AOYAMA GAKUIN UNIVERSITY (AGU)
STUDENT EXCHANGE
PROGRAM
~Guide for Exchange Partner Institutions~
-April 2009-
AOYAMA GAKUIN UNIVERSITY STUDENT EXCHANGE PROGRAM
1. ACADEMIC YEAR
Aoyama Gakuin University has two semesters, and the following is a typical academic year:
<1st Semester>
1st week of April
Orientation week for exchange students
2nd week of April~
1st Semester classes begin
3rd week of July
1st Semester classes end, Exam period begins
July 31
1st Semester Ends
Aug 1~3rd Week of Sep
Summer Break
<2nd Semester>
3rd week of Sep
Orientation week for exchange students
Last week of Sep
2nd Semester classes begin
Dec 23~1st week of Jan
Winter Break
2nd week of Jan
Classes resume
3rd week of Jan
2nd Semester classes end
Last week of Jan~1st week of Feb
Final Exam period
2. PERIOD OF EXCHANGE STUDY
At Aoyama Gakuin University, exchange students can start their study either from the 1st
Semester or the 2nd Semester, for one semester only or for one academic year. However, students
should remember that many exchange students start their study from the 1st Semester, since the
number of courses available at the beginning of 2nd Semester is limited (please read
5.ACADEMIC INFORMATION for more information about course availability).
3. ELIGIBILITY
Applicants for AGU exchange program should:
(1) be a student at one of AGU partner institutions;
(2) have a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.5 or above (4.0 scale);
(3) have the Japanese language ability equivalent to Level 4 Japanese Language Proficiency Test
(please read 4. APPLICATION for more details).
Note: Applicants with Japanese citizenship can also be accepted as exchange students. Those who
have both Japanese and foreign citizenships should apply as a Japanese citizen.
4. APPLICATION
(1) Application Deadline
1st Semester (April) --- Mid November in previous year
2nd Semester (September) --- End of April
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(2) Application Documents
Available Online:
http://web.iec.aoyama.ac.jp/english/exchange/materials.html
(3) Japanese Language Proficiency Requirement
Although AGU offers some courses taught in English, the majority of courses (including
Japanese language classes) are taught in Japanese. Exchange students must have the Japanese
language ability equivalent to Level 4 Japanese Language Proficiency Test (standardized
language exam conducted by Japan Educational Exchanges and Services). According to Japan
Educational Exchanges and Services, a student with Level 4 “has mastered the basic elements
of grammar, knows around 100 Kanji and 800 words, and has the ability to engage in simple
conversation and to read and write short, simple sentences. This level is normally reached after
studying Japanese for around 150 hours and after completion of the first half of an elementary
course”.
(4) Selecting the Academic Department
Although exchange students can take courses from any department (please read the next section
for more details), they need to belong to one of 8 academic departments at Aoyama Gakuin
University, and the student`s department will be shown on the final transcript. Students should
select a department based on their field of study or on the courses they intend to take the most
from.
(5) New Academic Department
School of Cultural and Creative Studies is a new academic department established in 2008. In
2009, the 2nd year courses will be offered at Aoyama campus (3rd year courses will be in 2010,
4th year courses in 2011). This department offers courses on media culture, urban and
international culture, and art management.
5. ACADEMIC INFORMATION
(1) Courses Available for Exchange Students
Exchange students are allowed to enroll in most courses (except some restricted courses) from
any department, regardless of the department they belong to. They are usually enrolled in
required courses for exchange students (see the next section) along with some regular academic
courses, studying with Japanese students. Many courses at AGU start in April and continue
through the academic year (year-long courses). If a student is studying for Spring semester only
or starting his/her study in Fall, he/she will NOT be awarded credits for the year-long courses.
Majority of courses related to Japanese literature and English literature are year-long. There
are a number of one semester courses offered each semester, including Japanese language
courses for exchange students. Course listings for the 1st Semester becomes available in March,
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and the list of one semester courses starting in the 2nd Semester is available around June each
year. Please note that the course offerings are similar every year, and the course information
from the previous academic year would give the applicants fairly good ideas of what courses
would be offered in the coming year.
(2) Required Courses for Exchange Students
Exchange Students are required to enroll in four Japanese language courses designed for
exchange students. Each course is taught by a different instructor, and each of them meet once a
week (total four times a week, each one for 1.5 hours). Students will be divided into 5 Levels
(pre-intermediate to advanced), according to the result of a placement test conducted during
orientation week. Although some instructors understand English, all classes will be conducted in
Japanese. In addition, “Japanese Culture and Society” (“Nihon Jijo”) is offered (once a week).
Students will be divided into 5 Levels (corresponds with 5 Levels of Japanese language course).
Although the main purpose of this course is a study of Japanese language, many aspects of
Japanese culture and customs will be discussed in this course.
In addition to the Japanese language courses, exchange students are encouraged to take a
Japanology course every semester (once a week). “Japanology A”, which is offered in the 1st
semester, is taught by 3 instructors, each covering topics on Japanese economy, education, science,
language, etc. “Japanology B”, offered in the 2nd semester, will cover various traditional arts in
Japan (e.g. tea ceremony, flower art, calligraphy) by bringing in a number of guest speakers who
specializes in those arts.
(3) Japanese Class Level Placement
When students continue their study through the following semester, they may or may not move
up the Japanese class level. There are rules and regulations in regard to the level placement of
Japanese language classes, and they are different depending on which semester the student is
starting their exchange study.
<Students who study at AGU from Spring semester – Fall Semester>
Students will take only one placement test at the beginning, and they will move up one level in
their second semester unless they fail one or more of 4 courses they are supposed to take. If the
student is in either Level 1 or Level 2 and fail even one, they MUST repeat the same level the
following semester. For example, if a student passed Japanese IA, IB, and IC but failed ID, he/she
must repeat all of them – IA, IB, IC and ID. If the student is in Level 3 or higher and fail one or
more courses, they will repeat only the ones they failed. For example, if a student fail in 3D,
he/she will take 4A, 4B, 4C and 3D in the following semester.
<Students who study at AGU from Fall semester – Spring Semester>
Students will take a placement test in September (before the start of Fall semester) and again in
April (before the start of Spring semester). The students may or may not be placed in different
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level in the second semester, depending on the result of the placement test and the academic
performance in the first semester.
(4) Exemption of Required Courses
Although Japanese language courses and Japanese Culture & Society course are required
courses, students may be allowed not to take those courses for the following reasons:
-
the student needs to take other course(s) as a requirement at the home university, and it
conflicts with the timetable for the required courses at AGU.
-
the credits for the required courses cannot be transferred to the home university
-
the student is a graduate student, and he/she needs to focus on his/her academic research
-
other reasons approved by the International Exchange Center
(5) Courses Instructed in English
Some of the regular academic courses are instructed in English. They are open for both regular
Japanese students and international students. For a full list of courses in English, please contact
the exchange program coordinator. Moreover, some of the courses instructed in Japanese use
reading materials in English, and/or allow students to write assignment papers in English.
(6) Required Course Load and Sample Course Lists
Exchange students are required to enroll in at least 28 credits /year (14 credits / semester).
Japanese language courses total 8 credits / year (4 per semester). Therefore, exchange students
need to enroll in at least 20 more credits / year (10 per semester) in addition to these required
courses. A Year-long course is usually worth 4 credits, and semester-long 2 credits. Following are
sample course lists of English-speaking exchange students:
Sample 1 (Student in Pre-intermediate Japanese level)
<1st Semester>
Course Title
Number of Credits
Course Length
Japanese IA
1
1 semester
Japanese IB
1
1 semester
Japanese IC
1
1 semester
Japanese ID
1
1 semester
Japanese Culture & Society I
2
1 semester
Japanology A
2
1 semester
International Management I (English)
Seminar by Prof. Evanoff* (English)
2
8
1 semester
Year-long
4
Year-long
*International Dialogue on Environmental Issue
Calligraphy (Japanese)
4
<2nd Semester>
Japanese IIA
1
1 semester
Japanese IIB
1
1 semester
Japanese IIC
1
1 semester
Japanese IID
1
1 semester
Japanese Culture & Society II
2
1 semester
Japanology B
2
1 semester
Calligraphy (Japanese)
N/A
Year-long
Education for International Understandings (Japanese)
2
1 semester
Total Credits: 32
Sample 2 (Student in Intermediate Japanese level)
<1st Semester>
Course Title
Number of Credits
Course Length
Japanese IIA
1
1 semester
Japanese IIB
1
1 semester
Japanese IIC
1
1 semester
Japanese IID
1
1 semester
Japanese Culture & Society II
2
1 semester
Japanology A
2
1 semester
Management Accounting I (English)
2
1 semester
Language and Culture I (Mass media in US & Japan)
2
1 semester
4
Year-long
Japanese IIIA
1
1 semester
Japanese IIIB
1
1 semester
Japanese IIIC
1
1 semester
Japanese IIID
1
1 semester
Japanese Culture & Society III
2
1 semester
Japanology B
2
1 semester
American Thoughts and Cultures
N/A
Year-long
Education for International Understandings (Japanese)
2
1 semester
Management Accounting II (English)
2
1 semester
Language and Culture II (media in US & Japan) (Japanese)
2
1 semester
*Lecture is in Japanese, but reading materials are in English
American Thoughts and Cultures
*Lecture is in Japanese, but assignments can be written in English
<2nd Semester>
Total Credits: 30
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(7) Seminar
The “Seminar”, as the word is used in Japanese universities today, has its roots in the European
tutorial system. It is customarily pronounced “ze-mi” in the German way, and consists of a
relatively small number of students, typically 10 to 15, who study or conduct research under the
guidance of an instructor. The seminar courses are similar to independent study courses offered
at North American universities. Most seminar instructors hold summer and spring study camps
for 3 or 4 days each outside the campus. Seminar courses are much heavier in workload than
regular courses, and most students spend 2 to 5 times as many hours each week on preparation
for their seminars. Some of the professors of seminars in the Department of English Literature
and the School of International Politics and Economics are English speakers (although lectures
and discussions might be conducted in Japanese). Many exchange students found the seminar as
an ideal environment to improve their language skills as well as making Japanese friends.
(8) Number of Class as per Week
Majority of courses have the class lecture once a week only (1.5 hours). Foreign language courses
(including Japanese language course) and the seminars (see the previous section for details)
usually have classes twice a week. Exchange students are enrolled in two Japanese language
courses, and therefore they have Japanese language classes four times a week (6 hours in total).
(9) Selecting and Registering for Courses
Exchange students do not need to register for courses prior to their departure. There will be a
Course Registration Orientation during the orientation week, and the students select and
register courses with the help of Japanese student volunteers and IEC staff, after the orientation.
(10)
Grading System
Students are evaluated on the basis of the student’s performance in examinations --- written test,
thesis, term-paper, presentation and/or others. The highest possible score is 100 points. Scores of
60 and above are passing and scores of 59 and below are failing. A letter grade is given based on
the following criteria.
Score
Official transcript
Report to student
100－90
89－80
79－70
69－60
AA
A
B
C
59 or below
Absence
not indicated
XX
X
6. PRIOR TO DEPARTURE
(1) Pre Departure Time Line
<1st Semester Admission>
Mid Nov
Exchange Application & Dormitory Application Deadline
Late Dec
Confirmation of the student’s admission is sent to partner institution
Late Feb
Certificate of Eligibility is issued
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Deadline for Airport Assistance Service sign up
Late March ~ beginning of April
Students arrive at Tokyo
<2nd Semester Admission>
End of Apr.
Exchange Application & Dormitory Application Deadline
Late May
Confirmation of the student’s admission is sent to partner institution
End of July
Deadline for Airport Assistance Service sign up
Early August
Certificate of Eligibility is issued
Mid September Students arrive at Tokyo
(2) Immigration Procedure
All exchange students (except for those who have a Japanese passport) need a Student Visa, in
order to study at Japanese Universities. The Japanese University that accepts the student will
usually apply for an immigration paper called the Certificate of Eligibility, on behalf of the
student. This official paper issued by the immigration bureau of Japan is a certificate to prove
that the student is eligible to receive a student visa. As soon as the certificate is issued, AGU will
send it to the international office at the student’s home institution. An exchange coordinator at
the home institution or the student him/herself should bring the certificate to a local Japanese
consulate or embassy and apply for the student visa. Please note that a student with Japanese
citizenship does not need to go through any immigration procedure, before or after their arrival
(the student does need a Japanese passport issued).
(3) Health Insurance
Foreign residents are eligible to enroll in the National Health Insurance, just like any Japanese
citizens. All exchange students are required to enroll in the National Health Insurance, after
their arrival. It will cover 70% of the medical charge (except for some cost not covered by this
system; e.g. acupuncture, cosmetic surgery, etc), and the student is required to pay for the rest
(30%). Some exchange students buy an overseas traveler’s insurance in their home country as
well, but it is not required by AGU. The monthly fee for the National Health Insurance varies
depends on the area in which the student lives (average 1500yen /mon).
(4) Accommodation
Many exchange students live in student dormitories. Most of them will be placed in private
dormitories located in Kanagawa area (approx. 50min from the campus). Student dormitories
have some rules including curfew, and students who are not comfortable with those rules choose
to find apartments or share houses on their own. Apartments usually require a Japanese
guarantor, and our office will sign the contract as a guarantor. In this case however, the student
is required to pay for the JEES Renter’s Insurance program (7500yen for a year). In Tokyo, there
are also many guest houses (furnished houses shared by Japanese or foreign residents). Guest
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houses do not require expensive key money or guarantor as apartments do, and they are easy to
move in and out. If the student wishes to do homestay, there is a homestay agency that they can
contact (JTB Homestay Japan). Students should contact this agency individually. Please note
that homestay tends to be more expensive than living in dormitories or guest houses.
For more information about housing, please refer to our Housing Information handbook,
available online:
http://web.iec.aoyama.ac.jp/english/exchange/housing.html
7. ARRIVING IN TOKYO
(1) Arrival Date
Many students arrive on the day of our Airport Greeting Service, which is around two days before
the start of the orientation week. Students are free to arrive before this date, but students who
are moving into a student dormitory should make sure that the dormitory check-in is possible on
that day (some dorms are not open for check-in until a few days before the orientation week). Also,
students need to make sure that they receive the Certificate of Eligibility and obtain their
student visa before their departure. They should not, therefore, arrange their plane ticket to
arrive too early. If a student has a special reason to arrive before they receive the Certificate of
Eligibility, they should consult the International Exchange Center at AGU.
(2) Orientation Week
Orientation sessions for exchange students will cover the following topics:
-Alien Registration Procedure
-National Health Insurance
-Immigration Procedure for traveling outside Japan during the exchange study period
-AGU International Exchange Foundation Scholarship
-Part-time Work
-Course Registration
-Earthquakes
During the Orientation Week, there are also various events such as:
-Japanese Language Placement Test
-Day Trip
-Meeting tutors (student volunteers) and Campus Tour
-Welcome Luncheon
(3) Support for Exchange Students
(a) The International Exchange Center (IEC)
The student exchange program at AGU is mainly handled by the International Exchange
Center. Most IEC staff are bilingual (Japanese and English) with cross-cultural experiences.
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IEC staff will conduct various orientation sessions upon the students’ arrival and be in
contact with the exchange students throughout their study period, providing the support and
the information they need.
(b) Exchange Student Advisors
Every year, two or three faculty members (one of them is English-speaking) are appointed as
the exchange student advisors to provide advices on academic and personal matters.
(c) Tutor (Student Volunteers)
Japanese student (or regular international student) will be assigned to every 2 – 3 exchange
students, to provide peer support throughout the year (at some universities, they are called
buddies). They are highly motivated students who volunteered to help international students.
At AGU, student interest for becoming a tutor is very high (more than 100 applicants for
about 30 positions), and many of the tutors remain in contact with the exchange students
after they go back to their home countries.
(4) Social and Cultural Events
IEC will organize various social and cultural events for international students throughout the
academic year. In 2008, we had the following events:
-Monthly International Coffee Meetings (social gatherings where international students and
Japanese students meet and chat over coffee, play games, etc. On average, 100 students attend in
each meeting.)
-Field Trips (May 2008: Tie-dye handkerchief making and strawberry harvesting in Tochigi, Nov
2008: Overnight trip including noodle making and grape vineyard visit in Yamanashi)
-Japanese Traditional Candy Art Lesson
-Dinner with faculty advisors
-Watching Kabuki and Sumo
-Xmas Party
-Farewell Party
(5) Money Matters
(a) Living in Tokyo
Tokyo is considered to be one of the most expensive cities to live in. However, there are many
discount stores (e.g. 100 yen shops, similar to dollar stores) and reasonable restaurants.
Shibuya, the area where AGU is located, has a large shopping district for young people, and
the students can find a number of shops with reasonable prices within a walking distance.
The following list shows the average prices for various items:
Lunch (on campus cafeteria)
¥230─¥480
Lunch (restaurants)
¥700─¥1,000
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Fast food burger combo
¥400─¥600
Pizza (25cm)
¥1,600─¥2,500
Dinner (restaurants)
¥1,000─¥2,000
Coffee (Medium Size)
¥300─¥360
Mobile phone (student rate)
¥2,100─¥6,300/month
Movie (student rate)
¥1,500
Newpaper
¥120
Magazine
¥200─¥420
Public Bus fare
¥200
Taxi
¥660+
*Prices given are on average
(b) Scholarships
AGU offers the JASSO scholarships to some of the partner institutions. However, the
number of the spots available is limited, and a priority is given to partners with larger
number of students being exchanged. AGU has its own scholarship for international students,
called AGU International Exchange Foundation Scholarship (100,000yen/year). Exchange
students can apply to this scholarship, a few months after their arrival. There will be an
interview (conducted in Japanese) as a part of selection process, which is usually very
competitive.
(c) Part-Time Work
Exchange students can work part-time (maximum 28 hours a week) on or off campus, with a
proper work permit. The work permit can be obtained at the Immigration Bureau (students
must attend the orientation session on part-time work first). About 60% of exchange students
have part-time jobs --- on-campus bookstore, language schools, café and restaurants, etc.
8. AOYAMA GAKUIN CHAT ROOM
Aoyama Gakuin Chat Room is an international lounge where international students and
Japanese students can communicate each other in foreign languages. Currently, the Chat Room
has English sessions and Japanese sessions available.
English Sessions
In English sessions, English-speaking exchange students can work as “Chat Leaders” who
facilitates local students practice their English speaking skills. Chat Leaders will be paid some
remuneration for each session (in 2008, approx. 8 US dollars per 40 min. session). For students
who are interested in working at Chat Room, an information session will be held during the
arrival orientation week.
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Japanese Sessions
In Japanese sessions, exchange students can practice their Japanese speaking skills with
Japanese Chat Leaders. In each session, there are 3 levels – Beginner, Intermediate and
Advanced. Participating in these sessions is free of charge. Please note that the students will
not receive any academic credits from attending these sessions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: When do the students receive the official final transcript?
A: For the students who end their exchange study at the end of Fall semester, the transcript will
be sent to them in late March. For the ones who end their study at the end of Spring semester,
they will receive the transcript in late September. Students will receive the transcript in
Japanese and in English (1 copy each), and their home universities receive 1 copy of English
transcript.
Q: What happens if my student needs to take certain academic courses and their time schedules
conflict with required Japanese language courses?
A: If the student needs to take those academic courses as a requirement of his/her home
university, that should be considered as the higher priority.
Q: My student was placed in Level 1 (the lowest level) Japanese language classes, but he has
already completed a few years of Japanese at our university. Can this be a mistake?
A: Our Japanese language classes start from intermediate level (there is no beginner level). Most
students placed in Level 3 to 5 are from Asian countries where people are familiar with Chinese
characters.
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CONTACT INFORMATION
AOYAMA GAKUIN UNIVERSITY
INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE CENTER
4-4-25 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-8366 JAPAN
TEL: +81-3-3409-8156
FAX: +81-3-3409-7923
Email: iec-office@iec.aoyama.ac.jp
http://web.iec.aoyama.ac.jp
EXCHANGE PROGRAM COORDINATORS
Inbound Exchange (Overseas to Japan)
Aya Nagasaku (Ms.)
anagasaku@jm.aoyama.ac.jp
Outbound Exchange (Japan to Overseas): North America, UK & Oceania
Yuki Harano (Ms.)
yharano@jm.aoyama.ac.jp
Outbound Exchange (Japan to Overseas): Other Countries
Kyoko Yoshida (Ms.)
kyyoshida@jm.aoyama.ac.jp
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