Otemon Gakuin University

Otemon Gakuin University (OGU) is a private university in the city of Ibaraki, Japan, founded in 1966. OGU has about 7,000 undergraduate students and about 75 graduate students. The undergraduate school is comprised of six faculties: economics, management, regional development studies, sociology, psychology and international liberal arts. The faculty of international liberal arts includes the department of global Japanese studies. There are three graduate schools: business administration and economics, psychology and contemporary culture and society. The Institute of Liberal Arts, established in 2013, is independent of each faculty and aims to facilitate education of skills thought to be necessary for all students, regardless of faculty or course. It holds many small-group seminars, such as freshman seminars and liberal arts seminars, with lessons such as expressive communication. At OGU, course offerings for incoming exchange students involve cultural studies as well as studies associated with business and social practices unique to Japan. In addition to these academic subjects, OGU offers Japanese language programmes in small class settings, catering to a wide range of learners including absolute beginners. Both academic and language courses provide international students with opportunities to mingle with Japanese peers. International students have two accommodation opportunities: in a homestay with a Japanese family or in a single room in a student dormitory. The university offers inbound exchange students a basic monthly scholarship, provided to all students who meet the criteria as financial support for housing expenses. Additional scholarship is given to students who have attained a certain level of Japanese language proficiency.