MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies at Yale
Council on East Asian Studies

Kyoto Consortium for Japanese Studies

Established in September 1989, the Kyoto Consortium for Japanese Studies (KCJS) is a consortium of 13 American universities that sponsors a rigorous, two-semester academic program for undergraduates who wish to do advanced work in Japanese language and cultural studies. The Council on East Asian Studies at Yale University is a member of this consortium and undergraduates who wish to apply for the program should contact CEAS for information.

KCJS Academic Year and Term Programs

The Kyoto Consortium for Japanese Studies is a two-semester academic program for undergraduates who wish to do advanced work in Japanese language and Japanese studies. The program helps students strengthen their Japanese skills by providing intensive language training and through regular interactions with host families and the local community. Understanding of Japanese society and culture is enhanced by the integration of the historical and cultural resources of Kyoto into the academic curriculum and student life. Not only does KCJS examine the significance of Kyoto’s past but it also explores its present as well as Japan’s place in today’s global world.

The fall semester begins in September and ends mid-December. Spring runs from January to April and the academic year program runs from September to April.

Applications for admission to KCJS can be completed by visiting the Office of Global Programs at Columbia University.

Eligibility Requirements:

  • Must be a currently enrolled undergraduate student in good academic standing.
  • Must have completed at least two years of college-level Japanese for the fall semester, and five semesters for the spring semester, or the equivalent.
  • Minimum 3.0 average language GPA.
  • Minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA.

KCJS Summer Program in Modern and Classical Japanese

The Kyoto Consortium of Japanese Studies (KCJS) also offers the Summer Program in Modern and Classical Japanese. This six or eight-week program offers intensive training in modern and classical Japanese for highly motivated undergraduate and graduate students who have completed at least one year, two years or three years of Japanese or the equivalent. You will be able to enroll in small classes, participate in excursions and cultural activities as well as choose from a variety of housing options.

The Modern Japanese Program runs from late-May to late-July. The Classical Japanese Program runs from early-June to late-July.

Applications for admission to KCJS summer programs can be completed by visiting the Office of Global Programs at Columbia University. 

Eligibility Requirements:

  • The program is open to all qualified students who are in good academic standing. Recent graduates may also apply.
  • For 2nd year Japanese, students must have completed one year of college-level Japanese or the equivalent.
  • For 3rd Year Japanese, students must have completed two years of college-level Japanese or the equivalent.
  • For 4th Year and above & Classical Japanese, student must have completed three years of college-level Japanese or the equivalent.
  • Minimum 3.0 average GPA in Japanese language courses.
  • Minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA.