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 and corporate clients provide 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. Your initial payment does not need to be for more than 2 quarters (6 months) of tuition. Most students only pay for 2 quarters prior to commencement. After the first 6 months, it is possible to pay on a quarter by quarter basis.

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 completed 6 months of study with a student visa, then the minimum on-going 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. The deadline for payment is 5 weeks prior to commencement of the following quarter.

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.

With the exception of the first 6 months of tuition (student visa only), all tuition fees and accommodation fees can be paid on a quarterly basis. Students entering their second year of studies can apply for bunkatsubarai - and pay accommodation fees on a half quarter basis if preferred. The conditions for bunkatsubarai are an overall attendance rate in excess of 90%, and above average grades.

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 10% 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. AJSP students have full access to all campus facilities.

An airport pickup service is provided if you arrive on the days designated in the airport arrival file. The train station pickup service is a free service. A free bus transfer is provided for the airport, though airport pickup services are also available.

Email and internet access is free. Use of Yamasa's computers is untimed and unrestricted. If you want to bring your own computer you can connect to Yamasa's LAN or WAN. 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 further tuition instalments, accommodation and textbooks by Visa Card or Mastercard.

Probably for competition reasons. Please note that Yamasa's AJSP 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 Yamasa has higher admissions standards than the language programs of 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. For students enrolling for 3 months or less, the cost of bills is included in the rent. For longer term students, the option exists to have the utilities bills included in the rent (for example in the case of Yamasa Student Village, Yamamoto House or Yamasa Villa 2 accommodation) or to pay your own utility bills in 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. For longer term students 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 electronics, go travelling, 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.

Unlike most schools, Yamasa does not restrict new students from working, provided the visa is correct. To work part-time, you must have a student visa or other suitable visa. With a student visa you can then work up to 4 hours per day. In the past, 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. Please note that 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, remuneration is about 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 2500-3500 yen for "eikaiwa" ("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.

Return to the previous 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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