School of International Liberal StudiesWaseda University

The latest Study Abroad Guidebook AY2021 is HERE.

FAQ

*Accurate as of December 2, 2021.

Study Plan 2 (SP2)
*SP2 – students whose mother tongue is NOT Japanese

Students who wish to study abroad may apply. It is NOT mandatory. The period of study is one semester or up to one year. All students can choose from a list of our partner institutions at the University-Wide CIE Study Abroad Programs, offered by the Center for International Education (CIE). SILS students can also apply to the SILS Bilateral Study Abroad Programs, which is unique.

CIE Study Abroad Programs

All students can apply to the programs offered by the CIE. There are three different types.

1. Double Degree Programs（DD）

2. Exchange Programs（EX）

3. Customized Study Programs（CS）

To learn more about the programs, please read HERE.

CIE Study Abroad Program List

To learn more, please refer to the list HERE.

Should you have any questions with regards to the CIE Study Abroad Programs, please contact the CIE directly. Their Office is located on the 1F of Building 22.

SILS Bilateral Study Abroad Programs

The SILS Bilateral Study Abroad Programs are agreements between the foreign host institutions and the School of International Liberal Studies. Only SILS students are eligible to apply.

Please refer to the following information on the Fall AY2022 Outbound Programs. The application is now closed.

• SILS Agreement (For Outbound Fall AY2022)
• SILS Application Guide Fall AY2022
• SILS Application Form Fall AY2022
• SILS Study Abroad Program List AY2022 (UPDATED on September 24)

5BM Programme: Sciences Po Paris

The SILS-Sciences Po 5BM Programme is a competitive programme (taught in English) designed for students interested in obtaining a Bachelor’s degree from SILS and a Master’s degree from Sciences Po within 5 years (or 5.5 years for April-entry students). Students shortlisted by SILS and accepted by Sciences Po will be able to spend 2 years in Sciences Po after 3 (or 3.5 years) of study in SILS. Every year, five students from SILS will be shortlisted. The very first round of pre-selection started in the fall of 2019.

The Digital Leaflet is available here.

The application to the 5BM Programme (Pre-Selection) for the Fall 2023 admission is now open. Please download the application form HERE. The details on eligibility and other required documents are also listed in the application form. Please read it carefully.

Submission Period: Thursday, December 2, 2021 – Friday, January 28, 2022, 5PM (Japan Standard Time JST)

Note: A course name in the School of International Affairs has changed in the Autumn of 2021.

Master in International Public Management -> Master in International Governance and Diplomacy

Before Embarking on Study Abroad

Depending on where the host institution is located, the period for Study Abroad will differ. For universities in the Oceania, Central & South America, and South Korea, the Study Abroad period will begin in spring. Universities in North America, Europe, and Singapore commence in fall. SILS students are required to complete at least three semesters before embarking on a Study Abroad Program.

CIE Annual Schedule

Rules on Credit Transfer

Credits earned during the Study Abroad period can be converted to the equivalent number of Waseda University units, in accordance to the Credit Transfer Methods. It is not possible to directly transfer the number of credits earned at the host institution to Waseda University.

In General

• Recognition will be given to the total number of credits earned, not to specific course subjects and grades received. With some exceptions, all credits transferred are included in the “Elective Course” category under the SILS curriculum.
• All approved credits are shown as grade “P” (Passed) with the course title, “Transferred (Study Abroad) ” in the grade report available on My Waseda. On the official transcript, the total number of credits is shown in the remarks column, with the name of the host institution and the period of study.
• Courses listed on the Official Transcript with a “Passed” grade or above (e.g. A, B, C) qualify for credit recognition. Courses noted as “Failed” or its equivalent (e.g.: NOT Successful, Insufficient, Withdrawn, Cancelled, NOT Approved, etc.) are not eligible.
• The maximum number of exchange credits a student can earn is 40 credits, regardless of the number of times he/ she studies abroad.
• Please kindly note that an appeal after the number of exchange credits has been confirmed or a re-evaluation does not guarantee that more exchange credits will be awarded.

Documents

To apply for credit recognition, the following documents must be submitted:

• (~ Returning to SILS from Fall, 2017) Study Abroad Credit Transfer Application Form (via Course [email protected]).
  (Returning to SILS from Spring, 2018~) MyWaseda Application Form
  >Please refer to the link in “Credit Transfer Procedure”.
• Original official transcript (English) issued by the host institution (hard copy)
  *Please include an English or a Japanese translation if the transcript is NOT available in either language.
  *A transcript in PDF format or an online version will NOT be accepted.

Criteria and Number of Credits

• Based on the standard annual course load of the program, the number of local credits, the academic class hours, the educational contents, the level of difficulty, the grades achieved in the actual courses taken and the academic standing status issued by the host university, the number of SILS credits to be recognized will be determined.
• SILS students, who have successfully undertaken a standard annual course (two semesters) at their host institution, should expect to earn within the range of 32-36 credits.

Credit Transfer for Other Foreign Language & Japanese Language

• Students may choose to have the language credits (other than English) earned during the Study Abroad recognized as Other Foreign Language (Compulsory) or Japanese Language (applies only to SP2 students) courses at SILS, instead of “Elective Courses”. Applicants must fulfill the actual class hours to meet the conditions for two credits. One single credit will not be approved.
• In both cases, the general SILS Curriculum requirements must be complied with, and the following calculation method must be employed:
  Number of Credits = Actual Class Time (in Minutes) ÷ 1350
  Actual Class Time = (No. of Weeks) × (No. of Classes Per Week) × (Minutes Per Class)
  *Omit all figures following the decimal point*
• Should you wish to transfer course credits as Other Foreign Language or Japanese Language credits, please submit the required documents (syllabus, course homepage, etc.), clearly stating the total number of class hours for the course along with the official transcript to the SILS Office.
• Recognized credits are shown as grade “P” (Passed) with the course title, “Transferred (Study Abroad)” in the Other Foreign Language or Japanese Language category in the grade report available on MyWaseda.
• On the official transcripts, the total number of recognized credits, including elective courses, is shown in the remarks column, with the name of the institution and the period of study.

* Credit Transfer for Internship, Tutoring & Volunteer Programs

If the program is listed on the Official Transcript or other official certificate(s), credits may be included in the total number of “Elective Course” credits earned during your Study Abroad. Please submit the application form and the relevant certificate(s) on Course [email protected]

Credit Transfer Procedure

This information is subject to change.

Schedule for Credit Transfer (Japan Standard Time)

Attention

1. The credit transfer process may be delayed if a student from the same program does not complete the procedure, or your application is incomplete. The above-mentioned schedule is subject to change.
2. The official transcript can be submitted either directly to the SILS Office or by post. We would recommend that should you decide to mail it, please send it by registered post （e.g., Kan-i-kakitome 簡易書留）. Please indicate clearly your name and student ID number on the upper right-hand side of the transcript in pencil.
3. Please request your host institution to send one transcript to your home address, even if you have been informed that it will be sent to Waseda University (CIE). Please also ensure that you submit one copy of your transcript to the SILS Office. In the event your host institution fails to provide you with a copy of your transcript, please contact the CIE and/ or the SILS Office to confirm if your official transcript(s) has arrived.
4. If the formal transcript of records is issued online, please kindly provide the SILS Office with the official link to download the transcript or kindly ask the coordinators at the host institution to contact the SILS Office directly.
5. The original transcript will NOT be returned to the student.
6. For a student who is enrolled beyond the standard four years (e.g. 9th semester/10th semester) and he/ she is expected to participate in a study abroad programme, the full tuition fee will be levied during the said semester(s) . In doubts, please contact the SILS Office for more details.
7. You have 14 days (including the weekends and national holidays) from the result announcement date to file an appeal.

Mailing Address
Study Abroad Credit Transfer Section
School of International Liberal Studies (SILS)
Waseda University
1-6-1, Nishi-Waseda, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan 169-8050
*Please write your name, student ID number and the name of the host  institution on the envelope.

INQUIRY FORM

Scholarship & Financial Aid for Study Abroad

The types of scholarships you can apply will include those offered by Waseda University and the host institutions. For more information, please refer to the following link.

Scholarship & Financial Aid

Waseda University received a grant from the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), through the “Re-Inventing Japan Project: Support for Strategic Higher Education Cooperation with Overseas”.

The focus of this program is to cultivate cosmopolitan people capable of pursuing both regional and global interests. Students will gain a good command of English, a local language, and their native language as a ‘pluri-lingual’.

Please kindly note that the MEXT grant period ended on March 31, 2018.