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Zen Sitting Meditation

Purpose
Kumamoto University's Short-Term Exchange Program is designed for students who are enrolled as full-time students at a university abroad and who have foreign citizenship. The program allows undergraduate foreign students who are interested in the Japanese language, Japanese and Asian society and culture, advanced science and technology, and interacting with foreign students the chance to study abroad for at most a year in Japan while still retaining their full-time status at their home universities. In addition, the university hopes that the program will promote exchange between university students from foreign countries and Japanese university students.

Available Programs
Course I (Short-Term Exchange Program I)
As a general rule, this course is for those who are students at universities that have an exchange agreement in place with Kumamoto University. Students in this course will take mainly classes in specialized subjects that are taught in English, as well as classes in the Japanese language and Japanese Studies.

Course II (Short-Term Exchange Program II)
This course is designed for those who are students at universities that have an exchange agreement in place with Kumamoto University, as well as special auditing students. Students in this course will take classes in specialized subjects that are taught in English or Japanese, as well as classes in the Japanese language and Japanese Studies.

Course III (Japanese Studies Program)
This course is aimed toward those who are Japanese Studies Students (Japanese Government Scholarship Students). Students in this course will take Japanese Studies Program courses, classes in specialized subjects and the liberal arts that are taught in Japanese, as well as classes in the Japanese language and Japanese Studies.

*Regarding graduate school students
Those who are registered as full-time graduate school students at their home university and who are studying abroad at Kumamoto University for either six months or a full year will not be able to participate in any of the university's short-term exchange programs described above. These students will be considered special auditing students and will be able to audit short term exchange program courses. No credits will be awarded however.

Period of Acceptance
Students are generally accepted for a term of one year that starts in either October or April of any given calendar year.

Academic Calendar

Fall term: October 1 to March 31
October 1	Fall term starts
Mid-October to late October	Registration for fall classes
October 30-November 1	School festival
November 1	Anniversary of the founding of Kumamoto University
December 25-January 10	Winter vacation
Late January to early February	Fall term final exams
Early February	Completion ceremony for short-term exchange students
March 31	Fall term ends
Spring term: April 1 to September 30
April 1	Spring term starts
Mid-April to late April	Registration for spring classes
End of July to early August	Spring term final exams
Early August	Completion ceremony for short-term exchange students
August 11-September 30	Summer vacation
September 30	Spring term ends

Qualifications for Applicants
Course I (Short-Term Exchange Program I)
1) As a general rule, applicants should currently be full-time 3rd-year undergraduate students at universities that have an exchange agreement in place with Kumamoto University and who have foreign citizenship.
2) Applicants should not have any physical or emotion handicaps that would prevent them from carrying out their studies.
*The list of the foreign universities which have concluded exchange agreements with Kumamoto University, please click here.

Course II(Short-Term Exchange Program II)
1) Applicants should currently be full-time undergraduate students at universities that have an exchange agreement in place with Kumamoto University.
2) Applicants should not have any physical or emotion handicaps that would prevent them from carrying out their studies.

Course III (Japanese Studies Program)
1) Applicants should be Japanese studies students (Japanese Government Scholarship Students).

Student Affiliations/Status
1) Students will be assigned to the department of their choice as much as possible.
2) Students will have the status of "special auditing student."

Class Selection
Students will select the classes they wish to take after discussing it with their academic advisor and receiving his/her approval during the predetermined guidance period.

Certification of Credits
Credits for classes completed by students will be approved by the faculty of the respective academic department each student belongs to. Academic transcripts will then be issued to students.

Program Completion
Students who have completed at least 10 credits during each of the fall and spring terms and a cumulative total of at least 20 credits during the year will receive a "Certificate of Completion".

Requirements for Program Completion
Course I (Short-Term Exchange Program I)
Description

• Short-term exchange program course conducted in English
• apanese language and Japanese studies course

Number of Credits: Students should acquire a total at least 20 credits, of which at least 12 credits　are from short-term exchange program classes taught in English.
*Students should submit an independent research report.
*Students should complete at least 10 credits each term.

Course II (Short-Term Exchange Program II)
Description

• Short-term exchange program course conducted in English
• Regular courses for undergraduate students of each faculty conducted in Japanese, General education courses conducted in Japanese
• Japanese language and Japanese studies course

Number of Credits: Students should acquire a total of at least 20 credits.
*Students should submit an independent research report.
*Students should complete at least 10 credits each term.

Course III (Japanese Studies Program)
Description

• Japanese Studies Program courses*
• Regular courses for undergraduate students of each faculty conducted in Japanese, General education courses conducted in Japanese
• Japanese language and Japanese studies course

Number of Credits: Students should acquire a total of at least 20 credits.
*Students should submit a research report suited to their goal(s) for studying abroad.
*Students should complete at least 10 credits each term.
*For more information on these classes, please see the "Course Guide of Japanese Studies Program"

Application Process for Kumamoto University Short-Term Exchange Programs

Application Deadline (In case of 2009-2010 academic year)
For those starting in October 2009 >> Mid-April, 2009
For those starting in April 2010 >> November 30, 2009

Application Address
- For applicants who are enrolled at universities that have a university-wide exchange agreement in place with Kumamoto University:
*Please send all application materials to the following address after having them reviewed by the person in charge of the International Affairs Office at your university:
  International Student Office, Kumamoto University
  2-40-1, Kurokami, Kumamoto 860-8555 JAPAN

- For applicants who are enrolled at universities that have an individual departmental exchange agreement in place with Kumamoto University:
*Please send all application materials directly to the person in charge at the appropriate department at Kumamoto University after having them reviewed by the person in charge of the International Affairs Office at your university.
Schedule
*(A): For those who plan to come to in April
*(B): For those who plan to come to in October

*Period				Process
*(A)		*(B)
Previous Sep.		Mar.		Submission of application materials
Previous Oct. - Jan.		Apr.- Jun.		Screening of applicants
Feb.		Jul.		Successful applicants will be sent a "Letter of Acceptance" and enrollment materials
Early Apr.		Early Oct.		Successful applicants come to Kumamoto
Early Apr.		Early Oct.		Orientation and the start of the spring classes

Scholarships for Kumamoto University Short-Term Exchange Program Students
There are two main types of scholarships for Kumamoto University Short-Term Exchange Program Students, those being: 1) JASSO Short-Term Student Exchange Promotion Program scholarships and 2) Japanese Language and Japanese Culture Study Program scholarships.

Regarding the admission procedures (required documents, application deadline, etc.) for the Special Program for International Postgraduate Students, please go to the homepage of the Graduate School of Science and Technology.