1. YNU
2. Admissions
3. Student Exchange
4. JOY Program

Junior Year Overseas at Yokohama National University (JOY) Program

In October 1997, The International Student Center started the JOY Program for students from partner universities outside Japan to give them the opportunity to experience Japanese university life for up to a year. The outline of JOY is as follows:

JOY Program Overview

Objective

To assist international students coming to Yokohama National University under student-exchange agreements by providing them with the opportunity to acquire a good understanding of Japan and its role in the international community.

Eligibility

Students must be enrolled full-time in an undergraduate degree program at a university that has signed a mutual student exchange agreement with YNU.

Students must be proficient in English. Non-native speakers should possess a TOEFL score of 80 (IBT).

Educational Program

Courses are offered in varieties of disciplines covering humanities, social sciences, and engineering in English specifically for JOY Program students. They may also attend other courses offered by the faculties, provided they have adequate language skills and approval from the lecturers in charge.

Admission and Scholarships

Students will be selected and admitted on the basis of the quality of their application documents, and on the student exchange balance between their home universities and YNU.

JOY students are eligible to apply for the Japan Student Services Association (JASSO) scholarship. The application form is included in the JOY Program application packet. The JASSO scholarship consists of a ¥80,000/month stipend and a one-time allowance of ¥80,000.

Given the limited number of JASSO scholarships and the increasing number of JOY applicants, this scholarship is becoming more competitive. If available, students should pursue scholarship opportunities at their home universities. However JASSO rules stipulate that students cannot simultaneously receive the JASSO scholarship and any other study abroad scholarships exceeding ¥80,000.

Application

To be considered for admission, students’ complete applications need to reach the ISC office by the following deadlines:

April 10 for Fall Semester

December 10 for Spring Semester

JOY applications should be sent through the study abroad coordinator at your home university.

JOY Staff

The coordinators are

Shohei Yoshida (Professor, Linguistics)

Kenji Hasegawa (Associate Professor, History)

The Office staff are

Hideto Saito (Short-term International Student Section)

Shigeko Lewis (JOY Student Counselor)