The program is virtually the only ultra-intensive academic program in this country offering multiple levels and all year round flexibility.

Classes are taught exclusively by Yamasa faculty from absolute beginner levels to intermediate - in the early stages of each module you will usually find yourself reviewing past knowledge, brushing up on forgotten grammar, and having mistakes and bad habits/pronunication corrected. It is particularly useful for "false beginners" - students who have studied Japanese in the past but have either forgotten part or most of what they learnt, or were taught in an unstructured way.

Definitions of Intermediate. At Yamasa, the term 'intermediate' means a point above Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) level 3. This is the equivalent of about 250-300 hours of in class study. We understand of course that since the JLPT is currently only available once per year, that it is likely that your level will shift substantially before you arrive. For this reason we ask you to ensure that you scroll through the curriculum and sample test questions to get an idea of the course level.

(1) For students with student visas:

For Format 1, there are 4 academic quarters (terms) and therefore 4 possible start dates. However the student visa itself is only available for the quarters commencing in April (Spring) and October (Autumn/Fall). If you wish to start in either of the July (Summer) or January (Winter) quarters then you would need to transfer from a tourist visa to a student or other appropriate visa. If you are interested in long term studies please check that you have read the visa information and complete the Student Visa application kit.

Please also note that if you are studying with a student visa and enrol in this program, then you would need to enrol in the Acceleration program for a minimum of 3 months.

(2) For students enrolling in short term studies (3 months or 4 to 12 weeks):

For short term students there are more module start dates available to choose from. For Format 1, there are 4 start dates per year. For Format 2, there are 26.

If you are a short term student and you want to extend your stay, then you can do provided