Education Abroad

Housing

Appalachian students are housed in the International Student Shared House at Okayama University. Opened in March of 2016 the building is made up of 30 units. Each unit consists of individual rooms for each student. Four students will live together in each unit, which is designed to enable the students to intermingle with each other in a natural way during their daily lives. Each unit is set to house three international students and one Japanese student. 

Housing costs will not be billed through Appalachian State.  Students will submit their housing payment directly to Okayama University.

For more information about housing please visit the Okayama website.

 

 

Financial

Program Costs

Paid to Appalachian State

Basic Exchange (App Tuition & Fees)	based on your residency
1OIED Program Development Fee	$200
Intl Health Development Fee	$60
Worldwide Health Insurance	$1.45/day

¹The OIED Program Development Fee will be placed on students’ accounts upon acceptance by the Education Abroad Office. The fee payment confirms your spot and is non-refundable.


Estimated Additional Costs

	Semester	Academic Year
Airfare	$1500 - $2000	$1500 - $2000
1Housing	$1800 - $2000	$3600 - $4000
Meals	$1500 - $2000	$3400 - $4400
2Personal Expenses	$1200 - $2000	$2400 - $4000
Books and Materials	$150 - $350	$300 - $700
Local Transportation	$100 - $300	$200 - $600
Required JPN Insurance	$200	$320
Visa (for US Citizens)	$0	$0
Travel to Consulate for Visa Appt	$100 - $300	$100 - $300
Passport	$150	$150
3US Based Health Insurance	Varies	Varies
4Personal Travel and Spending	$800 - $1800	$1600 - $3000

¹Internet access is included in rent. Students are responsible for other utilities.   
²Personal expenses includes but is not limited to: toiletries, cell phone, emergency funds, laundry, clothing, utilities, basic travel and entertainment, etc.  
³Students are encouraged to maintain a US based health insurance plan while abroad (to exempt out of AppState insurance students must follow the App exemption process - proving that they have insurance coverage for the entirety of the semester.
⁴Personal Travel and Spending amounts will vary by student and will be affected by how often a student goes out, travels, and the items they purchase.

Please note that non-billable costs are estimates only and will be affected by personal spending habits, currency fluctuations, etc. Prices listed in USD unless otherwise noted.
 

Students are encouraged to start planning for their study abroad program costs well in advance. Please use the Student Financial Planning Worksheet to help estimate your anticipated expenses and your anticipated financial resources.  When planning for estimated additional costs students are encouraged to research currency conversion rates. To see a total of the estimated costs for this program please visit the program budget sheets: Spring, Academic Year.

Financial Aid

The majority of financial aid and scholarships can apply to semester and year-long study abroad programs. For more information please visit the Office of Student Financial Aid web page.

Scholarships

OIED Scholarships
Each semester OIED offers a variety of different scholarship opportunities for students. Scholarship awards range from $250 to $2000. 

Benjamin A Gilman Scholarship
The Gilman Scholarship Program application is open to U.S. citizen undergraduate students who are receiving Federal Pell Grant funding at a two-year or four-year college or university to participate in study and intern abroad programs worldwide.

Fund for Education Abroad
Applicants from groups underrepresented in study abroad and those destined for non-traditional locations are given preference, in an effort to make the demographics of U.S. undergraduates studying abroad reflect the rich diversity of the U.S. population.

Freeman Awards for Study in Asia
Provides scholarships for U.S. undergraduates with demonstated financial need to study abroad in East of Southeast Asia.

Bridging Scholarships for Study in Japan
Administered by the American Association of Teachers of Japanese and funded by donations from businesses, individuals, and foundations, these scholarships offer stipends of $2,500 and $4,000 to American undergraduate students studying abroad in Japan on semester- or year-long programs.

For information about additional scholarships please visit our External Scholarships web page.

Academics

To locate the Okayama University course offerings please visit the EPOK Curriculum website. Okayama's semesters are broken up into four 8 week quarters with each level of Japanese running for a total of 16 weeks before progressing to the next level.

All students are given a Japanese language placement test online prior to arrival. Placement is then confirmed during the first week of courses to ensure the student is in the appropriate level for the duration of the quarter.

All students are expected to maintain at least the equivalent of a full time course load according to Appalachian State and the host university while abroad (whichever is greater). Students participating on the Okayama program will normally enroll in 12-18 credits per semester. For more information about study abroad enrollment policies, credit approval, and credit and grade conversions please visit the Academics section of our website.

How to Apply

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and some programs may fill up before the listed deadline. Each year applications for Fall, Spring, and Summer will open up on August 1st. Once open the deadline will be listed below and an Apply Now button will be available at the top and bottom of this page. Most applications will have a 2 part application process so students are encouraged to complete their OIED application well before the listed deadline.

For more information about deadlines and how to apply please visit our Guide Me web page.