process

1

Student: Choose the VIP team you would like to apply to from our team listings page.

2

Student: Login to Georgia Tech and connect to campus via VPN (Virtual Private Network).

3

Student: Fill out the application form using the link below. No GPA or resume required, just your information and a 150 word interest statement explaining why you want to join that VIP team. The deadline to apply is the last Thursday of Phase II registration (although teams fill up, so you should apply as soon as you can).

4

VIP personnel or a faculty advisor: Review applications and accept or reject students based on team needs and the strength of student interest statements. (Note that, though applications are rolling, application review happens mainly during Phase I and Phase II registration periods each semester.

5

Email: If you are accepted to the team, you will receive both an acceptance email from VIP and an email from OSCAR with your CRN. If you are not accepted to the team, you may apply to another team or wait until the following semester.

6

Student: Register for the appropriate team section using the CRN you received from OSCAR. If you are registering for more than one credit, make sure you also register for the appropriate lab section from the list below.

CRNs for 2 and 3-Credit Students

Students taking VIP for 2- or 3-credit hours need two Course Registration Numbers (CRNs), one for the VIP course and one for an unsupervised lab. You will receive the CRN for the course in an automated message from OSCAR. CRNs for corresponding labs can be found in the table below. Note: The 3-credit option is only available to graduate students and students using VIP for their final semester of a Junior or Senior Design sequence.

Course CRNLab CRN
VIP 360227515
VIP 460227518
VIP 460327520
VIP 660227524
VIP 6602 Online28494
VIP 660327526
VIP 6603 Online27792
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Requires VPN