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Home > Policy > White Paper, Notice, Announcement > White Paper > Japanese Government Policies in Education, Science, Sports and Culture1999 > Part2 Q35

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Part2 Educational Reform Q&A
Q35: I am currently studying at university and I would like to try some classes at another university.Is it possible to receive accreditation for classes taken at another university?And what about classes at a professional training college?

A:The credit transfer system allows students toearn credits at a university or professionaltraining college other than the one they at-tend.

The credit transfer system is a system under which students can have credits they earn at other universities in Japan or overseas recog-nized by the university they attend as part of the credits they need to graduate,where the univer-sity deems it educationally beneficial.It is based on agreements between universities concerning the range of subjects,eligible student numbers and methods of accreditation.Before this system was established,students only took classes at the university they attended.The system was established in response to the needs of students who want to study a wide range of subjects and receive recognition at the university they attend for credits they obtain as exchange students at overseas universities.Further,the universities are able to seek a further enhancement of university education through cooperation between universities both in Japan and overseas based on mutually transfer-able credit agreements and activation of educa-tional and research activities brought about by promoting exchanges of students and teaching staff.So far we have discus,sed how a student can gain recognition for credits earned at a university other than the one at which they are studying.However,there are also methods of earning credits other than through attending classes at university.First,to answer the second part of your ques-tion,a university can award credits for study at a professional training college(or post secondary courses at special training colleges).However,there are some conditions:(1)the period of study must be two years or longer,and(2)the professional training college must be recognized by the university as having an educational stan-dard equivalent to that of tbe university.In FY1996,of the576national,public and private universities,126universities recognized studies at professional training colleges prior to university admission and100universities recog-nized such studies undertaken after admission.Credits can also be awarded for studies at junior colleges and colleges of technology.Further,since31March1999,the range of studies at educational institutions other than universities for which universities can give ac-creditation has been increased.As a result,if a student studies for a qualification which is highly valued by society,such as the Test of English as a Foreign Language(TOEFL)or the Test of English for Intemational Communication(TOEIC),and achieves good results in the ex-amination,credits may be awarded if the univer-sity recognizes the qualification.So how many credits will universities award with respect to classes taken at other institu-tions?Sinee31March1999the maximum ac-creditation that a university may grant has been revised from the former30credits each for studies before entering university and studies after entering university to60credits regardless of whether the studies are undertaken before or after entering university.Graduating from uni-versity requires124or more credits,so it is pos-sible to gain about half of the minimum credits needed for graduation from a university other than the one you are attending.There are therefore a number of ways to earn credits,and an increasing number of universities are adopting such methods.It is our hope that students will make active use of these methods to enrich their university studies.


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