NCUK University Partner
International College of Liberal Arts at Yamanashi Gakuin University
The International College of Liberal Arts (iCLA) at Yamanashi Gakuin University is a four-year, English-taught undergraduate programme leading to a Bachelor of International Liberal Arts. Students choose from six majors: Data Science, Global Business and Economics, Interdisciplinary Arts, Japan Studies, Political Science and Psychology, and can also study Japanese language up to an advanced level through credit-bearing courses.
The campus is in Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture, around 90 minutes from Tokyo and close to Mount Fuji. Kofu sits surrounded by mountains, with nearby jewellery and robotics industries and a strong agricultural economy: Yamanashi is Japan's top producer of grapes, peaches, plums and wine. The Five Lakes area and Fuji-Q Highland are both close by, and the university notes that living costs are considerably lower than in Tokyo, which is reachable via Shinjuku in about 90 minutes.
Student life includes more than 90 sports teams, clubs and societies across Yamanashi Gakuin University, two large festivals each year, and iCLA's own summer and winter galas, music nights and art exhibitions; music is described as a major part of campus life, and student lounges and study spaces look out over Mt Fuji.
6
majors offered
90+
sports teams, clubs and societies (Yamanashi Gakuin University)
2
large-scale festivals held each year
Undergraduate Scholarships
Partial tuition waivers of 10%, 25%, 50%, 75% or 100%, covering enrolment and tuition fees. Open to domestic and international students, and awarded on a holistic review of academic achievement, extracurricular achievement, financial need, a scholarship essay and an online interview.
Student support and careers
Students are supported by academic advisors, approachable faculty, a Student Affairs Team and counselling services, with international students also getting help with visas, housing and adjusting to life in Japan.
Career Support advisors help with résumés, internships and job placements, and the small-class, interdisciplinary curriculum means professors give personalised guidance on career goals across all four years, including alumni and HR sessions, career forums, job fairs and dedicated counselling for Japan's job-hunting process, which typically begins in third year.
Accommodation and facilities
Accommodation is on campus and mixed between international and Japanese students, with dormitories divided by gender; each unit houses up to eight students in private rooms sharing a mini kitchen, showers and toilets, and laundry facilities are available 24 hours a day. Dormitory living and the meal plan, which covers three meals on class days, are mandatory for first-year students.
The iCLA building has open-plan spaces, group study areas and lounges, plus a library holding English and Japanese resources, a music studio, an art studio, a traditional Japanese dojo and a tea room. Students can also use the wider university campus, including the gym, sports grounds, dining halls, cafés and convenience stores.
Veritas Pathways students on the International Foundation Year may progress to International College of Liberal Arts at Yamanashi Gakuin University, subject to meeting its academic, English language, attendance and non-academic entry requirements.