| Spring 2025: EXCHANGE Soka, Japan |
| September 09, 2024 - July 25, 2025 |
| This program is closed. Please contact the faculty director for more information. |
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| Meetings | |
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| Program Notes | |
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| This program is highly competitive and will accept only a limited number of applicants. Interview appointments and acceptance decisions are at the discretion of the faculty director. |
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| Minimum GPA |
3.0 |
| Prerequisite |
JAPN 107 |
| Visa Required/ Fee |
Yes/ additonal student cost |
| Start Date |
September 2024 |
| End Date |
July 2025 |
Passport: All applicants must have a valid passport by the program’s application deadline. Your passport’s expiration date must be more than six months after the program ends. If you do not have a current passport, apply through the U.S. State Department. It takes an average of 8-11 weeks (2-3 months) to process a passport.
Visa: All international students enrolled at Japanese universities are required to obtain a student visa for the duration of their stay in Japan . A Student Visa application can only be completed once students have received their Certificate of Enrollment from Soka University.
Covid: Please review the CGPS COVID-19 Updates page before applying to a study abroad program for information about COVID-19 related travel requirements and policies for UD study abroad.
Traveling and studying abroad at this time poses new challenges and requires accepting a higher level of uncertainty than in the past. Students who choose to study abroad must be prepared to adapt to evolving situations and must take responsibility to act in accordance with the rules, regulations, and recommendations of UD, their program leadership, and legal authorities of their home and host country which are subject to change at any time.
The University will continue to monitor the ongoing situation with COVID-19 (coronavirus) as we approach the departure date for this program. Please reach out to your program coordinator or faculty director with questions and continue to monitor the UD coronavirus webpage for updates. If UD decides to cancel a study abroad program, we will communicate directly with affected students. |
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| Program Description | |
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APPLICATIONS FOR 25 SPRING ONLY OPEN TO STUDENTS ACCEPTED FOR FALL 24 SEMESTER
Spend a full year (fall and then spring semester) studying in Japan through a partnership/exchange between the University of Delaware and Soka University. Two deserving student participants each year will receive generous scholarships covering full tuition and housing for this exchange. Students will be expected to pay for their own airfare and miscellaneous living expenses.
At beautiful Soka University, located in Hachioji City, a suburb of Tokyo and home to many colleges and universities, students will engage in intensive Japanese language study, and live with other international and Japanese students in dormitories within walking distance of campus. Students will also be able to take advantage of the many student clubs and teams available on campus. Students will have the opportunity to take a course or courses their second semester in a subject other than Japanese, depending on their level of preparation.
General Info/ Student Life
Soka University is located in Hachioji, a suburb of Tokyo and major university community, and founded on the principles of humanistic education. Standing among the verdant forests of the Tama foothills, the spacious, 810,000-square meter campus represents an ideal environment for scholarship and for the fostering of genuinely capable, contributive individuals.
Soka University was launched with four departments in three faculties—the faculties of Economics, Law, and Letters (housing the departments of English Literature and Sociology). Since then, Soka University has made remarkable development in every area including the creation of the Institute of the Japanese Language, offering Japanese language instruction for international students.
Soka University's international exchange program is one of the most vigorous in Japan. The university has established exchange agreements with dozens of universities all over the world.
More than 50,000 students have graduated from Soka University since its founding and are now making their own contributions to Japanese and international society. The present student enrollment in the university is nearly 8,000.
Language: English and Japanese
Calendar: The Fall semester runs from early September through January with a short winter break in December. Spring semester runs from April to July. Students should keep in mind that they will be on break from the end of January through the beginning of April and plan accordingly.
Transportation: There is a public transport network available, primarily rail service, through Hachioji. Many facilities on the University campus are within walking distance of each other.
Housing: On-campus housing. Please note that Soka University expects exchange students to abide by the rules for communal living and also to attend group events. All students are required to stay in program sponsored housing, independent housing arrangements are not allowed by UD or the program partners.
Student Life: Soka has a large number of clubs and events in which international students are encouraged to participate. |
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| ACCESSIBILITY: Students with disabilities are welcomed and encouraged to study abroad, but should be aware that accessibility and accommodation in some program locations may differ from the United States. Transit systems and legacy building construction practices may not meet U.S. accessibility standards, and alternative access to public transportation, buildings, or public sites cannot be guaranteed. Review these questions with the Office of Disability Support Services to determine whether this program can meet your accommodation needs. |
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| Program Courses | |
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| All students must enroll in the 0-credit course UNIV 550 (placeholder for this travel study experience) and UNIV 372 (Discovery Learning marker). |
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Depending on their level of Japanese, students can enroll in courses in the Japanese Study Center program, or in a variety of other subjects in English or Japanese. Participants will also take a placement test upon arrival at Soka University to determine their level of Japanese proficiency for placement in Japanese courses. Course levels in Japanese language range from elementary to advanced. Students must earn the equivalent of "C-" grade or better in order for credit to transfer to UD.
Before committing to the program students are encouraged to meet with their assistant dean or academic advisor to ensure that credits earned on the program will facilitate their progress towards graduation.It is the student's responsibility to secure the necessary UD transfer credit permissions prior to departure according to UD's standard transfer credit procedure, and to have an official transcript from the host institution sent to UD upon the conclusion of the exchange semester. |
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| UNIV 372-026: Study Abroad - EXCHANGE Soka, Japan (0 credits) pass/fail |
| Students are asked to reflect upon changes in their knowledge, skills, and attitudes that occur due to their exchange experience |
| Satisfies the following requirements: |
| | Discovery Learning |
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| Requirements | |
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Prerequisite: JAPN 107 completed prior to application date.
If you would like to apply, please submit the following on or before the deadline:
- the online application form
- one recommendations from a UD professor, preferably a Japanese language instructor
Students applying for the Soka program for their final year of study must be enrolled in the Japanese Major or Three Languages major with Japanese as L1 or L2 before the application deadline. After acceptance, students will receive guidance on how to apply and be admitted to Soka University.
**Students need to submit UD Study Abroad applications for Fall and Spring sessions for this yearlong program |
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| Costs | |
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Other important things to note:
- CGPS reserves the right to cancel a program at any time due to under-enrollment, safety/health/security issues, staffing issues, or any other relevant reason.
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Tuition and housing costs are covered by the scholarship; no fees are paid to UD. In addition, Soka University will provide a stipend of 50,000 ¥ per month. Airfare, meals, and personal expenses are covered by the student.
The University of Delaware’s differential charge for Engineering, Nursing and Business & Economics students does not apply to winter or summer session and is waived for students enrolled in semester- or year-long study abroad and exchange programs sponsored by the University.
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| Deadlines | |
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| All application materials are due by 5:00pm on the dates listed below: |
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| Submit Program Application by 5pm on | March 14, 2024 |
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| Please note that this program is highly competitive and will accept only a limited number of applicants. |
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| Contacts | |
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| Mark Miller |
| Faculty Director |
| Foreign Languages and Literatures |
| markm@udel.edu |
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| Eric VanLuvanee |
| Faculty Director |
| Foreign Languages and Literatures |
| ericv@udel.edu |
| Advisor |
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| Program information is subject to change at any time. Please check this web site periodically for updates. |
