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. You can pay the accommodation separately, even after you arrive. Please note that the refund policy in place protects you against substantial loss if you need to leave earlier than planned.

The minimum fee is for 4 weeks plus a 5 day tour (213,200 yen). Additional instalments can then be paid to extend your stay.

The accommodation can be paid in advance, but may also be paid on arrival. The minimum accommodation payment is also 4 weeks. If you extend, you will need to pay either an additional 4 weeks or the weekly/daily rate provided by the housing office up to your scheduled departure date.

Yes, at present there are 4 discounts available. (a) Off-season discounts via the Gold Pass, Silver Pass and Bronze Pass. (b) 10% discount on initial program fee transfer from students participating in the JET program. (c) 10% discount on initial program fee transfer from students with Working Holiday visas. (d) Discount of up to 10% on program fee tuition transfer for students enrolling in groups of 5 or more.

The textbooks are included as part of the program.

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 any tuition extensions, accommodation and other materials by Visa Card or Mastercard.

Probably for competition reasons. Please note that Yamasa's Discovery Program has 20%-45% more classes than almost any other APJLE accredited school, and 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 but not for the 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 weeks will usually cost a little extra (for example - the cost of setting up your room, bicycle purchase/hire, sightseeing etc.) I would advise that you estimate an average of 20,000 yen per week. 12,000 per week if you cook your own meals. 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.

No. To work part-time, you must have a student visa or other suitable visa. 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.

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.

Return to the Discovery Costs file.

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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