home Home home acjs ACJS/Aichi acjs ocjs OCJS/Online ocjs japan Japan Guide japan faq FAQ faq net Network net data Databases data contact Contact Us contact mm Multimedia mm log Log in log
yamasa.org / home / acjs / english / programs / refunds    -    Student Profiles    Tuition Fees    Language policy Ní thuigim thú

Return to Center Page

Admissions
 Entry Requirements
 Selection Process
 Visa Information
 How to Apply
 Application Forms
 Sending Photos
 How to Pay Fees
 Documentation
 Transfers
 Refunds
Deferrals
 Extensions Introduction
 Graduate Certificate
 Graduate Diploma
 Academic Programs
 Acceleration
 A.I.J.P.
 A.J.S.P.
 J.B.P.P.
 Extension Programs
 Japan Discovery
 S.I.L.A.C.
 Refresher
 Internships.
 Private Lessons.
 Culture Program
 C.A.L.L. Seminars.
 Corporate.

Student Network

Help us improve!
Suggestion Box


PDF now available


Policy regarding Refunds

Refunds are given whenever payment for tuition, accommodation, study tours or other services has been in excess of the price listed (which usually happens only with payments in foreign currencies), if you defer to a different course or switch accommodation choice to a less expensive option etc. We also give refunds if you cancel - and the information below outlines the policies we follow for cancellations.

Please note that if the refund needs to be done by foreign bank transfer then we will require you to bear the cost of the bank charges. To obtain a refund foreign bank transfer, please supply the bank account details (including SWIFT code etc - an example is located here). Refunds usually take 7-10 days in the case of amounts of JPY100,000 or less. In the case of refunds of amounts of JPY100,001 or more, permission from the board is usually required and the transfer would take 3 to 6 weeks from the time your account details are received. For student visa holders who stayed in Yamasa's accommodation, the refund can take up to 8 weeks because of the delay involved in receiving the final gas, water and electricity bills.

Section 1. If you cancel before you arrive in Okazaki:

If you are unable to take up your place in a program and you wish to cancel, then Yamasa will remit a full refund.

The only exceptions are:

a) If you applied for a student visa then we apologize for not being able to refund the student visa application fee of 21000 yen. This is due to the high cost of the processing required. The 21000 yen fee does not in itself cover the full cost of the application for the certificate of eligibility.

b) If you are transferring to Yamasa from another APJLE accredited school, or from Yamasa to the same, then a six month no refund policy applies for the tuition only - however in this case the "no refund" policy does not apply for your accommodation.

c) For accommodation, there is no cancellation charge if you have paid for accommodation in Yamasa owned student housing, but there is a 15,000 yen cancellation charge for a homestay if you cancel 7 days or less before the scheduled commencement of your course or program. This is because the homestay families go to considerable effort preparing for your arrival.

With the exception of a) and b), the refund is in full, however we require you to bear the cost of the bank charges when we remit your refund.

Section 2. If you cancel after you arrive in Okazaki or after the program commencement date:

Then it becomes a little more complicated due to the problem of fixed costs. Yamasa is non-profit and programs are supplied "at cost price" - we don't have the margins/markups used by profit oriented schools. To do this however we need to be able to calculate our fixed costs. Please understand that teachers hired cannot be suddenly unhired, accommodation allocated to you cannot suddenly be reallocated etc. Most universities and schools in Japan (and many elsewhere) wouldn't issue a refund at all or would have strict cancellation charges, but we do understand that the circumstances behind a cancellation are not always within your control. As a non-profit institute in the public service, we try to be as flexible and fair as possible. For cancellations after you arrive the following rules apply. We publish them here so that they are transparent.

a) Cancelling a study program after commencement: If you are cancelling during a program (definition = any day after commencement/placement testing), then you cannot be refunded for the weeks/days remaining in a quarter/module that you have already started. If you have a student visa - then you can not be refunded for your first 2 quarters as we need to be able to calculate our fixed costs. If you do not have a student visa, or are cancelling after completion of 2 quarters, please note that you will be refunded in full for all of your payments toward the quarters/modules that you have not yet started.

Examples:

  • AIJP/AJSP - If you have paid for 4 quarters in advance and need to cancel midway through your second quarter, then you can only be refunded for the "unsused" 3rd and 4th quarters. We cannot refund you the balance of the 2nd quarter.
  • SILAC Example 1 - If you have paid for 4 weeks and need to leave after 3 weeks, we cannot refund you for the final week.
  • SILAC Example 2 - If you paid for 8 weeks and need to cancel after 4.5 weeks then we can refund you the last 3 weeks but not the remainder of week 5 that you have already started. For Extension programs, each week starts at 9am on Fridays, or on the previous teaching day if the Friday of that week is a public holiday.
  • Acceleration Format 1 - Once you commence the program, there is a 10,500 yen fee for cancelling any of Options A, B or C if transferring to AIJP/AJSP. If transferring from one option to another (cheaper) option within the Acceleration 1 format - for example from Option C to Option A, then there is no cancellation fee and a full refund will be issued for the balance of the tuition. If cancelling all 28 lessons per week, the same rules applies as per AIJP/AJSP above.
  • Acceleration Format 2 - Once you commence the program, there is a 10,500 yen fee for cancelling any of Options A, B or C if transferring to SILAC. If transferring from one option to another (cheaper) option within the Acceleration 2 format - for example from Option C to Option A, then there is no cancellation fee and a full refund will be issued for the balance of the tuition. If cancelling all 28 lessons per week, the same rules applies as per SILAC above.
  • Private & Semi Private Lessons (ie: as a separate course, not as part of the Acceleration program) - If you need to cancel a class, then you need to inform Yamasa in writing at least 72 hours prior to the class time to avoid a cancellation fee. If you cancel between 24 to 72 hours before the lesson, the cancellation fee is 50% of the lesson fee. If you can cancel less than 24 hours before the lesson then the cancellation fee is equal to the lesson fee. In the case of two people taking semi-private lessons where only one person cancels, the remaining person who is taking the class would have to pay the private lesson rate. For example, if the AM off-peak 16-85 lesson semi-private rate of 2,200 Yen per person was paid and one person cancelled, then the rate for the lesson would become 3,300 Yen (AM off-peak 16-85 lessons).

    b) Cancelling pre-paid accommodation: Accommodation is paid for on a monthly basis for students with a student visa, and on a weekly and/or daily formula for all other students.

    If you have a student visa and need to cancel, then the subsequent months will be refunded in full. If you cancel on or before the 15th day of the month then you will also be reimbursed for 1/2 a month provided you give Yamasa's housing office a minimum of 72 hours notice.

    Example:
    AIJP - If you have paid for 6 months in advance and need to cancel during the 1st week of your 4th month, then we can refund you 1/2 of the 4th month plus the 5th and 6th months. We cannot refund you for 5 days or 1 week etc.

    If you do not have a student visa and need to cancel, then you will be refunded in full for the accommodation fees that correspond to the program/course modules you are being refunded your tuition for. However you will not be refunded for the accommodation fees that correspond to the module you have already commenced.

    Examples:
    SILAC - If you have paid for 8 weeks accommodation in advance and need to leave after 5 weeks, then we can refund you for weeks 7 and 8 but not for weeks 5 and 6 or for week 6 only. This is because the room cannot be reallocated to another student that easily.

    Please note that if the refund needs to be done by foreign bank transfer then we will require you to bear the cost of the bank charges.

    Section 3. Cancelling *the entire* Japan Discovery study tour component *after* you commence the study component: The Japan Discovery tour is the most difficult program for Yamasa to refund because once the hotel or bus bookings have been made Yamasa usually has to pay cancellation charges. For the study component we are still able to issue our normal refunds, but please read the study tour component carefully.

    • Study Component: If you are cancelling during a program (definition = any day after commencement/placement testing), then you cannot be refunded for the weeks/days remaining in a 2 week module that you have already started. You will however be refunded in full for all of your payments toward the 2 week modules that you have not yet started.
    • Study Tour Component: If you cancel the tour component 8 weeks (56 days) before it commences, then there is a full 100% refund. If you cancel 28 to 55 days before the study tour component commences, then there is a cancellation fee of 25% of the tour component fee. For a 5 day tour this is 22500 yen, for an 8 day tour this is 34550 yen, for a 10 day tour this is 39050 yen. If you cancel 27 or fewer days before the study tour component commences, then there is a cancellation fee of 35% of the tour component fee. For a 5 day tour this is 31500 yen, for an 8 day tour this is 48370 yen, for a 10 day tour this is 54670 yen.

    Examples:
    Japan Discovery Example 1 - Japan Discovery 10 weeks plus 5 day tour - If you have paid for 10 weeks of study and a 5 day tour and need to cancel the last 4 weeks of your study program and the tour, then provided you contact Student Services 56 days or more before the tour component you would be refunded in full. You would also receive a full refund for the 4 weeks of study.
    Japan Discovery Example 2 - Japan Discovery 10 weeks plus 5 day tour - If you have paid for 10 weeks of study and a 5 day tour and need to cancel the last 2 weeks of your study program and the tour, but can not give more than 3 weeks notice (ie after you have been at Yamasa for 7 weeks) to Student Services before the tour component you would be refunded in full for the final 2 weeks of study (weeks 9 and 10), but there would be a 31500 yen cancellation fee for the tour component.

    Please note that if the refund needs to be done by foreign bank transfer then we will require you to bear the cost of the bank charges.

    Section 4. Cancelling *a section* of the Japan Discovery study tour component *after* you commence the study component (ie reducing the length of the tour from 12 to 10 days, or from 8 to 5 days etc): The Japan Discovery tour is the most difficult program for Yamasa to refund because once the hotel or other bookings have been made Yamasa usually has to pay cancellation charges. This is a particularly difficult problem in summer. Please read the following carefully.

      Reducing the length of Study Tour Component:

    • If you cancel part of the tour component 8 weeks (56 days) before it commences, then there is a full 100% refund.
    • If you cancel part of the tour component 28 to 55 days before the study tour component commences, then there is a cancellation fee of 6000 yen per day cancelled.
    • If you cancel part of the tour component 10 to 27 days before the study tour component commences, then there is a cancellation fee of 9000 yen per day cancelled.
    • If you cancel part of the tour component 2 to 9 days before the study tour component commences, then there is a cancellation fee of 12000 yen per day cancelled.
    • If you cancel part of the tour component 1 day before the study tour component commences or during the tour, then we regret that we are unable to provide any refund.

    Examples:
    Japan Discovery Example 1 - Japan Discovery 10 weeks plus 8 day tour - If you have paid for 10 weeks of study and a 8 day tour and need to shorten your tour to 5 days, then provided you contact Student Services 56 days or more before the tour component you would be refunded in full for the equivalent of 5 days of the tour.
    Japan Discovery Example 2 - Japan Discovery 10 weeks plus 8 day tour - If you have paid for 10 weeks of study and a 8 day tour and need to shorten your tour to 5 days, but can not give more than 3 weeks notice to Student Services before the tour component you would be refunded for the equivalent of 3 days of the tour less a cancellation fee of 27,000 yen (3 days x 9000 yen cancellation fee).

    Section 5. Refunds of accommodation security deposits and unused accommodation fees.

    If you study at Yamasa with a student visa or other longer term visa enabling you to enrol in courses of 6 months duration or longer, then for certain accommodation options you place a deposit and refunds of unused accommodation fees are calculated in calendar months or half months. The deposit is used to cover the costs of cleaning after you leave, along with any remaining utility bills such as for electricity and gas (issued monthly) and water (bi-monthly) which will arrive after you leave the accommodation, and for any damage to the apartment that needs to be repaired (holes in walls, cracked glass etc that occur while you are in residence) up to a value not exceeding JPY50,000. The cleaning bill, utilities bills, and bank charges are deducted when the refund transfer is made. If you are still in Japan at the time of refund, you can opt to receive the refund in cash. If you are not going to be in Japan at the time of refund, please supply appropriate bank account details prior to departure or as soon as possible thereafter.

    For short term students a deposit is not required as the utilities and cleaning bills are included in the original rent for the accommodation due to the difficulty that short term students have in opening bank accounts in Japan. Refunds of unused accommodation fees are calculated in 7 day weeks. The refund is in full except for any damage to the apartment that needs to be repaired (holes in walls, cracked glass etc that occur while you are in residence) up to a value not exceeding JPY50,000. If you are still in Japan at the time of refund, you can opt to receive the refund in cash. If you are not going to be in Japan at the time of refund, please supply appropriate bank account details prior to departure.

    Please note that if the refund needs to be done by foreign bank transfer then we will require you to bear the cost of the bank charges. To obtain a refund foreign bank transfer, please supply the bank account details (including SWIFT code etc - an example is located here). Refunds usually take 7-10 days in the case of amounts of JPY100,000 or less. In the case of refunds of amounts of JPY100,001 or more, permission from the board is usually required and the transfer would take 3 to 6 weeks from the time your account details are received. For student visa holders who stayed in Yamasa's accommodation, the refund can take up to 8 weeks because of the delay involved in receiving the final gas, water and electricity bills.


    • 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.

    Clear C O M M U N I T Y   M E M B E R S
    Register
    		Forgot Password?
    Update your details     		Privacy policy
    FAQs and help     		Feedback
    Membership

    Hattori Foundation (est.1919) - The Yamasa Institute
    1-2-1 Hanehigashi-machi, Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture, JAPAN 444-0832
    Tel: +81 (0)564 55 8111 Fax: +81 (0)564 55 8113 Email: Inquiries

    www.yamasa.org content is created and maintained by Declan Murphy and the students and
    staff of the Yamasa Institute's Multimedia Studio. This site is Yamasa - All rights reserved.