Student Exchange Program


Once you have confirmed your institution has an active student exchange agreement with Kobe University, you then complete the following steps:

Step 1: Nomination

  • You need to be nominated by your institution as an exchange student candidate to Kobe University by the nomination deadline.
  • Partner institutions complete the nomination sheet, which will be sent out to our partners two months before the relevant deadline, and send it to:
    Academic/Student Affairs Office of the Graduate School of Economics
    econ-kyomu(at)office.kobe-u.ac.jp
    Please replace the “(at)” with “@” in the e-mail address above.
  • Deadline for Nomination
    • Spring Semester 2025 (April 1 – September 30, 2025): October 20, 2024
    • Fall Semester 2025 (October 1, 2025 – March 31, 2026): April 20, 2025

Step2: Application

Application Documents

  1. Complete and prepare the following application documents.
  1. Send them to Academic/Student Affairs Office of the Graduate School of Economics.
    email: econ-kyomu(at)office.kobe-u.ac.jp
    Please replace the “(at)” with “@” in the email address above.

Application Deadline
Spring Semester 2025 (April 1 – September 30, 2025): November 1, 2024
Fall Semester 2025 (October 1, 2025 – March 31, 2026): May 1, 2025

CoE Application （Visa process）

After the application is successful the student will need to apply for a student visa. A CoE (Certificate of Eligibility) is needed when applying for a visa. The process to receive the CoE is as follows:

  1. Nominated exchange students will receive e-mail with URL to the online application (in November for Spring enrollment, in May for Fall enrollment).
  2. Complete the application and upload supporting documents.
    Sample: Please refer to the webpage

Upload Documents

  • Copy of Passport (ID Page)
  • Digital Photo Data
  • Proof of Financial Support (Must be translated into English)
    • Bank balance certificate of yourself or your supporter. The balance should be more than 600,000 JPY for 1 semester stay / more than 1,200,000 JPY for 1 year stay in total.
    • If you choose “Scholarship”
      A copy of an official document proving that the applicant will receive the scholarship/ grant.

After the student has submitted the CoE application, Kobe University will apply for the CoE by proxy. As soon as the student has received the CoE by email, they should apply for student visa at the Japanese Embassy or Consulate General.

Step 3: Academic Information

Academic Calendar

Link to Academic Calendar page

Course Load

The maximum load per semester depends on each faculty, and there is no minimum load for regular students. However, exchange students are required to take at least 10 class hours per week (equivalent of 5-6 courses) according to the immigration law.

Course Types

There are three types of courses offered at Kobe University. Pattern I and II are “quarter courses”, and pattern III takes the format of “semester courses”. As it depends on the course, please see the syllabus for further information.

Ⅰ) 1 class per week for 8 weeks (including examination days)
Ⅱ) 2 classes per week for 8 weeks (including examination days)
Ⅲ) 1 class per week for 16 weeks (including examination days)

Link to Syllabus

Courses include lectures and seminars. Each quarter is eight weeks long, including the examination period. Course grades and credits are acquired at the end of each academic semester.

Credits

One credit is usually awarded for 15 hours of lectures (For example, a two-hour class offered once a week for eight weeks, including in-class examinations). a total of forty-five hours of study are required. This includes self-study hours, exam preparation, and classwork reviewing.

Grading System

Grades in Japanese Grades in English Minimum Points Maximum Points Grade Points
秀 S 90 100 4.3
優 A 80 89 4
良 B 70 79 3
可 C 60 69 2
不可 F 0 59 0

Economics Courses

Faculty and Graduate School of Economics

Japanese Language Courses

The Global Education Center (GEC) offers Japanese language courses for free for exchange students. Students who wish to take these courses must take the online level check test before the semester.
Global Education Center:
http://www.kisc.kobe-u.ac.jp/english/leaning_japanese/laboratory_course.html

<Non-credit courses>
1. Integrated Japanese Course: open to all exchange students.
2. Intensive Japanese Course: for MEXT scholarship students. Exchange students can only enroll into this course, if there is availability.
<Courses with credit>
3. Japanese Language and Japanese Studies Course: (advanced level) for undergraduate students only.

Course Registration

Course registration is available only after arrival, and there is no pre-registration. Students are notified of further procedures at the Faculty Orientation.

Language Requirement

There is NO language requirement; however, if students intend to enroll in courses conducted in Japanese, proficiency equivalent to JLPT N1 is expected. For students attending classes in English, no proficiency certificate is required, but they should have a sufficient command of the language to follow the lectures.

Step 4: PRE-DEPARTURE

Spring Semester Fall Semester To do
October – November April-May

(1) Submit the completed application documents to Kobe University
by May 1 for October Enrollment (Fall semester)
by November 1 for April Enrollment (Spring semester)

(2) Submit CoE application and the supporting documents online.
December June (1) The faculty committee will deliberate about the acceptance of the student.

(2) When accepted, Letter of Admission is issued and sent to the applicant’s home university.
(3) The Academic / Student Affairs Office applies for the university dormitory for those who requested.
January July

Kobe University will apply for your CoE by proxy. The CoE will be issued around the end of August for October enrollment, and around the end of February for Spring enrollment.  
February –   March August -September

(1) Student Visa Application
As soon as you have received your CoE, please apply for student visa at the Japanese Embassy or Consulate General.

(2) Dormitory and Tutor
Your dormitory allocation and tutor contacts will be sent to you.

(3) Course Information
Course list and Japanese Language course placement test information will be informed respectively.
Early April Early October (1) Dormitory check-in (end of March / September)
(2) New Student Orientations
(3) Medical Check-up
(4) Classes will start

Supplemental Information

Certificate of Eligibility (CoE)

To support international students’ smooth entrance to Kobe University, we offer prospective students a proxy application service for their Certificate of Eligibility (CoE). The Immigration Service Agency of Japan issues the CoE before the visa application as evidence that the foreign national meets the conditions for landing in Japan. Kobe University applies for the CoE on behalf of incoming students after the acceptance letter is issued. Upon successful issuance of their CoE, Kobe University will send the CoE by email. After receiving the CoE, students can start their visa application at the Embassy of Japan in their in their country of residence or country of origin.
However, this proxy service does not guarantee 100% success. The final decision to issue a visa rests in the hands of the Immigration Service Agency of Japan and the Japanese Embassy.

Visa Application

The applicant must apply in person to the Embassy or Consulate-General of Japan in their country. Visas cannot be obtained after arriving in Japan.
For detailed information about necessary documents and procedures, please refer to the following website;
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan – visa:
https://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/index.html

Vaccination

Kobe University has implemented the Measles and Rubella Registration Policy. All newly-enrolled Kobe University students must submit a certificate demonstrating inoculation and an antibody test against measles and rubella at the medical examination held at Kobe University. Those who do not bring the certificate must take an antibody test in Japan which may incur an additional cost.
Measles and Rubella: See Control and Prevention (P.16)
https://www.kobe-u.ac.jp/documents/en/study_in_kobe/en2021guidebook.pdf

Information Sheet

For more information, please refer to the information sheet.

Information Sheet AY2025