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Most colleges and universities around the world have some kind of formal procedure or policies in place for selecting programs that are suitable for their students participation, and (if completed successfully) for credit towards their degrees.

Pre-Approval offers the advantage of protection and security. To minimize misunderstanding, there are usually clear guidelines available for you. It is worth going to your advisor and asking for these guidelines so that you are better able to select the most appropriate program to your needs from Yamasa's Online Catalog. If there aren't guidelines available, then it's a good idea to ask for standards/guidelines in advance. By asking in advance you will already have a good idea of what to look for when choosing your program and have a clear idea of what is realistic in terms of credit.

For example if you had planned to do a one month only SILAC program and then either travel or do an internship, and then find that the number of class hours for the study period is insufficient for obtaining credit towards a particular program then you may need to re-think the financial value of that course and or your schedule. If credit is obtainable, then perhaps spending a little more for a more intensive or longer program is worthwhile.

Remember that no two institutions have the same policies and practices. Also, remember that pre-approval isn't a question of general approval, but of determining the sort and level of credit and how it integrates into a coherent program of study. For example: graduation credit, elective credits, upper and lower divisions, academic major or minor credit. If you would like to enroll in a program that your institution is not yet aware of, then there will probably be a formal set of procedures for program review and approval. This process is usually set up by your campus study abroad office and conducted by the campus adviser, in consultation with faculty. At smaller institutions, it is usually the domain of faculty only.

Pre-Approval is a reasonable chance if your university or college is either:

1) A development partner of the Yamasa Institute OR
2) A university or college that has a formal link or exchange agreement with the Yamasa Institute OR
3) Is familiar with the Yamasa Institute either through faculty visits or the experience of previous students OR
4) If you apply sufficiently in advance for Yamasa's International Office and the administration and faculty of you university or college to complete the processes required.

Obtaining Pre-Approval usually involves the following:
Obtaining the approval of your Japanese language teachers and getting them to sign off on your courses. Most campuses have formal documentation for this. Their signature means that they approve the course content of the particular Yamasa program that you have selected as being of a standard suitable for graduation credit as defined by your university or college. This will mean either that the program is now either on a campus "approved program list" OR that approval for that particular program has been granted on a one off basis pending review. A key will be not only satisfying your teachers, but satisfying the Registrar's regulations for the minimum number of credit hours.

What happens if I change my enrollment after I arrive in Japan?

This rarely happens with Yamasa programs, but if you make any changes in your pre-approved courses, it is your responsibility to e-mail (without any delay) the teacher or department head who signed your approval form and supply them with as much information about the changes as possible.

Finally, make sure that you obtain guidelines regarding the academic transcript to be issued by Yamasa. Although Yamasa's transcripts are comprehensive and have been designed to satisfy the requirements of many students of many differing educational systems and structures - each university or college will differ slightly. Almost without exception, you will need to have Yamasa send a secure transcript directly to your teachers or the registrar of your university or college. This will also be the case for scholarships boards such as CSN in Sweden and DAAD in Germany. It is likely that your home college or university will need at least a C average for the course, Yamasa will also expect you to exceed required rates of progress. The grading and grade transfer policies are different everywhere. Find out what will apply to you.