Application Guidelines for Waseda

University Exchange Programs

(for Spring 2026 / Fall 2026 Enrollment)

WASEDA UNIVERSITY

CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION (CIE)

◇ Table of Contents

Ⅰ. Points to Note ............................................................................................................................................................................ 2

Ⅱ. General Requirements......................................................................................................................................................... 3

Ⅲ. Application Schedule ............................................................................................................................................................ 4

Ⅳ. Required Documents for Application ....................................................................................................................... 7
Ⅴ. Procedures for the Academic Accommodation Due to Your Disability ........................................ 12

Ⅵ. Precautions for Course Registration ...................................................................................................................... 14

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 Ⅰ. Points to Note

・ Academic calendar in Japan starts from April. For details of the academic calendar in Waseda,
please refer to Academic Calendar.
・ Admission is either in April (Spring) or September (Fall) with your choice of duration of study, one-
semester or one-year. However, some schools(majors) set particular semester of enrollment /
duration of study (for example, for the April admission of School of International Liberal Studies
（SILS）, students can choose “one semester” only). Please refer to the “Lists of Schools
(Requirements) ” for details.
・ Once enrolled in Waseda University, the student is expected to complete the given exchange period.
Extension or shortening of the period is NOT permitted.
・ In principle, those who have participated in Waseda University's exchange program before CANNOT
re-apply to the same School / Graduate School, unless under unforeseen circumstances. In such
cases, please be sure to consult us in advance.
・ As long as you fulfill the requirements, you may choose any of the schools in Waseda as your
choice. Please be sure that each school sets different requirements, so carefully check the details
in the “Lists of Schools (Requirements) ”.
・ Dormitories for exchange students are located a few minutes' walk from the Waseda campus. Since
they are extremely popular, only a limited number of students can move in. Please note that we
cannot meet all students' requests.
For students looking for housing during their stay in Japan, the Dormitory Desk, Student Affairs
Section (Former Residence Life Center) website introduces the affiliated companies that
offer significant number of student dormitories, shared houses and apartments that are easy for
overseas students to apply for. Please make sure to do your own search and make your decision.
However, as many of these accommodations are located in areas that require a commute of 40-
60 minutes by public transport, we recommend you search for a room as soon as possible to find
one that is close to your requirements.
・ Applicants who are expected to graduate from their home university before the specified date are
NOT eligible to apply for Waseda Exchange programs.
[Specified Date]
• One Semester Enrollment (Spring 2026 only)
You cannot apply if you are expected to graduate before September 15, 2026.
• One Semester Enrollment (Fall 2026 only)
You cannot apply if you are expected to graduate before March 15, 2027.
• One Year Enrollment (Spring 2026 + Fall 2026)
You cannot apply if you are expected to graduate before March 15, 2027.
• One Year Enrollment (Fall 2026 + Spring 2027)
You cannot apply if you are expected to graduate before September 15, 2027.

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Ⅱ. General Requirements

1. GPA requirements
・ All applications must meet ALL the requirements such as the GPA, language proficiency and so
on.
・ Applicants must meet the GPA requirement based on a 4.0 scale. If your home university does
not calculate GPA on this scale, your transcript(s) and grading table will be used to recalculate it.
To ensure accurate conversion, you must submit your university’s grading system in advance so
we can convert your GPA to the 4.0 scale.

2. Educational Background requirements

＜Pre-university education＞
Apply for School of International Apply for Schools other than School of
Liberal Studies International Liberal Studies
Apply for Applicants must have completed Applicants must have completed at least
Undergraduate “most of the secondary education (6 12 years of school education (excluding
Schools years)” or equivalent in a non- higher education / education at
Japanese educational system located university) or equivalent in a non-
outside Japan. Japanese educational system.
*Schools located in Japan that operate
under a non-Japanese education system
are eligible for application.
Apply for Applicants must have completed 16 years of school education or equivalent in a
Graduate non-Japanese educational system.
Schools * Schools located in Japan that operate under a non-Japanese education system
are eligible for application.

＜Post-home university enrollment＞

Apply for At the time of application, applicants must have completed at least one
Undergraduate Schools semester (or Two Quarters) at their home university
at Waseda
Apply for Before enrollment at Waseda University, applicants must have
Graduate Schools completed at least one semester (or Two Quarters) at their home
at Waseda university.
*We may ask you for submission of additional documents to confirm
your information.

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３．Other requirements
・ Some GRADUATE SCHOOLS require permission from the prospective research supervisor
BEFORE the application. Please refer to the “Lists of Schools (Requirements) ” and the Waseda
University Researchers Database (or Supervisors Lists for the School of Fundamental/
Creative/ Advanced Science and Engineering ) for contacts.
・ Applicants must be enrolled in their Home University at the time of application, and continuously
be enrolled until the end of the exchange study period at Waseda University.

Ⅲ. Application Schedule

・ Please follow the STEPs listed below.

・ Be sure to check the procedures carefully, since incomplete applications will not be accepted.

<STEP1> Screening and Nomination by your Home University

When Date set by your Home University
・ Your Home University must nominate you for the first step. Please check with your Home University
personnel in charge of the Exchange Program.
・ There are application requirements such as language proficiency and GPA as well as limitations such
as entrance periods, grades, and departments, so please check these conditions thoroughly before
making your selection. Application requirements are strictly enforced; if you do not meet the
requirements, you cannot apply.

<STEP2> Prepare for your application

When April entry August to October
September entry November to January (of the following year)
・ Read and check the online application questions before the application starts.
[Reference] Sample of questions of the application form
・ Prepare the required documents (including the documents for the COE)
[Reference] CHECKLIST for WASEDA Exchange Program Application
If a language proficiency certificate is required, make sure you obtain the official score BEFORE
you apply. In addition, if you are going to ask for Academic Accommodations due to your disabilities,
please prepare the required documents.
・ Select the School and Department
Read the “Lists of Schools (Requirements) ” carefully to decide which school (major) and
department to apply.
・ Please note that each school (major) has different requirements. Please also refer to the Campus
Map to decide your school, since some schools are distant from the Main Campus (Waseda Campus).

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 <STEP3> Application
When April entry November 1st to 20th
September entry February 1st to March 1st
・ The URL for the Online Application Form will be sent to your program coordinator before the
application period.
・ During the application period, you must fill out the Online Application Form.
・ After you filled out the Online Application Form, the confirmation screen would appear. It shows all
the information that you have entered. Please print it out and keep it by yourself, since you cannot
confirm this screen afterwards.
・ In case you find any errors after submission, please notify us immediately by email.
・ Please be aware that there are several procedures you must complete AFTER you finish the Online
Application Form. For details, please refer to the following sections in this guideline;
Ⅳ. Required Documents for Application
2．Forms / documents need to be submitted AFTER the online application
3．Submit to your program coordinator

<STEP4> Screening by Waseda University

When April entry November to January
September entry March to May
・ We may contact you during the screening, so please check your email regularly.
・ The screening will take a few months, since a large volume of applications must be processed.

<STEP5> Notification of Acceptance

When April entry End of January
September entry End of May
・ Waseda University will send an email titled “Notification of Acceptance” to your Home
University personnel.

<STEP6> Apply for the dormitory / other residences

When April entry Early February
September entry Late May/Early June
・ We recommend you start searching for your residence in Tokyo soon after you have received
the Notification of Acceptance. For the details, please refer to the website below;
 Dormitory Desk, Student Affairs Section (Former Residence
Life Center) Website
[Link] /en/student_dormitory/exchange/

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 <STEP7> Certificate of Eligibility (COE) would be sent from Waseda
When April entry Late February
September entry Mid-August
*COE would be sent to the Home University and student in an email format.
*Depending on the situation of the Immigration Services Bureau, issuance of the COE may be
delayed from the schedule above. In that case, there is nothing Waseda University can do about
it, so please just wait for our contact and refrain from sending us emails to ask about the
situation.

<STEP8> Visa Application, Preparation to move to Japan

When April entry Early to Mid-March
September entry Late August
・ After you have received the COE through CIE, you must go to your nearest Japanese embassy
or consulate to have a visa stamped in your passport.
・ Once your flight schedule has been decided, we recommend you purchase your insurance
(including the insurance for your belongings).

For the schedules after coming to Japan, please refer HERE.

Please be especially careful for the information on <STEP6> “Issuance of Official
Transcripts” ( No matter what the circumstances, the Official Transcripts CANNOT
be sent to your home university earlier).

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Ⅳ. Required Documents for Application

0. Notes
・ All documents (except the ID photograph sheet) must be uploaded to the Online Application Form.
・ All documents must be issued within 6 months unless otherwise specified.
・ All documents must be written in English or Japanese.
・ Some documents must be issued by the applicant’s home university with an official seal if
appropriate.

１. Documents to submit via Online Application Form

<How to submit>
Once you’ve prepared all the documents, scan all the documents into one PDF file, compress it into
a ZIP format, and upload it on the Online Application Form (must be below 10MB).

NO. Name of Document Notes

CHECKLIST for ・ After reviewing the information, check ✓ the box on the
① WASEDA Exchange right column, and submit with the other application
Program Application documents.

・ Be sure that the expiration date is after the date of travel.

Copy of Passport
② (Identification page)
・ If your passport is under renewal, please submit a copy of
your previous passport.

Study Abroad ・ Regardless of your age or other factors, it must be signed by

③ Agreement your parent or a family member who is your guardian.

・ The certificate must include: name of the university, year

you are in at the time of this application (freshman,
Official Certificate of sophomore, etc.), name of your school/department,
④ Enrollment issued by
the home university specification that you are attending as a full time student,
and your scheduled graduation date (the shortest possible
date).

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 ・ All applicants are required to submit their most updated
official transcript and the grading system chart of their Home
University.
・ If your transcript does not provide a grading system chart,
Official Transcript(s)
ask your home university for an official document explaining
and Grading System
Chart the grading system.
⑤
・ For Graduate school(majors) applicants;
(Copy of Undergraduate
Both undergraduate and graduate official transcripts are
Diploma)
required. A copy of your undergraduate diploma is also
needed.
・ For Double Major/Degree Students;
Please submit all the transcripts you have.

⑥ Nomination Letter ・ It must be signed by your program coordinator.

・ If your university policy does not allow you to submit this

document online, your program coordinator can email it to
CIE.
・ This form should be written by a faculty member at your
Letter of home University.
⑦ Recommendation *To assess students from the perspectives of academic
achievements, behavior, and performance, Teaching Assistants
(TAs) are excluded as eligible recommenders.
*If your university policy does not allow you to submit this
document online, your program coordinator can email it to CIE.
Applicants must possess either Japanese language proficiency
or English language proficiency.

< English Based Program >

・ All applicants are required to submit a copy of TOEFL, IELTS
etc. (Please refer to “Lists of Schools (Requirements) ” for
details.) regardless of their nationality except for the two
Language Proficiency exceptions listed below;
⑧ Score
①Applicant from a partner university in a country where
English is the native language and are currently enrolled in
an English program;
→Language proficiency score is NOT required.
* Graduate School of International Culture and
Communication Studies (GSICCS) requires this
regardless your background.

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 ②Applicant from a partner university in a country where
English is NOT the native language but currently
enrolled in a program where the primary language of
institution is English;

Certificate issued by your home university which

confirms your enrollment will substitute for the language

certificates.

<Japanese Based Program>

・ All the applicants including those who hold Japanese
citizenship are required to submit a copy of JLPT.
<Japanese Language Program (Center for Japanese
Language)>
・ Japanese language proficiency certificate is required for
students who have not taken Japanese lessons for more
than one academic year. Please refer to “Lists of Schools
(Requirements) ” for details.
* Only official certificates that are valid at the time of
application is acceptable.

Submit if you have more to write on your online application Q37-

⑨ Educational background
42

Support Letter from the

Home University For the details, please refer to [Ⅴ. Procedures for the Academic
(Regarding the Accommodation Due to Your Disability] on the next chapter.
⑩ Application for the Be sure that TWO versions of data (word format AND image/PDF
Academic
format) are necessary.
Accommodations)

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2．Forms / documents need to be submitted AFTER the online application
NO. Name of Document Notes
・ Must be completed before the same deadline with the Online
Application Form. After completing the online application, you
would receive an automatic reply email with the URL for the
Academic Study Plan and your “Answer ID”; please submit
from this URL.
・ This “Answer ID” (alphabet ＋ number such as A-1234) would
be required in the Academic Study Plan form.
・ The purpose of this document is to examine whether your
interests match with the curriculum of the school (major) at
⑪ Academic Study Plan
Waseda or not. It must be focused on studying at school
(major), NOT outside of classes.
・ If you apply for an English based program, write in English;
if you apply for a Japanese based program, write in Japanese.
Japanese Language Program (JLP) applicants may write either
in Japanese or in English.
・ Please refer to ( How to submit Academic Study Plan) in
advance to prepare for your application before the application
period begins.
・ You can apply for a COE by filling out the form from the online
COE Application System (Speed Visa). We would inform you
about the details of Speed Visa via separate email by mid-March.
・ Those who have a Japanese citizenship CANNOT apply for a COE.
In this case, enter Japan with your Japanese passport.
・ Waseda University does not apply for a COE for other purposes
Application for
Certificate of such as internships or studies at Japanese language schools.
⑫ Eligibility (COE) ・ Applicants who hold nationality from the Philippines / Vietnam /
through Indonesia / Nepal / Myanmar / China are required to submit the
“Speed Visa”
“Tuberculosis(TB) Clearance Certificate” in addition to the normal
Certificate of Eligibility (COE) application documents to prove
that you are not infected with TB. The date this rule takes effect
differs depending on your nationality, so please be sure to check
the details from the following document if you are eligible.
[Link]

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 ・ It must be issued on and after the following date;
For 2026 Spring Enrollment October 1st, 2025
For 2026 Fall Enrollment January 1st, 2026
・ You must prove you can cover the expenses while in Japan with
the following documents. The amount must be more than
1,440,000JPY/year or 720,000JPY/semester.
・ We recommend you select A or/and B listed below.
Select C only if you cannot cover the expenses by only A/B,
because C may take a little longer process to check.
・ You can combine A-C to meet the required amount. All relevant
documents should be submitted in this case.
・ Valuation of financial products such as stocks or ETFs may not
be counted as part of your balance. Therefore, be sure to
prepare the necessary amount by cash deposit.
Proof of Financial A : If you are financing yourself
Viability
<Official Bank Balance Certificate>
⑬ *Submit this document *If your bank does not issue a balance certificate, please ask

through “Speed Visa”. your bank to issue a letter that states your most up-to-date
balance with information on the name of the account holder,
issuing date and signature of bank official and/or
organization office stamp. A hard copy of a web page is
accepted if all of the above information is on it.
B: If someone other than yourself is covering your expenses
<Official Bank Balance Certificate of the person covering your
expense AND Written Oath for Defraying Expenses (Sample)>
*The person who covers the expenses must be the same
person you registered as the supporter on "Speed Visa."
C: If scholarship / loan is covering your expenses
<Certificate of Scholarship / Loan>
・ *The Certificate (or letter) must clearly state the name of
organization providing the fund to you, amount of scholarship
available during your visiting period, issuing date and signature
of the funding organization and/or stamp of the organization.

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3．Submit to your program coordinator
*Must reach Waseda before the same deadline with the Online Application Form.
*You need to prepare 4 photos in total.
NO. Name of Item Notes
・ Paste your ID photos on “ID Photograph Sheet” and
send through your program coordinator by post.
・ [Reference] Unacceptable photo sample
*Access the link above then change the language
ID photographs from “日本語” button at the bottom left of the
⑭ (ID Photograph Sheet) screen to “English.”)
・ Same photos as your passport will NOT be accepted.
・ If your coordinator is unable to send your ID photos
to us physically, please ask the coordinator to consult
with the CIE (ex-in-cie@[Link]).

Ⅴ. Procedures for the Academic Accommodation Due to Your Disability

１．Outlines
・ If you need to apply for an Academic Accommodation due to your disability, you need to
complete a specific procedure in advance.
・ Please make sure that these applications are limited to requests for ACADEMIC considerations
（e.g. when taking courses, taking exams, etc.）. Please do not include here requests for
accommodations in daily life; those should be answered when you apply to the dormitories offered
by the Dormitory Desk, Student Affairs Section (Former Residence Life Center).
・ Waseda University cannot provide you with any accommodations beyond what you actually
receive at your Home University. Furthermore, note that your application would be judged based
on Waseda University's own standards, so there may be cases our answer does not meet your
requests.
・ In case there was any change regarding the situation of your disability AFTER the application and
thereby need to change your application contents of your Academic Accommodations, please
contact us separately.
・ The following cases are UNLIKELY to be approved as reasonable academic accommodations in
Waseda.
- To replace attendance with reports.
- To replace in-person exams with reports/online exams.
- To take all the courses online.
- To take all the exams (including the little tests) in a separate room.
- General supports for daily life (transfer support when commuting to school, assistance
with eating and toileting, etc.)
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２．Procedures
１）Before the application
Please ask the staff member of your home university to prepare the [Support Letter from the
Home University (Regarding the Application for the academic accommodations)]
*We recommend you enter your information by yourself first, and then have it checked and
signed by the staff member of your home university after that.
*Please be sure to prepare this with plenty of time, because creating this letter demands
thorough consultations and confirmations between you and your home university staff
members.

２）At the time of the application

Submit the data of [Support Letter from the Home University (Regarding the Application for the
academic accommodations）]
*Please submit along with the other required documents on the Online Application Form.
*Submission of TWO kinds of data is required;
Format Notes
① Word With the data entered; signature of the staff member of your home
university is unnecessary.
② Image/PDF Scanned data with the signature of the staff member of your home
university.

3) The results for your requests

The results for your requests would be informed separately via your home university around a
month before your exchange program starts. Please confirm the results and carefully consider
again the possibility / feasibility of your study abroad.
(In case you decide to decline your study abroad program, please contact us as soon as possible.)

4）After arriving in Japan

・After arriving in Japan, please do not forget to contact your faculty office in Waseda to inform
them that you actually need to receive the accommodations you applied for at the time of
application as there is an ANOTHER application process for the Academic Accommodation. After
completing that process, the school office would distribute “Reasonable Accommodation Request
Document” to the faculty members of each course (the support will be provided after the
distribution of this letter.)
・Please be aware that, depending on the situation of the class, there may be cases in which the
details of “Reasonable Accommodation Request Document” would be executed in a slightly
different form.
・If you did not request any specific support/consideration at the beginning of semester and
encounter something that may require special assistance in the middle of the semester, please
inform the school office of your circumstances. You will need to follow the same procedures as

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 above in such a case. Please be sure that the services cannot be provided retroactively (The
final application deadline is May 31 for the spring semester and November 30 for the fall
semester.).

３．Bringing Medications
・Refer to the following page and take necessary procedures in advance. Please be sure that you
are responsible for the can/cannot, how, and where to take the medicines in Japan.

 Find OTC Medicines (in English)

 おくすり検索 (in Japanese)
 くすりのしおり/Kusuri-no-Shiori (in Japanese and English)
 医療情報ネット（ナビイ）/Medical information net (NABII)
*Please select “English” from the upper right part.
・To bring medicines with you to Japan, you may need to arrange “Yunyu Kakunin-sho（輸入確認
証）” document.
・Please note that there may be restrictions applied to bringing some medicines due to
Pharmaceutical Affairs Law.

Ⅵ. Precautions for Course Registration

１．Information on Course Registration at Waseda

・ Course registration process begins AFTER the program starts.
・ Exchange students are expected to take courses from the school (major) he/she is enrolled in.
Taking courses outside of the school or University-wide courses remain optional. Also, please note
that there are some courses that exchange students CANNOT take.
・ Please note that some specific courses for degree students (usually seminars) are not available
for exchange students.
・ Some courses may be allocated to students through a lottery procedure when the number of
applicants exceeds capacity.
・ If you wish to drop courses, you may need to follow a withdrawal procedure within the scheduled
time. If you fail to do so and be absent from the class, it will be shown as “Fail” on your
transcript.
・ Waseda University does not use the ECTS system. For inquiries regarding credit transfers, please
contact your home university.
・ Students are strongly encouraged to take approx. 6 courses (≒ 10 hours) per week unless
otherwise specified. Please refer to the “Lists of Schools (Requirements) ”.
・ Students may earn 2 credits for a lecture-style course (100mins. ×14classes) and 1 credit for a
Japanese language course (100mins ×14classes) offered by Center for Japanese Language (CJL)
unless otherwise specified. Please refer to the syllabus for further information.

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・ For more details, please participate in the academic orientation after the program starts.

２．University-wide Open Course

・ Most programs allow students to take University-wide open courses, but restrictions may apply.
Please refer to the “Lists of Schools (Requirements) ” for each school’s policy.
・ University-wide open courses include courses offered by Center for Japanese Language(CJL),
Global Education Center (GEC) and Center for International Education(CIE). Also a few courses
offered by each school are open to the entire university (subject to capacity).
・ The maximum number of credits students may earn for CJL courses is 8 per semester, except
for SILS students. For SILS students, the maximum credits for CJL are 7.
・ Waseda University sets the Japanese language proficiency level on a scale of 1 to 7 based on the
CJL Level Check Test score. Click HERE for details of the CJL Level Check Test and check your
level.

Fin.

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