Kyoto Program
 Please note: Only students registered in the undergraduate College of the University of Chicago may apply to this consortially-sponsored program through Chicago. Students at one of the other KCJS universities should apply through their home institution. Students at non-KCJS institutions should contact the KCJS office at Columbia University (phone: 212-854-6333) to inquire about making an application.

General Description:
      


Bridge in Takayama
Alexandra Frons '09

The University of Chicago Kyoto program provides students in the College with an opportunity to study for an academic year in the ancient capital of Japan. The headquarters for the program is the Kyoto Center for Japanese Studies (KCJS), a facility operated by Columbia University on behalf of a consortium of fourteen American universities including the University of Chicago. The academic year is divided into two semesters in keeping with the academic calendar of most of the universities in the consortium. Japanese language study is central to the Kyoto program, and students will devote at least half their time both semesters to an intensive double-credit language course pitched at an advanced level. Beyond this, they take two courses per semester in Japanese culture, literature, art, history, or politics. In the spring semester they are given the option of substituting an independent study course for one of the non-language courses. Instruction in the non-language courses is in English or a combination of English and Japanese. At the end of the program KCJS personnel are happy to help program participants arrange summer internships as a means of rounding out their Japanese experience, although this is not an established part of the program and cannot therefore be guaranteed.

Housing:
Participants in this program will be housed either with a local family or in an apartment. The former option is by far the most popular.


Statue in Mount Koya
Alexandra Frons '09

      
Credits:
Students will receive a full year's credit for their work in Kyoto, with course titles, units of credit and grades appearing on their Chicago transcript. Since the application of these credits toward specific requirements in a student's degree program is variable, students are expected to consult with their academic adviser and program chairman to determine the exact distribution of credits.

Registration and Tuition:
Students remain registered full-time in the College and pay regular College tuition plus the study abroad administrative fee required of all participants in Chicago's programs abroad. Students also pay, directly to Columbia, a program fee that covers housing and meals in Kyoto. (For precise figures click on theStudy Abroad Program Fees.)

Financial Aid:
Students retain their financial aid eligibility. However, two expenses-- the study abroad administrative fee and the round-trip airfare--are not underwritten by College Financial Aid. On the other hand, since students cannot be expected to work part-time while in Kyoto, the self-help component of their financial aid package does not include a term-time employment factor.

Eligibility and Application:
    



The Kyoto program is designed for undergraduates in good standing who are beyond their second year in the College. For most students the third year is the most appropriate time to participate in this program, though fourth-year students (and, rarely, second-year students) may participate as well. Participants are expected to have, by the beginning of the program, at least two years of Japanese in the College or to demonstrate by examination a comparable competence. (Their application will also be considered if they have one year of Japanese and an acceptable plan for attaining the second-year level with an intensive summer course.) Students must also present an academic record that shows them to be a serious and resourceful student, who will make the most of this experience. Finally if students have addressed themselves conscientiously to general education requirements during their first two years in the College, they will likely be viewed as having the most to gain from a year of study in Kyoto.

The application process includes a required conference with Mr. Fortner. Appointments can be made with Mr. Fortner by contacting the Dean of Students in the College at 773-702-8615.

A student accepting an offer of admission is expected to secure his or her place with a non-refundable study abroad administrative fee and a deposit in an amount specified by the Kyoto Consortium.

Further Information:
If you would like to discuss the Kyoto program and the possibility of participating in it, please contact Lewis Fortner (Harper 213; 702-4858). For applicants to the Kyoto program an interview with Mr. Fortner is required.

Statements contained on this site are subject to change without notice.