Undergraduate FAQ

Q. Do you offer visa support?
A. The KUAS International Admissions Office will help you to acquire a COE (Certificate of Eligibility), which you can then take to the Japanese consulate or embassy in your country to apply for a visa.

Q. What career opportunities can a KUAS engineering degree provide?
A. The facilities at KUAS include a Career Support Center that works closely with all students to acquire satisfactory employment following their graduation.

Q. What will happen to my Japanese visa after I graduate?
A. When a company employs you after graduation, they will assist you in obtaining a work visa. They will begin this process after offering you a job. Japanese working visas are usually one-year, three-year, or five-years in duration, and depend on the company you work for.

Q. What is the cost of living in Japan?
A. The cost of living in Japan is, on average, much lower when compared to North America, Australia, and Europe. Furthermore, in comparison to Tokyo, Kyoto’s cost of living is even more affordable. Students in Japan enjoy many benefits, including socialized student health insurance and discounted meals on campus. Most importantly, university tuition fees in Japan are only a fraction of those in the US, Australia or Europe. All of these factors make student life in Japan far more accessible than you may expect.

Q. How much are living expenses in Kyoto?
A. Average living expenses in Kyoto are typically about 110,000 JPY (916 USD) per month.

Monthly living expense sample
Accommodation (off-campus)	60,000 JPY
Food	35,000 JPY
Personal expenses*	15,000 JPY
Total	110,000 JPY

*Excluding book expenses for classes.

Q. Can I have a part-time job in Japan?
A. If you apply for and receive “permission to engage in activity other than that permitted under the status of residence previously granted” from the Immigration Bureau, you can work part-time at convenience stores, restaurants, etc. According to Japanese law, students can work up to 28 hours per week.

Q. Can I work on campus?
A. Most undergraduate students will easily find work off-campus. However, if you do not know Japanese, then you may have to wait for about a year to learn the language first. If you are a graduate student, there may be opportunities on campus for you to work as a Teaching Assistant (TA).

Q. What is student housing like?
A. First-year engineering students will be given the opportunity to live in our International Student Dormitories. Residence Uzumasa A is attached to the South Engineering Building on Uzumasa Campus and Residence Uzumasa B is an apartment-type dormitory located in a quiet residential area, 15 minutes away from Uzumasa Campus on foot. KUAS also has Residence Uzumasa D and E located just a few minutes' walk from Uzumasa Campus. 

Each room is fully furnished, making it easy for international students to begin their lives in Kyoto. Those who wish to live off-campus will find a wealth of private apartments a short walk, bicycle or subway ride away. The staff at KUAS will be happy to assist you in finding these apartments, and more information can be provided before your arrival in Japan upon request. For more information about the dormitories, please see the Dormitory Information page.

Q. Are there any housing options other than the dormitories?
A. Kyoto is famous for being a college town, and there are many apartments, shared houses, and boarding houses to choose from outside of campus. If you do not wish to live on campus, you will need to find a place to live through a real estate agency, etc. KUAS will help you connect with these agencies.

Q. Is Japan a safe country?
A.  In terms of measurable safety indicators, Japan is frequently rated as one of the safest countries in the world. The Economist Intelligence Unit named Tokyo and Osaka the top ranked safest cities in the world in 2019. Moreover, Kyoto is also well-known as one of the safest cities in our already-safe country.

Q. Can I study in English at KUAS in faculties other than the Faculty of Engineering?
A. Not yet, although we do plan on introducing English-language programs in our other faculties in the near future. We will announce these new initiatives via our social media and home page, so please watch those sites for updates.
 

Q. Do I need a computer for class?
A. Classes in the Faculty of Engineering are conducted using personal laptops. Therefore, all students are required to bring their own laptops. The recommended specifications for laptops are as follows.

Q. Do you offer an online degree program? Or, are you planning to offer an online degree program?
A. Not at the moment.

Q. How deep is the synthetic approach of your curriculum?
A. Our Faculty of Engineering houses the Department of Mechanical and Electrical System Engineering, which primarily covers fields related to motors and actuators. The chairman of our university is also the CEO of a major Japanese electric motor company. Thus, we focus on the fields related to that industry.
In our Faculty of Engineering, students study 13 fields related to motors and actuators while also taking into account the production processes and products which utilize those technologies. Students thereby gain the skills required to become a specialist in motors and actuators. Students who wish to deepen their understanding of the fields related to mechatronics are encouraged to continue their studies in our Graduate School of Engineering.
In our graduate school, students can focus on four different fields: information, engineering systems, materials, and energy, which are also related to mechatronics.

Q. What type of facilities do you have? What equipment is available to students?
A. Our Engineering Building is equipped with a wide array of facilities, such as machine workshops, 3D printers, and electronic circuit facilities. Please see the Equipment List of Science Plaza and Machine Workshop for our equipments available at KUAS.
Equipment List of Science Plaza and Machine Workshop
If you would like to know if we have a specific type of equipment, please contact us.

Q. What is the minimum GPA requirement for admission?
A. There is no minimum GPA for application. However, when it comes to accepting applicants, you can expect KUAS to be just as selective as the most prestigious engineering programs in your own country.

Q. I am studying engineering at another university. Is there any option to transfer to KUAS?
A. At KUAS, our Faculty of Engineering generally does not allow students to transfer from other universities, as our program is highly specialized and all our undergraduate engineering students study engineering and intensive Japanese courses at the same time. Therefore, students who wish to transfer from a different problem are generally required to "start over."

Q. What sets KUAS apart from other well-known universities in Japan? What makes your engineering program more attractive than programs at other Japanese universities?
A. Our program has three major advantages over other institutions.
-Engineering Focused-

Compared to other comprehensive universities that may have dozens of departments that all serve different social and academic goals, our university is uniquely Engineering-centric, with our new Faculty of Engineering acting as our core program around which our school’s identity is formed. Engineering is what we are good at, and that is what we have decided to focus on as our “niche.”

-Career Focused-

We strongly believe that many educational institutions, including some of the most prestigious universities in the world, do not provide students with career-critical skills nor sufficient professional guidance. At KUAS, we provide our engineering students with the fundamental training and real-life experience that they will need to succeed through hands-on learning and our unique Capstone Program. When our students near graduation, we call upon our expansive network of industry connections and a professional team of internship and career guidance counselors to ensure that students have every advantage possible when beginning their careers.

-Learn Engineering in English; Study Japanese at the same time-

At KUAS, all of our engineering courses are provided in English. This means that Engineering students from overseas need not first acquire Japanese language proficiency before they begin to study in their field. At the same, all international students are provided with intensive Japanese language courses to expand their career opportunities in Japan.

 

Q. How many scholarships do you offer to international students?
A. While the number of scholarships offered to international students differs from year to year, all scholarships are provided to the applicants based on aptitude rather than factors such as nationality, etc. The exact number of scholarships is not disclosed to students.

Q. What sort of test score/GPA would qualify me for KUAS scholarships?
A.  Our scholarship program recipients will be selected by a general assessment performed by our KUAS professors, so there are no specific score requirements.

Q. How do I apply to the KUAS-E scholarships?
A.  Applying for KUAS-E scholarships is very simple, and only requires applicants to write a short statement on their online application.

Q. What other scholarships are available to me besides KUAS-E scholarships?
A. In addition to the scholarships offered by KUAS, there are numerous other scholarships geared specifically to international students in Japan. These are offered both by various associations as well as the Japanese government. The KUAS International Office will provide students with information about these scholarships after they enrolled. For more information about external scholarships, please see our Scholarships Page.
 

Q. What are the application procedures?
A. Please see the Undergraduate section of our Admission & Aid page for detailed information on application procedures, deadlines, and all other information relevant to your application.

Q. Do I need Japanese language skills at the time of my application?
A. All engineering courses at KUAS are taught in English, so you do not need to know Japanese before you enroll. After admission, international students take Japanese language classes to improve their Japanese fluency. If English is not your native language, you will need to demonstrate your English abilities by providing your TOEFL iBT (75), IELTS (5.5), PTE (50), or Duolingo English Test (105) score certificate. TOEIC, Cambridge CEFR, and TOEFL PBT or ITP are not accepted by the KUAS Engineering Program as proof of English language ability. Furthermore, JLPT is a Japanese language proficiency test, so we do not accept JLPT scores as proof of English langauge proficiency.

Q. Is the content of Early Entry, Regular Entry, and Final Entry the same?
A. Yes, they are the same. We only have one intake per year for international students, which is broken into three different application start dates to accommodate various academic schedules. The procedures are the same, but you may only apply for one (Early, Regular, or Final).

Q. If I start an application form online but decide not to apply this year, will my information be saved and kept online for next year’s application?
A. No. You will need to re-write your application.

Q. Are application fees, admission fees, and tuition fees refundable?
A. Tuition fees are refundable assuming there is a valid reason, but application fees and admission fees are non-refundable.

Q. Do I have to pay a deposit prior to enrollment?
A. Yes. After you have received your offer, you must pay an admission fee, a portion of your school fees, an association fee and insurance fee. Please check the Application Guidelines for more details.

Q. How much money do we need to have in our bank account in order to receive a COE?
A. We highly recommend that students have savings equivalent to four years’ tuition and living expenses for the undergraduate course, or two years’ tuition and living expenses for graduate courses. If you are receiving scholarships, then you can deduct that amount from the amount required.

Q. Are standardized test scores required for admission?
A. All applicants to KUAS are asked to submit the results of a standardized test. Our university accepts a wide range of standardized test results from around the world. See the Application Guidelines on our website for a complete list.

Q. I haven't been able to take my standardized test yet due to COVID-19. Can I submit my scores after the application period has ended?
A. We understand that many students are having serious difficulties taking standardized tests due to COVID-19. Unfortunately, late submission of standardized tests (SAT, ACT, EJU, etc.) cannot be accepted at KUAS. However, due to testing schedules, late submissions of standardized tests which are part of your high school curriculum may be accepted. In this case, we are advising applicants to write in the name of their desired standardized test on their KUAS online application along with estimated (tentative) dates for when they plan to take the test and when they expect KUAS will receive their test results.

For applicants who have taken the SAT or ACT examinations, we request that students submit their test scores to KUAS via their testing agency and students should not directly submit their test results to KUAS by themselves. (Only valid test scores will be accepted.) For the other types of standardized tests, please upload a PDF scan of their score to TAO.

If additional COVID-19-related delays result in further test delays or cancellation of your exams due to COVID-19, please contact the International Admissions Office for guidance.

Q. My national exam is canceled due to COVID-19. What should I do?
A. KUAS accepts a wide range of standardized test results, so please take an exam that is available in your country. Some tests can also be taken online. Please refer to their official home pages for more information.

Q. Do you accept predicted scores and preliminary results?
A. Yes, we accept predicted scores for IB, A-levels, and other international curricula.