Our goal is to offer every single 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 any one particular course, please contact us! We’ll try our best to get you the course you need.
CET Japan Study Abroad
CET Japan: At-A-Glance
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Fall
- Arrival: 08/21/2023
- Departure: 12/18/2023
- Recommended Credits: 14-18
- Fee: $22,990
- Application Deadline: May 1
SPRING
- Arrival: 01/15/2024
- Departure: 05/13/2024
- Recommended Credits: 14-18
- Fee: $22,990
- Application Deadline: October 1
Fall
- Arrival: 08/21/2023
- Departure: 12/18/2023
- Recommended Credits: 14-18
- Fee: $22,990
- Application Deadline: May 1
SPring
- Arrival: 01/15/2024
- Departure: 05/13/2024
- 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
- 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 direct-enroll electives to meet 14 to 18 recommended credits.
You are placed into one of these 12-credit courses:
You select 1 to 3 direct-enroll electives at Osaka Gakuin University for a minimum of 15 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.
Your Japanese will grow by leaps and bounds
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, puts your Japanese skills on the fast track. You even have one-on-one hours to help turn your language weaknesses into strengths or explore your own interests. 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. You might go to a train station and map out how to transfer trains or practice ordering lunch in Japanese. 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.
Housing and Meals
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- Apartment
- Off-campus housing
- Live with CET peers & local roommates
- 4-10 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 unwind with friends at a kushikatsu (fried foods on skewers) spot? 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: Great food, Osaka Castle, 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. Shop for fun souvenirs — Osaka-themed Hello Kitty goods and takoyaki-flavored pretzels are perennial favorites. Strike up a conversation with the owner of your favorite ramen shop. Find out what makes okonomiyaki an Osakan specialty. Hike to breathtaking Minoh Waterfall. And on weekends, enjoy the perks of living in a big, connected city—take the bullet train and explore the rest of Kansai and 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 takoyaki-making (fried dough ball with octopus) party or explore local temples. 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 Mie and spend the night in a minshuku (Japanese-style housing). Or you might head to Kagawa to make pottery and take in the serenity of a Japanese garden.
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!
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Student Resources
On-site Staff
Shogo Sakurai
Academic Director
Masatomo Yonezu
Senior Resident Director
EJ Legaspi
Resident Director
Kotaro Matsumoto
Academic Coordinator and Japanese Instructor
Ayaka Tamura
Japanese Instructor
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, $17,690 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 western nations. A cup of coffee is usually 3 USD, while a casual lunch spot might be between 5-10 USD.
Estimated out-of-pocket expenses:
- Round-trip Airfare: $1,800 - $2,800
- Meals: $1,800
- Personal Expenses: $1,200
- Cell Phone Plan: $40 - $55/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 preferred, but admissions decisions are made on a case-by-case basis; lower GPAs still encouraged to apply
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 take an in-depth placement exam 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.
Use the link in your online account to send a recommendation request to one of your previous instructors.
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!
Melanie MacKenzie
Senior Student Services Coordinator
202.846.7662
[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.