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Frequently Asked Questions regarding costs:
The answers to these FAQ's are provided by Mr Declan Murphy, who is the Director of the International Office and also a Yamasa graduate. If you have additional questions or need information that isn't on the homepage or that you haven't been able to find yet, email us.
The reason why there is no rounding off of figures (up or down) is because of the commitment to provide the program at 'cost price'. As a non-profit institution we do not need a commercial margin. For this reason we can instead invest heavily in facilities, quality infrastructure and student support. Once the cost of providing the program been calculated, we are able to charge the tuition accordingly. Please note that the tuition fees do not always cover the full cost of the program. On-going support from the Hattori Foundation provides considerable financial assistance to all students. The administration of the Institute is also fairly lean. Extensive use of intranets and effective management keeps Yamasa's cost overhead and structure down, and this cost saving is passed on to students.
No. Most students only pay for 2 quarters prior to commencement. To assist self-funded students, its also possible to pay by smaller instalments.
If you are enrolling for 3 months or less, then the tuition fee should be paid in advance. If you are already at Yamasa and have a student visa, then the minimum payment is for 1 quarter (3 months). If you are already at Yamasa, the tuition needs to be paid before the commencement of your period of study. If you are applying for entry to Yamasa and need a student visa, you need to complete the transfer of at least 2 quarters (6 months) of tuition before Yamasa can send you the certificate of eligibility.
The accommodation can be paid monthly, and if you are only studying for 3 months on a tourist visa then you can actually pay for an initial 4 weeks and then on a fortnightly basis. Tuition however needs to be paid quarterly. If however you are unable to pay quarterly, you are able to apply for financial assistance from the Hattori Foundation. This will require an interview and probably some volunteer work around campus or at schools in the local community, but the interest free loan that is usually extended as assistance can be repaid monthly - so the effect is the same as paying tuition monthly by instalments.
Yes, at present there are 4 discounts available. (a) 10% discount on initial tuition transfer from students participating in the JET program. (b) 10% discount on initial tuition transfer from students with Working Holiday visas. (c) 50,000 yen discount if 1 year of tuition is transferred in advance. (d) Discount of up to 15% on initial tuition transfer for students enrolling in groups of 5 or more.
It varies slightly accordingly to class level, but the initial 3 months should cost only 3800 to 4500 yen. The total cost of books/texts over the course of 1 year will not exceed 15,000 yen.
There are no laboratory or library fees.
The airport/train station pickup service is a free service. Yamasa faculty members drive to the airport or station in our own time as part of our service as educators.
Email and internet access is free. A "name"@yamasa.org email addresses can be supplied on request. Use of Yamasa's computers is untimed and unrestricted. If you want to bring your own computer you can connect to Yamasa's LAN. If you need to buy an ethernet card or cable from Yamasa this can be arranged cheaply. For more details please see the internet connectivity file in the center homepage.
The initial tuition fee transfer cannot be paid by credit card. However after you are enrolled in a Yamasa program it is possible to pay for all tuition instalments, accommodation and textbooks by Visa Card or Mastercard.
Probably for competition reasons. Please note that Yamasa's AIJP has more than 20% more classes than almost any other APJLE accredited school, has a 25% smaller class size maximum, has larger classrooms, much lower student:faculty ratios, excellent facilities, modern student accommodation (guaranteed) within walking distance (no transport fares) and full time support staff. We are virtually the only school that maintains a deliberate policy of language diversity and higher admissions standards than most Japanese universities. In short Yamasa is a high quality school. As a non-profit school we also don't have a profit margin, so please note that any school offering cheaper tuition is investing a lot less in the facilities, infrastructure and quality teaching faculty that you will need to learn Japanese. Not to mention the fact that they will probably not teach anywhere near as many classes, nor with small class sizes.
It depends on which accommodation option you choose. We try to provide a wide range as every student has different needs and preferences. The cost of bills is included in the Yamasa Student Village accommodation but not for the Villa or Residence apartments. All of the accommodation is within walking distance and many students buy/rent bicycles so there is no need to budget for public transport (which is expensive in Japan). Remember also that you can change your preferences as Yamasa has a full-time Housing Office. Please read through the accommodation files so that you can calculate your accommodation budget.
According to surveys of our students, their average cost of living is just 50000 - 55000 yen per month. This does not include their housing. It does include bills (such as power/gas/water) as well as groceries and basic essentials. Most of the students can cook (or soon learn), and the prices in Okazaki are lower than average. The problem of course is that this is only an average and that average falls over time as the students extend their stay. Your first couple of months will usually cost a little extra (for example - the cost of setting up your apartment, text books at the beginning of term, bicycle purchase/hire, sightseeing etc.) I would advise that you estimate an average of 70,000 yen for your first 3 months. Also please note that your cost-of-living will be higher if you prefer single accommodation (no one to split the rent and bills with), or if you rent cellphones, buy VCD players, travel, visit nightclubs or just can't walk home from the campus to the accommodation without stopping for coffee etc. You need to do a realistic calculation of expenses and think about what kind of lifestyle you can handle.
To work part-time, you must have a student visa or other suitable visa. You can then work up to 4 hours per day. Until last year, you needed to wait 3 months before you could obtain written permission from the Immigration Bureau to work part-time. Now you can apply immediately, regardless of whether you have a job offer or not. You need documents from Yamasa (these cost 550 yen), and after that it can all be done on the same day. There are various restrictions which you can read about in the Visa Information section. If you are on a tourist visa then you cannot work at all.
It will depend on what you do. For employment using Japanese only - 680 to 1100 yen/hour. For employment using English/computing skills etc - anything from 1800 to 3500 yen/hour. For English teaching the rate is usually 3000-3500 yen for "eikawa" ("English Conversation" schools) based jobs. The rate is usually higher for private teaching. How much you will be able to earn will depend entirely on your skills, education, experience, personal networking and Japanese language proficiency. The center can legally provide information regarding part-time work, but the center can't provide a formal introduction. A very limited number of work-study positions are available at Yamasa in International Office. You won't be able to apply for these until after you arrive in Okazaki, but some details are available in the Scholarships & Aid section of the center homepage.
If you will have the student visa, then you will also qualify for Japanese National Health Insurance. If you don't have the student visa then please ensure that you purchase appropriate travel insurance or other suitable health cover. For more details please read the Health Care file in the center homepage.
Questions regarding this file...
If any of the information in this file is unclear, or if you need more detailed information, please click here and read the study/applications section of the FAQ before contacting us. Best regards, Declan Murphy.
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