International Relations

・Committee on the international Exchange HP：http://web.cla.kobe-u.ac.jp/group/Kouryu/

The former Graduate School of Cultural Studies and Human Science had entered into agreements with a number of foreign universities to conduct student exchanges, and those agreements are now being carried out by the Graduate School of Intercultural Studies. Studying abroad under these agreements has a number of advantages over privately funded study abroad:

①Tuition: The tuition fee at the university abroad is waived. (However, students must pay tuition to Kobe University according to university regulations.)

②Credit transfer: Credits earned for coursework at a foreign university will, through prescribed procedures, be transferable to this Graduate School.

③Years required for completion of course of study: Because students attending these study abroad programs are still considered to be students of Kobe University during that time, the master's course can still be completed in two years or the doctoral course in three years, including the year (or semester) spent abroad.

Because the university system and prices of goods vary depending on the selected country, the waiver of the host university's tuition described in ① will be a big advantage in some cases and not in others; generally speaking, most European and American universities charge a high tuition fee to foreign students, so this represents a significant merit. Points ② and ③ represent a significant advantage of studying abroad through a university-arranged program. At present, there are three types of scholarships available: the Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO), the HUMAP (Hyogo University Mobility in Asia and the Pacific, which is limited to the Asia Pacific region), and Kobe University's own partial support for travel and other expenses incurred during study abroad.

Students are selected for study abroad through an interview with the International Affairs Committee, which makes its determination based on the following four criteria: ① language proficiency, ② motivation for applying, ③ character (how the student would fare if they lived abroad, in a different culture, for an extended period), and ④ expertise (whether there is a clear plan for the studies to be conducted abroad). If an English-speaking country is selected for study abroad, then applicants must meet the TOEFL score requirement.