HLS Waseda Exchange

Waseda University is one of Japan’s largest institutions of higher education and advanced research, hosting students from more than 100 different countries and regions, making Waseda the number one institution in Japan in international student numbers and diversity. Exchange students from HLS will study at the School of International Liberal Studies (SILS), located in the heart of Waseda University’s historic Waseda Campus. Seminar and lectures courses are offered in English, and Japanese language classes, offered by the Center for Japanese Language (CJL), are a requirement for enrollment in SILS.

Please be advised that CJL courses are taught in Japanese, not in English, even at the beginner’s level. Without basic knowledge of Japanese, students may find it difficult to follow the classes. Waseda strongly recommends exchange students who want to enroll at SILS obtain at least reading and writing capabilities of hiragana and katakana before arriving in Japan.

Please note: The spring semester at Waseda runs from late March – early August, and the fall semester runs from early September – early February each year. Please strongly consider how this academic calendar can be coordinated with your ongoing studies at IU. It is up to students to make arrangements with IU faculty to miss the beginning weeks of the IU Spring semester if they study at Waseda for a Fall semester.

Eligibility

In order to be eligible to participate in this exchange, students must:

Be an undergraduate student with a major or minor in the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies.
Have completed a minimum of one year of full-time study at IU prior to enrolling at Waseda.
Be in good academic standing.
Submit a personal statement.
Arrange for an HLS faculty member to nominate you for the exchange program using the linked form below.
Have a valid passport by the time applications are due to Waseda.

Deadline

The deadline for 2024 applications has passed. Please check back regularly for 2025 deadlines.

Procedures

Students interested in the Waseda Exchange Program should do the following:

Carefully read the information here and on the referenced websites before submitting an application. Students should NOT contact Waseda directly until after they are nominated by HLS.
Please ask an HLS professor or someone who can speak to your academic qualifications, maturity, and preparedness for an international exchange, as well as any other qualities regarding your suitability and interest in the Waseda program, to fill out this nomination form.
Write a personal statement that is no longer than two pages explaining why you would like to take part in the exchange at Waseda. Be persuasive. The statement should include information about your academic studies thus far at IU and what you plan to study at Waseda. The statement should also address why you would like to study in Japan, such as any interest in the language, culture, or other opportunities there. Be sure your name is at the top of the personal statement.
Complete the online application for the Waseda exchange, attaching your personal statement to the application.
Finalists will then be contacted to schedule an in-person interview. The Hamilton Lugar School will be in touch after the interview process to notify students whether they have been selected, so please check your IU email regularly.

Additional Information

Students are encouraged to submit application materials before the deadline. The deadline is firm.
HLS will review applications, assessing each one on the academic suitability for the program as well as an indicated ability to adapt to living and studying abroad.
After the review process, HLS will nominate students for Waseda to consider for acceptance into the exchange program.
Students who are nominated will be instructed to consult with their HLS Academic Advisor(s) to make further program arrangements.
For all HLS semester exchanges, students will pay tuition to Indiana University through the normal registration process (i.e., no tuition will be paid to the exchange university). Because HLS students will be enrolled in IU credit hours during the academic year, many find they can apply several of their typical funding sources (scholarships, fellowships, loans) to the credits they earn overseas.
Students selected for the exchange will be given information about estimated costs for housing, meals, and other expenses in Tokyo, Japan.
Waseda University will select one to two HLS nominated students for this exchange each academic year. Students should be prepared to travel by themselves.
Students may also review the list of course offerings for Waseda's School of International Liberal Studies (SILS).
Students will be expected to arrive in Tokyo, Japan by early September to attend orientation and be ready to begin classes in late September. Classes for the Fall semester will conclude at the beginning of February.
Students accepted to participate in this exchange program will be eligible to apply for an HLS Study Abroad Scholarship. Please visit the scholarships webpage on the HLS website for additional details on how to apply.

For more information about the exchange, you may visit SILS's website.

Hamilton Lugar School
of Global and International Studies

HLS Waseda Exchange