Our goal is to offer every course every term, but sometimes factors like faculty availability and program enrollment keep us from reaching that goal. If you’re concerned about needing to enroll in one particular course, please contact us!
CET Japan Study Abroad
CET Japan: At-A-Glance
Previous slide
Next slide
Fall
- Arrival: 08/21/2024
- Departure: 12/16/2024
- Recommended Credits: 13.5-18
- Fee: $22,990
- Application Deadline: May 1
SPRING
- Arrival: 01/20/2025
- Departure: 05/19/2025
- Recommended Credits: 13.5-18
- Fee: $22,990
- Application Deadline: October 1
Fall
- Arrival: 08/21/2024
- Departure: 12/16/2024
- Recommended Credits: 14-18
- Fee: $22,990
- Application Deadline: May 1
SPring
- Arrival: 01/20/2025
- Departure: 05/19/2025
- Recommended Credits: 14-18
- Fee: $22,990
- Application Deadline: October 1
CET Japan study abroad students are ready to move closer to Japanese fluency and dive into life in Osaka. With our intensive curriculum, your commitment to the language pledge, and your housing with a local Japanese student, language isn’t just in the classroom—it’s in everything you do.
Academics in Japan
Semester
Snapshot
- Pre-requisites: None
- 10 hours/week of Japanese learning
- Small class sizes for targeted language learning
- Direct-enroll electives in Japanese or English
- Studio arts elective taught exclusively for CET students
- Cover one year's worth of Japanese each semester
- Host University: Osaka Gakuin University
Curriculum & Syllabi
You take one comprehensive Japanese language course for 12 credits, then choose CET or OGU electives to meet 14 to 18 recommended credits.
You are placed into one of these 12-credit courses:
You choose either one CET elective or one to three OGU electives to meet the 14 to 18 recommended credits.
CET Electives
This 4-credit elective is taught exclusively for CET students in Japanese with English interpretation.
Direct-enroll electives at ogu
Select 1 to 3 direct-enroll electives at Osaka Gakuin University for a minimum of 14 total credits (including language). Electives come in many shapes and sizes, and are taught in Japanese or English. Options differ each term and are either 1.5 or 3 credits each. Some past courses have included:
- Japan’s Environmental Issues
- Japanese Technology Companies
- Japanese Business Culture & Practices
- Japanese Culture & Society
- The Power of Japanese Pop Culture
CET converts final grades from OGU to US letter grade equivalents.
Transform your Japanese language skills
1 Textbook = 1 Semester. You will fly through your textbook (and the textbooks we use are the same ones favored at US universities, so it’s easy to keep track of where you are). That pace, along with a small class size, a limited language pledge, and plenty of out-of-class practice, get ready to learn you’ve skipped a level when you return home.
Japanese in the real world. A front-loaded Japanese in Daily Life class segment teaches you the language you need to thrive in your new day-to-day. And your Language Project has you interviewing locals on a topic of your choice—dig into restaurant culture, LGBTQ awareness, or even Japanese music trends.
Explore further with an elective. Fine tune your semester with a CET elective or a direct-enroll elective at OGU. You could explore pop culture in Japan, dive into local environmental issues, or learn the fundamentals of character design.
Housing and Meals
Previous slide
Next slide
- Apartment
- Off-campus housing
- Live with CET peers & local roommates
- 2-10 people/house
- 1-2 people/room
- Simple communal kitchen or kitchenette, washing machine access, shared bathroom
- 10-40 minute commute to campus
- Internet access, A/C and heat, bed linens, basic furnishing, kitchenware
Living Like a Local
Local Roommates. Want to get into local baseball culture and see a game? Looking for the best café to study at near campus? Sharing a home with a local student from Osaka Gakuin University gives you a baked-in community and instant insider’s access to the city, language, and culture. Learn more about living with a local roommate.
Eating in Osaka. For meals, take full advantage of living in the “The Nation’s Kitchen” by diving into the local food scene and enjoying the city’s many cheap eateries. For busier days, try out the campus cafeteria or your neighborhood konbini (convenience store). Feeling a home-cooked meal? Try your hand at a local dish with common Japanese ingredients, or cook something from back home for you and your roommate. Learn more about accommodating your dietary needs in Japan.
Life in Osaka
- Known locally as: 大阪 Ōsaka
- Population: 2.691 million
- Local Currency: Japanese Yen
- Famous for: entertainment capital of Japan, amazing food scene, outgoing and friendly locals, less English prominence, major transport hub, strong culture of small family businesses
Take the train downtown and enjoy the neon lights of the city at night. Picnic at the beautiful Banpaku Park or blow off steam at Universal Studios Japan. Strike up a conversation with the owner of your favorite ramen shop. Gather some friends for a food crawl in a city famous for great eats. Hike to breathtaking Minoh Waterfall. And on weekends, enjoy the perks of living in a big, connected city—take the train and explore the neighboring cities of Kyoto, Nara, and Kobe… and then even more of Japan.
Experience Osaka with CET
Around the City. The program offers different activities that allow you to explore Osaka, use your Japanese, or just unwind. You might attend a tea ceremony workshop, try repairing broken pottery with gold at a kintsugi class, or experience the art of traditional Japanese theater with your classmates. And there’s more to see on your own.
Beyond Osaka. Join your local roommates and fellow CET students on an excursion off the beaten path. You might visit the sand dunes of Tottori or head to Tokushima and see the Naruto whirlpools after trying your hand at aizome, the local indigo dyeing tradition.
Building a Community. Each term is designed to help you build a community. In the fall, embrace the campus community. Sell pancakes or run the ring toss at the campus festival. In the spring, explore off campus life and get to know the local community. Want to experience both? Stay in Osaka for a full academic year!
Previous slide
Next slide
Student Resources
On-site Staff
Shogo Sakurai, PhD
Academic Director
Masatomo Yonezu
Senior Resident Director
EJ Legaspi
Resident Director
Kazushi Emoto
Academic Coordinator
Tomoha Uchimura
Resident Assistant
Program Fees
Fall/Spring
$22,990
What's Included
All of your classes and program-related learning are included with your tuition.
We arrange your housing in a fully-furnished apartment or sharehouse. Your program fees go toward rent, utilities, furnishing, and other management costs.
From pre-departure to orientation, from on site to re-entry, CET provides you with the support you need every step of the way.
You’re provided with a comprehensive insurance plan through GeoBlue that even includes medical evacuation coverage.
The activities and excursions that we arrange are included in your program fee. All you need to do is remember to bring your camera!
We guide you step-by-step through the visa process. You do the legwork, but we’ll make sure you have the documentation and information you need, when you need it.
Your textbooks and course supplies are covered and waiting for you on site.
You’ll receive an official transcript jointly issued by CET and OGU. If your home institution requires a School of Record transcript, CET is able to provide one through the University of Minnesota.
More on finances
Program Fee Breakdown. Of the total program fee, $17,990 goes to tuition and fees, and $5,000 goes to housing and other student life fees.
Local Cost of Living. Osaka’s cost of living is higher than most of Japan—though not as high as Tokyo. Relative to other countries in Asia, the cost of living in Japan is closer to that of a mid- to large-size US city. Spending always varies, but past students have reported spending 4-10 USD per meal, and 150-230 USD/month for groceries.
Estimated out-of-pocket expenses:
- Round-trip Airfare: $1,800 - $2,800
- Meals: $1,800
- Personal Expenses: $1,200
- Cell Phone Plan: $15 - $20/month
- OGU Area Studies Trips: $20
additional resources
How to Apply
- • Pre-requisites: None. Open to students of any Japanese level, including absolute beginners
- • Must be 18 or older at the time of program participation.
- • Open to students enrolled in a US university or recently graduated from a high school.
- • GPA: 3.0 or higher is recommended, students with lower GPAs will be asked for a faculty recommendation to supplement their application
Complete the application through your online CET account. This is a brief form that asks for basic information and has a few short answer questions about why you want to study abroad.
Though you will be evaluated on site, the language evaluation form in your online CET account helps staff get a better idea of your abilities before your arrival.
Upload a scan of your passport to your online CET account. This should be a single scan that includes the signed signature page and the photo/personal details page. Don’t have a passport yet? Let us know and we can help advise you.
This is an online form that your current or most recent language instructor completes to help us get an idea of your language level. Use the link in your online account to send the recommendation request.
This is an online form that your study abroad office completes to let us know you meet the requirements to study abroad. To send the electronic form request, simply enter the name and email address of your study abroad advisor in the designated fields of your online account.
Your online CET account has specific instructions for submitting an official transcript.
Have a question? Get in touch!
Tara Strauch
Student Services Coordinator
202.349.7325
[email protected]
Price Subject to Change:
CET reserves the right to increase quoted charges at any time without prior notification, based on increased instruction costs, exchange rate fluctuation or other cost increases beyond CET’s control.