Maple

The Maple Program was designed by the Center for Japanese Language and Culture (CJLC) to help students from overseas improve their language skills, enhance their knowledge of Japanese culture and society, and assist them in advancing towards their respective academic goals — in short, to develop individuals with an in-depth understanding of Japan, able to compare and contrast, from a variety of perspectives, aspects of Japanese society, culture, and language with their own mother tongue and cultural background.

The enrollment status of students at Osaka University

Special auditors: students take classes and can earn credits

Required language ability

Japanese Language Aptitude Test Grade N4 or equivalent

Duration

From September to August of the following year (12 months). Classes  commerce in October.

How to apply

Application should be made through the office handling international exchange at one's home university.

Application deadline

• For September enrollment
  

Make preliminary application online by March 20.

Application forms must arrive by March 30.

Steps in making application for Maple

1. Obtain support from your university or institute to be one of their exchange students.
2. Receive a password for online preliminary application from the exchange program staff of your university or institute.
3. Prepare for making online application.

 (1) Prepare an internet-enabled computer, a printer, and an email address for receiving email to confirm your completion of the online application and for downloading documents necessary for application.

(2) Check the following items before you submit documents.

a. Check the grade point average of your latest transcript.

b. Check your expected date of graduation for the program for which you are applying.

c. Check the degree you expect to receive from your home university.

d. Check information regarding your finances.

Information about financial support --including loans-- you expect to receive while you are studying at Osaka University and financial support you expect to provide for yourself.

• Financial support period
• The name of the financial aid or loan
  
• Type of financial aid or loan: with interest or without interest
• Date on which you will receive notification regarding your acceptance or rejection for financial aid or loan.
  
• Monthly amount of aid or loan.
  

e. Essay (statement of purpose)

Theme: Main purpose(s) for applying for Maple.

Write an essay about the above theme (1500 characters in Japanese).

f. Essay (your learning plan after completing this program)

Theme: Why is participating in this program important for you, especially for your hoped for career?

Write an essay about the above theme (500 characters in Japanese).

g. History of your learning Japanese

The names of the textbooks you used for study Japanese

Evaluation of your Japanese language ability

h. Information about your financial resources

Information about a person who will pay your learning and living expenses while you are studying at Osaka University

• Name
• Address
• Telephone number
• Occupation
• Income

• 4. Visit the Osaka University Online Application web site.

• Download Instructions for Completing the E-apply Online Application
• 5. Enter your information in accordance to the instruction on the web page. Upon application is successfully completed, "Application Completion Notification" will be sent to your registered email address.

• 6. Download the application form, fill it in, print it, and submit it to the exchange program staff of your university with other necessary documents.

When printing the application form, your receipt number, date of birth, and email address are required.

• 7. Send all necessary documents to Osaka University through the exchange program division of your university or institute by postal mail.

Required documents

• 1. Maple application form (Form: Application)

• Use the application form downloaded from the above Osaka University Online Application web site.
• Affix your photo on the downloaded application form. (Section 1: Personal Details)
• Sign the application form. (Section 5: Declaration)
• Have exchange program division staff of your university or institute sign the application form. (Section 5: Declaration)

• 2. Two letters of recommendation

• The letter of recommendation must be written by a faculty member belonging to your university or institute.
• The recommendation must be written on your university or institute's letterhead in English,  Japanese, or other language with translation into Japanese or English.

• 3. Transcript

• The transcript must include the names of subjects you took, your school year, your scores and the number of credits you earned.
• The method of evaluation score must be included in the transcript.
• The transcript must be written in English or other language with translation into English or Japanese.

• 4. Certificate of Japanese Language Proficiency

• Japanese Language Aptitude Test Grade 4 or higher
  

• 5. Student registration certificate for applicants

• Applicants for short-term programs sponsored by JASSO are required to submit the student registration certificate.
• Only certificates signed by an exchange program staff member or school registration administrator of your university or institute are valid.

• 6. Certificates of payment -- deposit balance statement issued by your bank, certificate of receipt of financial aid.

Documents below are required after your participation in the program has been officially accepted.

• A certificate of payment for your learning and living expenses while you are studying at Osaka University
• Submission of your supporter's certificate of payment does not affect the screening of successful financial aid recipients.

• The statement must certify your capacity to pay 100,000 yen per month for the period of your stay.
• Individuals hoping participate in the program on condition of receiving financial support must submit a statement certifying your capacity to pay 20,000 yen per month for the period of your stay.
• Examples of certificate of payment written in English or other language with translation into English or Japanese: a certificate of payment issued by your bank, a deposit balance statement, a certificate of your receipt of financial aid.
  

How to calculate grade point averages specified by JASSO

If your university or institute does not apply the GPA on a scale of 1 to 3 or GPA itself, calculate your evaluation score using the points shown in the table below. Round to three decimal places.

Calculating your GPA: (The number of grade point 3 credits x 3 + the number of grade point 2 credits x 2 + the number of grade point 1 credits x 1 + with the number of grade point 0 credits x 0) divided by the total number of credits for the previous academic year.

Application for financial aid

Financial aid that you can apply through Osaka University are:

• Financial aid for short-term program from JASSO
• ENESYS, Korea
• Student Exchange Support

How to apply:

1. In making online preliminary application, select your choice of answer to the question "Are you applying for financial aid?" (This step is only possible after you have been admitted to the program by your home university/school and Osaka University has sent you a password and other information.)

2. For financial support for a short-term program from JASSO, submit the statement to certify the enrollment of applicant for a Short-term Student Exchange Support Program (Form: JASSO).

This certificate is needed to certify, in a specified form, that applicants are enrolled in their university or institute as regular students and that the date of graduation will be later than the end of the exchange program.

After completing the online preliminary application, print the application form and have it signed by the exchange student program staff or education affairs staff of your university and submit it.

For details of financial aid, visit the financial aid web page.

In screening financial aid recipients, applicants will be screened regarding their school performances, learning plans, and the status of their preparation. Applications for financial aid are accepted only at the time of application for the student exchange program.

Application for accommodations

Rooms provided by Osaka University are single rooms. After consideration of the program and whether applicants are receiving financial aid or not, rooms are allocated by lottery in principle.
Participants in this program are given priority in the allocation of rooms. Therefore, application for expanding the duration of stay and changing accommodation through Osaka University after the initiation of the exchange program will not be accepted.
After understanding these conditions, individuals hoping for accommodations are required to make application through an online preliminary application. After arranging rooms, applicants will be informed of details about accommodations.