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明治大学政治経済学部　交換留学生募集要項

Application and Screening Schedule

【Application Schedule for the Exchange Student Program of School of Political Science and Economics (SPSE)】
 
April Admission (Spring Semester Intake)
September Admission (Fall Semester Intake)
(1)Nomination Deadline from the Home Institution September 15, 2026 (Japan Time) February 15, 2027 (Japan Time)
(2)Online Application Form and Application Documents Submission Deadline October 1, 2026 (Japan Time) March 1, 2027 (Japan Time)
(3) COE Application Deadline October 1, 2026 (Japan Time) March 1, 2027 (Japan Time)
(4) Acceptance Decision November - December, 2026 April - June, 2027
Note: Information about the exchange student program will be sent by SPSE to partner institutions as the application period approaches.

【Tentative Schedule After Acceptance】
  April Admission (Spring Semester Intake) September Admission (Fall Semester Intake)
COE Issuance, Housing Assignment Notification, and Dormitory Fee Payment Late January Early July
Visa Application By Early March By Mid-August
Arrival in Japan and Move-in to the Dormitory Late March Late August to Early September
Orientation Late March-Early April September
Classes Begin April 10 September 20
End of Classes, Move-out from the Dormitory, and Departure from Japan Early August Early February
Academic Transcript Sent to Home Institution Mid-October Late April
Note: For details of the academic calendar, please visit this page.

Application Requirements

1. Students enrolled at partner universities of SPSE, Meiji University are eligible to apply.
Participants in the SPSE Student Exchange Program must remain enrolled at their home institution until the completion of the exchange program. Students who will graduate from their home institution before the start of or during the exchange program are not eligible to apply.

2. Applicants must have completed at least one year of study at their home university before the start of the exchange program.

3. Language Requirements (English or Japanese)
◆If you take courses taught in English: TOEFL iBT 71  (or a band score "4" in the new score scale *) or higher, TOEIC 710 or higher, IELTS (Academic) 5.5 or higher, Cambridge ESOL FCE or higher, CEFR B1 or higher,  or its equivalent level
◆If you take courses taught in Japanese: Japanese Language Proficiency Test N3 or higher, or its equivalent level

* If language proficiency requirements are specified in the agreement between your home institution and SPSE, those requirements shall take precedence.
* English and Japanese language proficiency test scores (except JLPT N1 certificates) must be obtained within two years prior to the submission date of the application.
* TOEFL iBT introduced a new score scale from January 21, 2026. For details, please visit the ETS website.
　
4. GPA Requirement: None

How to apply: Nomination and Application Procedures


(1) Nomination by Home Institution
(2) Submission of the Online Application Form and Application Documents
(3) COE Application (Contact the affiliated administrative scrivener's office by e-mail and submit the required documents.)

(1)Nomination by Home Institution
Coordinators at our partner universities must first nominate students to SPSE, Meiji University.
Please use a designated “Students List” when you nominate students. “Student List” will be e-mailed to the partner universities prior to the application period.

<Note>
For students at SPSE partner universities:
Before proceeding with the application procedures, please make sure that the coordinators at your home institution have submitted a "Student List" to SPSE, Meiji University.

(2)Submission of the Online Application Form and Application Documents
Each applicant must submit the online application form and upload the required application documents through the following link:
“Online Application and Submission of Application Documents for the Exchange Student Program of SPSE” 
https://www.meiji.ac.jp/seikei/spse-exchange/

(3)COE Application (Contact the affiliated administrative scrivener's office by e-mail and submit the required documents.)
In order to apply for a "Student Visa" at Japanese Embassies or Consulates, exchange students, except for Japanese Citizens, have to apply for COE first via their host universities or administrative scrivener's offices in Japan.

You can apply for your COE through our affiliated Administrative scrivener's office, Support Gyoseishoshi Law Firm Co.Ltd. Once you complete the online application, please email them at Meiji_U@shigyo.co.jp including the following information, follow their instructions stated in their reply, and complete the COE application procedures.
・Your Name
・Your e-mail Address
・Name of your home university
・Statement expressing that you would like to request for their COE application support.

==Sample Template==
Title: SPSE_(2027 Spring or Fall)_COE Application
To whom may it concern,
This is (Your Name), who is a new exchange student at Meiji University from (Name of your home university) in the (2027 Spring or Fall) Semester.
As I would like to kindly request for your COE application support for international students, please inform me of the specific procedures and application materials by replying to me at (Your email address).
Thank you for your support in advance.
Best regards,
==================

Additionally, we hope you can prepare one of the following financial documents that prove your financial soundness in advance so that you can submit your COE application and other required documents in plenty of time.
・A bank balance certificate or copy of the applicant's account bankbook
・A bank balance certificate or copy of the bankbook for the bank account of the person responsible for payment
・An income certificate of the person responsible for payment
・Certificate of scholarship funds received (Disbursement period must correspond to duration of study abroad at Meiji University.)

*The amount of the bank balance, your financial supporter's annual income in the 2025 Fiscal year, or the scholarship you will make sure to receive during your mobility must be more than 1,440,000JPY for year-long students or 720,000JPY for semester-long students. 

<Notes>
・Please read the "Checklist for Application Materials" carefully before submitting your application and uploading the required documents.
・All documents must be written in Japanese or in English.
・Please submit each document in the designated format (PDF or JPEG/PNG).
・Changes to the duration of your exchange program will not be permitted after you submit your application form
・Each applicant must prepare and submit all application materials by the deadline. Application materials submitted after the deadline will not be accepted.
 
No. Name of the document Download Submission Format
1 Check List for Application Materials 【Prescribed Form】 PDF
2 Nomination Letter (from Dean of your home faculty/school to the Dean of SPSE)   PDF
3 Study Plan 【Prescribed Form】 PDF
4 Copy of an English Language Proficiency Certificate or a JLPT Certificate   PDF
5 Latest Academic Transcript written in English - PDF
6 Certificate of Health 【Prescribed Form】 PDF
7 Copy of Passport (page of your photo, must be valid until the end of exchange program) ID Photo Instruction PDF
8 ID photo (Taken within the past 3 months. This photo will also be used for your student ID card.) - JPEG/PNG

*The SPSE does not require our partners/students to send original hard copies of the application materials by courier.

Department and Campus

(1) Department

Exchange students belong to one of the following departments at SPSE.
Please select one when you submit the online application form:
・政治学科 / Department of Political Science
・経済学科 / Department of Economics

(2) Campus

Exchange students will be accepted as 3rd-year (junior) students at SPSE.
Most courses for 3rd-year (junior) and 4th-year (senior) students are offerd on Surugadai Campus. Therefore, exchange students normally study on Surugadai Campus.

*Courses for 1st-year (freshman) and 2nd-year (sophomore) students are offerd on Izumi Campus. If you need to take courses for 1st-year (freshman) and 2nd-year (sophomore) students to meet requirements of your home university, you will need to attend classes on Izumi Campus.
*For details of campuses, please visit this page. 

Courses for Exchange Students

(1) Courses Offered by SPSE
Please refer to the carriculum chart and syllabus.
Please note that the curriculum chart includes all courses offered by SPSE. Most of courses listed in the chart are offered in Japanese except for the courses listed in "(2)" below.

(2) Courses Offered in English 
SPSE offers courses taught in English.
Please refer to a sample course list here for the courses offered in English during the current academic year.

<Notes>
・Some courses are not open for exchange students. (e.g. Advanced Communicative English (ACE) courses, Exercise Science in Practice, Japanese Society and Culture, language courses expect for Japanese language courses for exchange students etc.)
・Some courses are not offered every year.
・SPSE strongly recommends that exchange students take at least one course provided by SPSE. 
・Exchange students may take courses offered by other schools at Meiji University, provided that those schools allow enrollment by SPSE exchange students. However, SPSE cannot guarantee that other schools will continue to offer courses to SPSE exchange students in future semesters. It is possible that SPSE exchange students may not be permitted to take any courses offered by other schools. Therefore, before applying to the program, please carefully consider whether SPSE is an appropriate destination for your study abroad and ensure that you can meet the requirements of your home university (e.g., credit transfer and graduation requirements) by taking courses offered by SPSE alone.
・SPSE will provide detailed course lists to applicants after they have been officially accepted into the exchange program.
・Students wishing to take courses taught in Japanese are required to have Japanese language proficiency at the JLPT N3 level or above.

Japanese Language Education For Exchange Students

Exchange students may take Japanese language courses at Meiji University.
For details of Japanese language courses, please click here.

SPSE Faculty Members

 Click here for a list of faculty members.

Housing for Exchange Students and Life in Japan (Living Expenses, Insurance and etc.)

Due to the increasing number of exchange students, dormitories arranged by Meiji University are often in high demand and may be fully booked.
Please note that even if you apply for a Meiji University dormitory, you may not be assigned a room due to limited availability and the lottery selection process.
For information on housing options for exchange students and student life in Japan, including estimated living expenses and insurance, please refer to the FACT SHEET. Although the FACT SHEET was prepared by the International Student Office for the university-wide exchange program, the housing information is also applicable to SPSE exchange students.

Timing of Program Completion and Academic Transcript Issuance for Each Semester

Information on the program completion schedule and the timing of academic transcript issuance for each semester is available in the FACT SHEET. Although the FACT SHEET was prepared by the International Student Office for the university-wide exchange program, the information regarding academic transcripts is also applicable to SPSE exchange students.

Stories from Exchange Students

The following webpage features “Stories of exchange students studying at SPSE.”
We encourage you to visit the page and learn more about student life at SPSE.
Stories from Exchange Students

About Meiji University

 Click here for information on Meiji University (brochures and videos) for your reference.

Inquiries

Office of the School of Political Science and Economics
Surugadai Campus: 1-1 Kanda-Surugadai, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
E-mail address: seikei[at]mics.meiji.ac.jp  *Please change "[at]" to "@". 
https://www.meiji.ac.jp/cip/english/about/campus/su_campus.html
School of Political Science and Economics