CIEE-Tokyo

The program is open to any Purdue undergraduate student who has reached sophomore standing (completed two full semesters of university) by the start of the program. Successful candidates will demonstrate academic success, maturity and a desire to experience another culture.

Students planning to take management and economics courses at Sophia University must have a basic business background.

Students interested in completing courses while abroad from Purdue colleges or departments that are not listed above should discuss this with their study abroad advisor before applying to the program.

Students enroll in a Japanese language course and English-taught elective courses. Language level placement is based on Sophia University’s placement test conducted at the beginning of the semester. English-taught elective courses are available in several areas including Anthropology, Art History, History, International Business & Economics, Linguistics, Literature and Political Science.

Students who have taken at least one semester of college-level Japanese through intermediate-level Japanese have the option to enroll in the Japanese Language Intensive Program (JLIP) at the appropriate level. In the JLIP, students study Japanese for 16 hours and 40 minutes each week. Students then choose two other courses to round out the program.

Please see CIEE website for more course details.

Due to COVID-19, excursions are subject to change.

The program will offer several excursions, which may be day or overnight trips. Please see the CIEE website for more details. While excursions may vary, some things you may get to do include:

• Take a weekend trip to Hiroshima, where peace memorials, Peace Institute discussions, and bomb survivor stories bring history to life.
• Visit the island of Miyajima, where a Shinto torii gate seems to float on water.
• Find your Zen in an authentic garden of the same name.
• Get involved in campus life by joining a club at Sophia University. 
• Academic-year students take an additional weekend to discover other regions like Sendai, Kansai or Inuyama , practicing the language while they explore.
• Choose from a range of group cultural activities – there’s always more to see and do.

Students should carefully note what costs need to be paid to Purdue University or to a co-sponsor or agency, and what costs need to be paid at the overseas study location.  This will vary by program.

The Program and Housing Fees include: Tuition, housing, excursions, local transportation pass, and on-site orientation. Depending on the housing option selected, some meals may be included. 

This program requires a higher than usual confirmation deposit. Please see the CIEE website for details.

Costs for this program are estimated and subject to change. The cost figures listed below are for: Spring 2022

Purdue University financial aid may be applied to the costs of studying abroad. Students interested in receiving financial aid should

• direct financial aid inquiries to the Division of Financial Aid on the West Lafayette campus; 
• consult website Study Abroad Financial Aid Process;
• complete and submit the FAFSA by the appropriate deadline.

NOTE:  Recipients of certain tuition remission and scholarship programs should pay careful attention to the regulations for using those benefits for study abroad.  Ask your financial aid advisor about any limitations.

Click here for a list of scholarships and grants available to assist with the costs of studying overseas.

For full consideration, students must submit all supporting documents before or by the application deadline.  Popular programs fill quickly, often before the deadline.  To insure a place in a program, apply early.

As soon as a student submits an online application, a My Study Abroad account is created. Applicants should consult this page often to check on the status of the application.

Following payment of the study abroad deposit, applicants will need to complete a program application, which will then be sent to the head office of CIEE. Students will be notified directly by CIEE about their acceptance into the program.

A housing deposit of approximately $2,000 must be paid to CIEE after admission to the Tokyo program in order to hold the study place.

Click below to search for Purdue students who have participated in this program and are willing to be contacted.  If you get no results, you can use the search form to find people who studied in the country you are interested in.

The websites listed below contain information about this program. The accuracy of information at external sites cannot be guaranteed.

• Program Sponsor's Home Page: CIEE
• Program Website
• Search Google(tm)*
• Department of State Consular Information
  (You must find Japan in list)
• CDC Travel Information (You must find Japan in list)