Advanced Student Exchange Pilot Project Support Program In 2003-2004

1. Objective
This support program is designed to contribute to raising university students in Japan who play a key role in the international community, make Japanese universities internationally competitive, build intellectual networks both at home and abroad, and improve and consolidate university education and research qualitatively by shouldering part of the expenses of students who are dispatched from Japan to foreign universities under the advanced student exchange project will serve as a new model for student exchanges.

2. Definition
(1) Advanced student exchange pilot project mentioned in these guidelines is a student exchange project under the student exchange agreement between consortia, in which three or more universities in Japan form a consortium to promote student exchanges, with a similar consortium forged by foreign universities.

(2) Exchange student(s) mentioned in these guidelines is a student who is dispatched from a Japanese university to a foreign university under Advanced student exchange pilot project.
(Note) Foreign students studying in Japan qualified in accordance with the annexed Table 1 of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act in Japan are not entitled to this project.

3. Details of Support
(1) Period of support
The support period shall basically not exceed three years. However, the period may be changed depending on the budget.
(Note) Annual implementation reports are required. Support may be suspended depending on how a project is implemented.

(2) Student exchange scholarship
1) Exchange studnts shall be provided with 100,000 yen per month as student exchange scholarship.
2) Exchange students shall be supported during the period specified by Advanced student exchange pilot project. The period shall be three months or more and not more than one year.

(3) Travel expenses
In principle, exchange studnts shall be supplied with a round-trip economy class air ticket between the international airport that is nearest to the Japanese university in which they are enrolled in and the nearest international airport to the accepting foreign university.

4. Number of Pilot Projects to be Supported
One project (Number of exchange students to be sent per year: up to 30 if they are sent for 12 months)

5. Requirements for Advanced Student Exchange Pilot Project
(1) A project should be implemented jointly by a consortium formed by three or more Japanese universities and another consortium formed by three or more foreign universities.

(2) A formal exchange agreement between consortia should be signed and implemented.

(3) A project should be oriented to bachelors, masters or doctors programs.

(4) A project should be designed to promote student exchanges. The number of exchange students and the exchange period should be balanced between consortia.

(5) A project should specify that exchange student who pays tuition to his or her university in Japan will not be required to pay tuition additionally to an accepting foreign university.

(6) Qualifications of students who participate in a project and standards and methods of screening students should be common to both Japanese and foreign universities participating in the project.

(7) Credits exchange student earns at an accepting foreign university should be recognized by his or her university in Japan. A recognition system common to universities participating in the project should be established.

(8) A representative university, which supervises clerical work, of a consortium should be designated.

6. Application Procedures
For application, the head of a representative university of Japan's consortium should present documents regarding the following items in coordination with other member universities. The application form is not specified, but A4 paper should be used.

(1) Outline of Advanced Student Exchange Pilot Project
1) Significance, objective and goal
2) Representative university and member universities
3) Targeted majors or fields of study
4) Targeted students (bachelors, masters or doctors)
5) Curriculums (languages in use, lectures, school hours, credits, syllabus, etc.)
6) Administration and responsibility system at universities participating in the project
7) Student exchange agreement between consortia in the project (copy)
8) Ways to implement student exchanges in the project
9) Qualifications of exchange students in the project, standards and methods of screening students
10) Number of exchange students in the project (number of exhchange students over the next three years)
11) Annual schedule of the project (when to recruit students, when to start the project, how long students are sent abroad for, etc.)
12) Agreement between consortia that specifies that additional payments of tuition to accepting universities are not necessary (copy)
13) Credits recognition system

(2) Liaison office
1) Liaison office for the project
The department and person that serve as a liaison office for contact with foreign universities and guidance and support to students should be specified, and a flow chart of implementation of the project should be attached.
2) Student exchange scholarship
As student exchange scholarship shall be paid through the representative university, a flow chart of the confirmation method of an exchange student's enrollment, payments and receipts of scholarship and roles of the representative university and other member universities should be attached.
3) Liaison office for payments of travel expenses
As travel expenses to exchange students shall be paid through the representative university, the liaison office of the representative university (names of the department and person in charge) should be specified.

(3) Implementation plan
1) Schedule of consultation between consortia
2) Inspection and evaluation plans during and after the implementation of the project

(4) Outline of member universities
Names and outline of departments, master's and doctor's courses that participate in the project should be specified. Names of countries and cities where participating foreign universities are located should be given along with notes explaining that those universities are higher education institutions in those nations.

(5) List of persons in charge of the project
Persons responsible for the project should be specified. They should be in such managerial positions of the respective universities that enable them to coordinate the administration and responsibility of the project.

7. Notabilia in Application
(1) Great attention should be paid in designating the representative university of a consortium as information on payments of scholarship and travel expenses to exchange students is provided through the representative university.

(2) Member universities should agree on 6 (1) 9) and 13). It is desirable that these matters are stipulated in the agreement between consortia mentioned in 7). If these matters are not stipulated in the agreement certifying that member universities have agreed on those matters should be attached.

(3) Regarding 6 (3), the Japanese translation of materials of participating universities should be presented.

8. Deadline for Application
May 30, 2003, Friday

9. Information on the Outcome of Application
The oufcome of application shall be notified the representative university of a consortium that has submitted application until the end June 2003.

10. Notabilia
(1) If ensuring safe study in a recipient nation is difficult in light of the state of affairs of that nation, dispatching students to that country may be postponed or suspended.

(2) The head of the representative university should present implementation reports by the end of the fiscal year when the support is given.

11. Addressee and Reference
Student Exchange Division, Higher Education Bureau, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology(MEXT),JAPAN
(Note)
Only the person at the representative university responsible for application is permitted to make inquires about the support program. No reply will be given to inquiries from students, teachers or overseas institutions.