1. The exchange programs

Monash University has exchange agreements with twelve prominent universities in Japan. Students who want to study at a Japanese university with the benefit of credit transfer are invited to apply for the program.

If you are admitted, you will enrol in Monash University and study at a Japanese university. Since you will pay HECS or a tuition fee to Monash University, you need not pay tuition fees to the Japanese university. Accommodation is also provided by the Japanese university at a cost.

When you apply for admittance to a university, you will apply for a Japanese government scholarship (JASSO or Monkashoo-Japanese Studies) at the same time.

You may still study in Japan if you are not successful with the scholarship. In such cases, however, the student will have to finance himself/herself except for tuition fees.

The Kanazawa program, which enables students to study intensively in Japan (and for which scholarships are available), is part of the Japanese 5 & 6 language course and is not related to the information described here. An information session for the Kanazawa program will be held in Semester 2 (details to be announced later).

2. Who is eligible to apply for the exchange programs and scholarships?

• Arts students who have completed or are due to complete 48 credit points of study at Monash before commencing the exchange program (If you are not an Arts student, please see the Monash Abroad website for your home faculty's requirements)
• Students who have a credit average (60%) minimum (higher grade requirements apply for some universities)
• Students who have an active enrolment at Monash, and have obtained approval from the faculty to apply
• If you are accepted by a Japanese university, you are going to Japan as a Monash student. You should NOT defer totally from Monash University.

Please see Monash University's overall eligibility requirements for further details.

Students who are able to study a full-time load of Japanese language or cultural units in Japan and have them credited towards their Monash degree. A full-time load is defined as 18-24 credit points per semester.

For honours students, a full-time load for the purposes of exchange to Japan is defined as 24 credit points per year. In some cases it is possible to gain credit for other areas of study whilst on exchange to Japan. Please contact Monash Abroad for more details.

3. When, what and at which university can you study?

When

Students usually go on exchange from the second semester in the second year, or from the first semester in the third year.

All places are for the duration of six to twelve months, but usually scholarships will be given to students studying in Japan for one year.

What

The majority of Monash students participate in an exchange program conducted in English at a host university. The students can study units in Japanese language, Japanese studies, and possibly other areas. Please see the partners website and its links for details.

A student with intermediate Japanese language competence and majoring in Japanese can participate in a dedicated Japanese Studies Program (日本語日本文化研修生プログラム), which is offered by some partner universities.

A student with very high proficiency in Japanese, equivalent to N1 (in some cases N2) of JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test), may be allowed to take units conducted in Japanese. However, because of the language barrier, other Monash faculties and schools do not usually give credits for these units. In that case, any unit conducted in Japanese could be counted as a Monash Japanese language unit. Please see the JLPT website for details.

Where

See Japanese exchange universities for details on partner universities exchange students can attend.

4. What types of scholarships are available?

Scholarships are very competitive; approximately 30 percent of Monash exchange students going to Japan receive the AIEJ Scholarship, Japanese Studies Scholarships, or a host university scholarship.

Please note that the scholarships listed here are only those whose applications are organised by the School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics as part of our exchange program. Information about many other scholarships, to both Japan and elsewhere, is available in the Scholarships Bulletin, which is a publication of the Monash Research Graduate School.

The scholarships listed below have been offered in the past, but we cannot guarantee that they will always be offered.

The following chart shows the types of scholarships and what each scholarship includes:

A 2011 Honours student received the Prime Minister’s Australia Asia Endeavour Awards and studies at a host university in Japan.

Students who do not receive any scholarship will receive a Monash Abroad Travel Grant.

5. Information Sessions

Every year, information sessions on the exchange programs and scholarships are held twice (usually in March and in October) at Monash, Clayton Campus. Details of forthcoming sessions can be found on the Monash Abroad website.

Please attend at least one of these sessions before submitting your application. Applicants are selected by an exchange programs and scholarships committee.

Information from past information sessions can be accessed below:

April 2012 presentation (pdf)
April 2012 FAQ Handout (pdf)

6. How can students apply for exchange programs?

Application forms

Students need to complete both a Monash Abroad exchange application and also a Japanese exchange scholarship application. Both forms can be downloaded from the Monash Abroad website.

Selecting a university

Applying to go on exchange to Japan differs from other countries because students do not select just one university. Instead, students must list the universities in order of preference on the Japanese Exchange Scholarship form. The selection committee will then decide which university to you will be nominated for. Please write the university of your first preference on the top of the study plan in the Monash Abroad application.

Study plan

Because you do not know which university you will be going to, you cannot fill in the unit titles on the proposed study plan in the Monash Abroad application form, so leave this blank. Fill in the unit names of the Monash Japanese Studies or Language units that you wish to get credit for (e.g. Japanese 8, a third year Japanese language elective, a third year Japanese Studies unit, etc.) and arrange to see Dr Hashimoto to get them approved. You will be enrolled in LCL study abroad units listed below for both Japanese language and Japanese/Asian studies units. You then need to take your study plan to the exchange adviser at the Arts faculty office to get it signed off at the bottom of the page.

• ATS2131/3131 - LCL Language Study Abroad 2A/3A - 6 pts
• ATS2134/3134 - LCL Language Study Abroad 2D/3D - 12 pts
• ATS2132/3132 - LCL Language Study Abroad 2B/3B - 6 pts
• ATS2133/3133 - LCL Language Study Abroad 2C/3C - 12 pts
• ATS4131 - LCL Language Study Abroad 1 (Honours)
• ATS4132 - LCL Language Study Abroad 2 (Honours)

Please remember that you need to enrol in at least 18 points of study abroad subjects per semester while you are in Japan (12 points for Honours students.)

Once you have arrived in Japan, and have confirmed the units you will be studying, you will need to inform Dr Hashimoto. When you return to Australia, you need to bring back copies of any assessment that you submit to the Japanese university, to ensure that you can gain credit for your studies in Japan. More information about this will be given at the Pre-Departure session for successful applicants.

For double degree students

As well as getting the Exchange Adviser from Arts to sign the form, you also need to get the signature of the Exchange Adviser from the other faculty you are studying in. Getting credit for units that are not Japanese culture or language can be quite difficult, due to the limited range of subjects taught in English at Japanese universities. Please discuss this with Richenda Russell at Monash Abroad if you need any more information.

Deadlines

To commence exchange in December, March or April (equivalent to Monash semester 1):
1^st June (previous year)

To commence exchange in September or October (equivalent to Monash semester 2):
1^st December (previous year)

7. FAQs

What will happen after I submit my application?

Monash screens applications, notifies selected candidates, and recommends them to host universities. A host university screens applications and recommends some students to the government for the scholarships. It will be a long process, and students will be informed about acceptance and scholarship a few months prior to the departure.

Which Monash units will I be enrolled in while on exchange in Japan?

In order to go on exchange a student will need to enrol in Monash units totalling 18-24 points per semester. A student is usually instructed to enrol in Arts exchange units, which are considered to be equivalent to Japanese language and Japanese/Asian studies units offered at Monash. Student will not receive regular marks and grades for these exchange units: results will be recorded as satisfactory or non-satisfactory only. Host universities in Japan may issue exchange students with certificates or statements of results, but these will not form part of students’ academic record at Monash.

Where will I live?

Students lives in the halls of residence of a host university. Some are located on campus, but some are not. You may need to take a bicycle or public transport. Usually you will be provided with a well equipped modern room with bed, desk, small refrigerator, and bathroom. However, these conditions vary from university to university.

How much does it cost to live in Japan as an exchange student?

Minimum expenses are for accommodation, transport and meals.

• Accommodation: It is usually subsidized by the Japanese government or a host university and the fee is not very high, approx $300~500 per month including water and electricity.
• Transport: If you live on campus, you will incur no transport costs to go to your university. If you take a train or bus, it may cost $5~10 per day.
• Meals: You may find prices of groceries and eating out in Japan is lower than in Melbourne. For example, buying lunch at a Japanese university costs much less than doing so at Monash Campus Centre.
• Other costs: It totally depends on a student’s lifestyle, but you may find it not so expensive as you think. The Japan National Tourism Organization website has a comparative guide to costs of some everyday consumer items

How many exchange students does Monash send to Japan?

Approximately 20 students each year.

What are the merits of going on exchange to Japan?

• Improving Japanese language competence
• Developing understanding of Japanese culture, society and people
• Making friends with local and international students from all over the world. Many students claim that one of the best and unexpected outcomes of exchange in Japan was making very good friends from various parts of the world.
• Becoming mature and independent person
• Getting an advantage in the job market. A comment from a recent returnee student: “I have secured a position with a large accounting firm and my year in Japan is what set me apart from other applicants. My recruiters were extremely keen to discuss my experiences while on exchange. You yourself may be surprised at the skills and talents you develop while away. You’ll be amazed at how much you’ll change. And it will definitely give you a competitive advantage when it comes time to enter the workforce.”

See more student voices below.

What is the difference between exchange and the Kanazawa in-country program?

For more information see:
International exchange program
Kanazawa in-country program

8. Student Voices

Alumni voices

Alexandra Hambleton
(Arts, Honours in 2004-2005), 2002, Seikei University; 2004, Saitama University; 2006- University of Tokyo

Post-exchange voices

Anna Lintern
(Arts/Engineering) 2009-2010, Waseda University, Tokyo

Mai Go
(Arts/Law) 2009-2010, Tsukuba University, Ibaraki

Scott Godinagh
(Arts, Honours in 2011) 2009-2010, Saitama University, Saitama

Sophie Ghiggino
(Arts/Commerce) 2009-2010, Ochanomizu University, Tokyo

Sovira Chhum
(Arts, Honours in 2011) 2009-2010, Nagoya University, Aichi

Lance Truong
(Arts, Honours in 2010-2011) 2007-2008 and 2010-2011, Nagoya University, Aichi

Paul Tucker
(Arts/Science) 2009-2010, Osaka University, Osaka

Rukmal De Silva
October 2007 - March 2008, Chiba University, Chiba

Gabrielle Metherall - Essay in Japanese
Gabrielle Metherall - Essay in English
April 2007 - March 2008, Waseda University, Tokyo

Madeline Prowse
March 2007 - February 2008, Seikei University, Tokyo

Melissa Cheung
April 2006 - March 2007, Waseda University, Tokyo

9. Further Information

If you would like more information about exchanges with Japan please contact one of the following:

General Enquiries

Phone: 9905-2223 (Jocelyne Mohamudally)
Email: Arts-LCL-Enquiries@monash

Academic Enquiries

Dr Hiroko Hashimoto
Room: W410, Building 11, Clayton Campus
Phone: 9905-2288 Hiroko.Hashimoto@monash.edu