Yamanashi Gakuin University – College of Liberal Arts

• Location: Kofu, Japan
• Year of foundation: 1946
• Number of students: more than 4200
• Language of instruction: English
• Type: mixed.

The College of Liberal Arts (iCLA) is an American-style liberal arts college offering four-year programs of study.

This institution belongs to Yamanashi Gakuin University, founded in 1946 with the aim of giving young people a decent education after a devastating war. By 2018, the university has undergone many changes, including becoming one of the outstanding in the field of sports: among the graduates there are more than 50 Olympic champions.

iCLA students have the opportunity to choose from a wide range of courses as part of an innovative curriculum that leads to a Bachelor of International Humanities degree. The primary language of instruction is English, but Japanese culture and language courses are taught in Japanese. Foreign students learn Japanese as a second language while mastering selected subjects.

More than 50% of students and about 60% of teachers come from abroad, creating a friendly multicultural environment.

Studying abroad is an integral part of the college curriculum, all students have the opportunity to study at foreign universities for one or two semesters. Japanese students are required to study for a year at a partner university abroad, foreign students can choose this option at will.

The College of Humanities is part of Yamanashi Gakuin University in conjunction with other specialized colleges:

• Jurisprudence
• Politics, public administration
• Business Administration
• Management information
• Health, nutrition
• Sports sciences
• Social sciences.

The living quarters of the hostel are single bedrooms in the block, where common showers and toilets, living rooms are equipped. On each floor there are three such apartments, each of which is prepared for eight residents.

Dormitory services:

• Round-the-clock laundry service.
• Round-the-clock video surveillance, security of the territory.
• Rooms for self-study and relaxation.
• Shops, cafes and restaurants in five to ten minutes on foot.

The annual cost of living and utility bills will cost the student $ 5,000, or 564,000 yen. A one-time non-refundable cleaning fee of 30,000 yen will be required upon check-in.

The residential building is directly connected to the educational building of the college, which guarantees convenience for students.

iCLA has a spacious dining room that provides weekday breakfasts, lunches and dinners on schedule. Students have the opportunity to purchase meal plans that make it more convenient to visit the canteen - you do not have to pay for food regularly and stand in line. Three meal plans a day will cost about $ 3,000 / 350,000 yen per year. Kitchen chefs try to take into account the dietary needs and limitations of each student. For students, whose dietary recommendations cannot be followed, a kitchen-studio has been created in the dining room part, giving the opportunity to cook food for yourself.

Also on campus you can find several coffee shops where students can purchase drinks and snacks.

For international students, iCLA has created a Language Learning Center: with the help of digital technologies, an extensive library of materials, students can learn both English and Japanese.

Yamanashi Gakuin University holds large-scale school festivals twice a year, at which student clubs set up kiosks for the sale of souvenir goods and festive food. Such festivals give students a chance to demonstrate their talents by organizing performances of dance and music groups.

The institution has many clubs of different subjects: from sports to creativity, from religion to medicine. New students usually join existing associations, but some create their own - for example, animation clubs, photography, a ski club were opened relatively recently.

What to see off campus:

• Mount Fuji – open for climbing in the summer months from July to September. Locals offer a guide.
• Shingen-ko Festival: a celebration in honor of Takeda Shingen, the famous military leader of Japan. During the festival, a procession of 1,000 samurai passes through the city, which got into the Guinness Book of Records.
• Skiing and snowboarding from the mountainsides in the Yamanashi area.
• Onsen are Japanese hot springs.

• The curriculum includes a year of study abroad in one of 70 partner universities, in more than 30 countries.
• The ratio of students to teachers is 5:1.
• More than 40 nationalities can be found in the college.

The campus of the institution is located in the city of Yamanashi, a 90-minute drive from Tokyo.  Yamanashi is famous for its beautiful scenery, historical sites, many natural and city attractions, fruit and grape gardens and, of course, the legendary Mount Fuji.

The campus can be safely called ultra-modern - the classrooms use new equipment that provides effective learning: projectors, interactive whiteboards, lighting settings in the premises, computers and tablets.

Students study in large and bright classrooms, specialized laboratories and computer rooms. The library is equipped with a book depository, a reading room and computers for Internet access. Throughout the university there is WiFi and a wired connection.

Sports facilities include both outdoor areas for team games, and indoor gyms, gymnasiums.

The school year in Japan begins in April and ends a year later in March. At the end of July and until the end of August, summer holidays are organized.

The academic year at iCLA is divided into two semesters of 16 weeks each:

• Spring: April-first week of August,
• Autumn: August-December.

The EAE Winter Program runs from mid-January to the first week of March.

Check-in in the dormitory and orientation week takes place in advance - before the beginning of each of the semesters.

Additional costs:

• Accommodation – 5000$/564 000 yen per year.
• Meals – 3000$/350 000 yen per year.
• The dormitory fee is 225$/30,000 yen (one-time).
• The registration fee is $1750/233,170 yen (one-time).
• Equipment fee – 3300$/440 000 yen per year.
• Books, consumables as needed.
• Public transport, leisure.
• Personal spending.

Step-by-step admission to iCLA:

• Choose a program and make sure you fit the entry requirements
• Fill in the online form, upload the necessary documents
• Pay the registration fee
• Wait for an invitation to an interview and the date of its conduct online / by phone
• Wait for notification of the results.

For admission, applicants must provide:

• High school diploma equivalent to a high school diploma in Japan (12 grades)
• Academic Reference
• SAT Test Results
• English language test results: TOEFL (from 76 points for iBT, 550 points for PBT), IELTS (not lower than 5.5)
• Personal documents: passport, medical insurance, visa, etc.
• Individual achievements if available
• Two letters of recommendation
• The registration fee is 53$/7000 yen.

Applications are accepted in the following months:

• For the spring semester: from the end of March to August,
• For the autumn semester: from the end of August to December.

Scholarship programs covering tuition, accommodation and equipment fees based on academic, athletic merit or financial needs:

• Full scholarship covering 100%
• Scholarship 3/4 – 75%
• Scholarship covering 50%
• Scholarship 1/4 – 25%.

The institution also provides a list of external scholarships for international students, for example, JASSO.

• Guardianship services during the studies
• Student supervision