FAQ

About Keio University and Keio University Shonan Fujisawa Campus (SFC)

Keio University offers students the chance to study their chosen field in depth, while a range of options allows for a wide spread of special interests. A wide range of academic fields are covered in the university’s eleven faculties and fourteen graduate schools each operating independently and offering a broad spectrum of creative and unique educational and research activities. Keio University also has a hospital, business school, law school and foreign language school, and also offers correspondence courses.

Keio University’s Shonan Fujisawa Campus offers a unique learning experience through the participation to various research projects in which students conduct advanced research collaborated with private companies and governmental organizations. The curricula of faculties and graduate schools at SFC aim to nurture leaders who can identify problems and find solutions to them rather than those who can only answer problems that are given to them.

Keio University has a total of 40,000 students, and 5,100 faculty and staff members across its multiple campuses. With about 230 alumni serving as CEOs of major companies and nearly 100 more serving as CEOs of foreign-affiliated companies, Keio University has a reputation for developing leaders in the private sector. A large number of alumni are also prominent figures in various other sectors, including government, science and research, the arts, entertainment and sports.

There are nearly 300 students from about 40 different countries and regions studying at SFC. Every semester SFC holds a welcome party for international students to promote friendship across cultures, and encourage cooperation in study and research.

Keio University Shonan Fujisawa Campus uses a semester system. The spring semester runs from April 1st to September 21st, and the fall semester runs from September 22nd to March 31st.

Please refer to the academic calendar for more information.

Although there are no open days that are geared specifically toward international students, Keio University holds open campus events that all prospective students are welcome to attend. These events give visitors the chance to see and experience the university’s academic and campus life firsthand.

During SFC’s annual open campus and information session events, prospective students will have opportunities to participate in campus tours and mock classes. They will also receive informational materials and individual consultations that cover questions about student life, scholarships, studying abroad in Japan, extracurricular activities and career development.

SFC welcomes visits from prospective students outside of scheduled open campus and information session days. For details about arranging a campus visit, please refer to the Visiting SFC page.

SFC is located in Fujisawa City, which is in the southern region of Kanagawa Prefecture called Shonan. Situated along the coast of Sagami Bay, the Shonan area is well known for its relaxing, free-spirited culture.
Fujisawa is the economic center of Shonan and has a population of about 420,000 people.

In general Japan is one of the safest places in the world. Street crime is extremely rare, even late at night, and continues to decrease. However, as with any place in the world, common sense should still be applied in situations where the risk of crime is more likely. Students are therefore recommended to avoid walking alone at night, and use public transportation when commuting to the campus. The usual precautions against theft should be taken in crowded places like trains and bars.

About the GIGA Program

The GIGA Program aims to develop students into leaders who are able to identify and find solutions to intricate, wide-ranging problems in society. Using an integrated, multidisciplinary approach, SFC faculty will teach a combination of rigorous courses in technology, engineering, mathematics and sciences and strong foundational courses in international relations, development, political science and language.

The degree offered by the Faculty of Policy Management under this program is Bachelor of Arts in Policy Management. The degree offered by the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies under this program is Bachelor of Arts in Environment and Information Studies.

The program will require at least 124 credits (the equivalent of 62 semester-length courses), which normally take four years to complete. However exceptional students may finish in three-and-a-half years.

The GIGA Certificate will be awarded to students who applied for the GIGA Course and completed all the requirements for the certificate. As long as all the requirements have been fulfilled, the certificate may be issued while still enrolled at the University.

Approx. 50 students will be accepted into the GIGA Program each year.

Visa requirements may differ depending on the conditions of individual applicants. Please refer to the following websites for further information:

Keio University does not accept transfer students from other universities.

Please contact the Admissions Office at SFC.
Address: 5322 Endo, Fujisawa-shi, Kanagawa 252-8520 Japan
Telephone: +81-466-49-3407
FAX: +81-466-49-3613
Email: ao-overseas@sfc.keio.ac.jp

Accommodation and Dining Facilities

Please refer to the Housing and Living Costs page for more information about accommodation.

There are four dining areas on campus. Please refer to the Cafeteria and Co-op page for more details.

Western fast food restaurants, such as McDonald’s, Wendy’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Japanese fast food chains, MOS Burger, Freshness Burger, Lotteria, or First Kitchen, are widely available. These places often offer set meals for around 500 yen. Matsuya, Yoshinoya and Ootoya are popular chains for Japanese-style lunch boxes. Sushi enthusiasts may enjoy kaitenzushi restaurants, which offer reasonable prices and allow customers to choose dishes from a conveyor belt that runs in front of their seats. Drinking water and green tea are usually provided at no extra cost.

Convenience stores are easy to find and offer a variety of ready-made food like rice balls, bread rolls, salads, sandwiches and lunch boxes for as little as ¥100 to ¥500 yen. Complimentary microwaves are available at most convenience stores for heating up food.

For a larger diversity of options, the Tokyo and Yokohama metropolitan areas have tens of thousands of restaurants that serve almost every kind of cuisine in the world at all ranges of the price spectrum.

On-campus dining facilities, such as Tablier and Ladybird, can prepare halal meals with prior notice. There are some menus for vegetarian at the co-op cafeteria.  The Subway on campus, and several restaurants and shops near the campus also carry halal  and vegetarian food.

Student Support and Facilities

Yes, there are handbooks in English available for download from the links below.

SFC has a comprehensive advisory system in which mentors give individualized counsel to students and assist them with establishing a coherent course of study. Most importantly mentors help students set and follow a clear set of objectives that will enable students to fulfill their academic, research and professional aspirations.

Students may go to the Health Center on campus with illnesses and injuries that occur while on school grounds. Please refer to the center’s homepage for more information. For illnesses or injuries that occur off-campus, students are advised to go to the nearest hospital. A list of hospitals near SFC is included in the living guide produced by Fujisawa City. The guide is available for download from the city’s website.

There are two types of medical insurance systems available to full-time international students at SFC:

National Health Insurance

Students who study in Japan for a full academic year or longer are required to enroll in Japan’s National Health Insurance system, or present evidence of equivalent coverage. Students can register into the system at the National Health Insurance section of the municipal office that presides over their region of residence in Japan. Please refer to the following link for more detailed information.

Keio Student Health Insurance Reimbursement Scheme

Full-time students of Keio University are provided with the Keio Student Health Insurance. Through this scheme students will be reimbursed 65% of the medical fee for treatment of illnesses, physical injuries or dental issues sustained while in Japan. Please note that receipts and other necessary forms must be submitted in order to receive the reimbursement. Students may apply for the Keio Student Health Insurance Reimbursement Scheme after applying for the JASSO Medical Fee Reimbursement Program (subject to terms and conditions). The Student Life Section at SFC can provide more information about these programs. Address: 5322 Endo, Fujisawa-shi, Kanagawa 252-8520 Japan Email: sl@sfc.keio.ac.jp

Please refer to the Student Counseling page on the main SFC site for more information regarding counseling services.

SFC was the first university campus in Japan to develop and make use of its own integrated network system on campus. Today SFC features a seamless network environment based on an ultra high speed intra-campus network (10 Gbps to 40 Gbps). The SFC Campus Network System (SFC-CNS) – the basic infrastructure of day-to-day operations on campus – has 10 GB Ethernet lines with optical fiber, as well as wireless connections with over 200 base stations. It provides global IPv4 and IPv6 addresses to all machines on the network.

The university itself does not offer any religious services; however many places of worship for various religions can be found in the Kanagawa and Tokyo areas.

Most of SFC’s facilities are accessible to students with disablities. Please inform the Student Life Section of any inconveniences or oversights. The staff will work to address all concerns and accommodate all needs. The university also provides support for students with visual and/or aural disabilities by helping them with class notes and project preparation. Please contact the Student Life Section with any requests for assistance. Address: 5322 Endo, Fujisawa-shi, Kanagawa 252-8520 Japan Email: sl@sfc.keio.ac.jp

Language Requirements

There are no Japanese language requirements entering the University or applying for the GIGA Course. 

All levels of Japanese language classes are offered, from beginner to advanced, so that students can take classes that meet their individual levels. Outside of classes, free study support services are offered. The curriculum is designed so that even students who have no prior Japanese language skills can achieve N2-level Japanese language skills by continuously taking Japanese language courses for four years.

Fees and Financial Aid

Please refer to the Academic Fees page for information regarding these costs.

Students must purchase textbooks and other educational materials for classes.

There is no deposit requirement.

Tuition fees and other fees can be paid in two installments – one in spring and one in fall – by wiring the appropriate funds to SFC’s designated bank account.

Please refer to the Financial Aid page for more information regarding this.

International Students must first apply through the university for permission to engage in part-time work. Once their application has been approved, international students may work for no more than 28 hours per week. In general, the types of jobs open to international students are dependent on their Japanese-language ability. Students are not permitted to work at bars, night clubs, pachinko and mahjong parlors, adult entertainment shops and other similar venues.

Please refer to the Housing and Living Costs page for information regarding this.

International students may open an account at almost any bank in Japan. Most banks will require the presentation of a valid passport, visa and resident card for identification purposes.

The Japan Post may offer the most practical solution for banking needs, as it offers checking and savings accounts, as well as ATM cards and branded credit cards, and has ATMs in many places around Japan, including the more remote areas.

Many ATMs in Japan have limited hours of operation and charge transaction fees that depend on the bank that provides the service. Some ATMs are available for 24 hours during weekdays, but may have shorter hours on weekends. Please check with individual banks about fees and hours of operation.

Pre-Arrival, Orientation and Induction

Refer to the Keio University SFC International Student Handbook.

Valid passport: As long as your passport have the remaining period of validity, you should be able to enter Japan. However, we recommend that there is a minimum of 6 months passport validity.

Valid health insurance policy: Foreign nationals living in Japan for more than three months are required to join a Japanese health insurance system. But before subscribing to one of the insurance systems, you need coverage from a travel health insurance for the first days after your arrival. Check with your current health insurance provider to learn if your policy will apply while in Japan for the first days, or whether you have to purchase a supplemental foreign or travel health insurance separately.

Medications: A one-month supply of prescription medication is allowed. Medications must be in their original container with the prescription label. Most prescription drugs are permitted, including drugs that may not be available in Japan

Clothing for various seasons and occasions: Temperatures in the Kanto region can range from about 50 degrees Fahrenheit (around 10 ºC) in the winter to 100 (around 37 ºC) and humid in the summer. For this reason, a wide range of clothing sufficient for the entire year is necessary. Students are recommended to bring at least one set of formal clothes for special occasions.

Personal computer: You are recommended to bring computers with wireless capability as many class materials are provided in a digital format. Although SFC offers a computer-lending service on a daily basis, you may find it advantageous to purchase their own computer for long-term purposes. Computers can be purchased at reasonable prices through Keio University’s joint purchase system; however you should note that, with the exception of Macintosh computers, most computers purchased in Japan come packaged with only Japanese manuals. Conversely Japan-bought computers are compatible with kanji, hiragana and katakana characters, which may be beneficial for those who intend to study the Japanese language.

Money: In addition to funds for accommodation move-in fees, you are advised to bring adequate funds to cover the settling-in period. Certain items may be more expensive in Japan compared to other countries. Traveler’s checks are a convenient way to bring over large denominations of money, but they can be cashed only during banking hours. It should be noted that some stores in Japan are still a cash-based and cards from outside Japan can only be used with certain ATMs. Citibank users from other countries can easily access their accounts in Japan.

For more details about moving preparations, and documents required for studying Japan, please refer to the following websites:

Parental Consent Form for mobile phone contract: Under the age of 20 must prepare the Parental Consent Form in order to make a mobile phone contract. The form must have a seal or signature from parent (or legal representative) and each mobile phone company has their own form.

Copy of the biographical page and current address page of your parent (or legal representative) passport: Identification documents for the person who sign the Parental Consent Form is required to make a mobile phone contract.

Seal: It will be convenience to bring your seal if you have been using it on a regular basis in your country. In order to open your bank account, it is required to register your seal if you have been using. Otherwise, you can register your signature. Even if you didn’t bring it with you, you can make one at a store in Japan.

International driver’s license: An international or Japanese driver’s license is required in the unlikely case that you need to drive a car. The former option is more practical, as preparations for the Japanese driver’s license test can be time consuming and costly.

Books: Although large bookstores like Maruzen and Kinokuniya, as well as some libraries, carry a good selection of English language books, there is no guarantee they will have everything students are looking for. Please note that ordering books from overseas usually takes a fair amount of time.

For more details, please refer to the following websites:

Items to prepare for a new contract for au mobile

YouTube Live for successful applicants is held in late April for the last couple of years. Keio University SFC’s faculty members will introduce the GIGA Program, SFC’s outstanding curriculum, university life as well as prospective career opportunities. Furthermore, Current students will also give you useful information from student perspective. Details will be announced to the successful applicants.

We offer various support before and right after the enrollment such as Newsletter, Individual / Group support Session and Freshman Session etc.. 

GIGA Welcome Newsletter: This E-Newsletter is being sent to everyone who has completed the preliminary admission registration. Your will find messages from the GIGA Program Chairperson and other faculty members as well as useful advice from current students. We hope you find the information useful. 

Individual / Group Support Session: Individual and group support sessions will be scheduled to ensure your smooth arrival and to make sure all of incoming students receive the best support possible during their first weeks in Japan. Individual support session is for making your apartment contract and Group support session is for all the paperwork at the City Office, open your bank account and making your mobile phone contract. 

Freshman Session: This is an opportunity for you to meet and get to know each other, faculty members, staff, and current SFC students in a relaxed and friendly environment at the beginning of the semester. The session gives you a taste of student life at SFC and in Japan, and is an opportunity to find out more about the study and research involved in the GIGA Program.