Applications are sent by Sophia University to the nominees via the UM Study Abroad Coordinator during the spring semester. Academics Exchange students join the Faculty of Comparative Literature as non-degree students. This Faculty offers about 200 courses in Japanese language and studies, international business and economics, and various fields of humanities and social sciences. No physical sciences or engineering are available. All courses other than language courses are taught in English, and UM exchange students will take classes in this faculty unless they are Japanese citizens or speak Japanese quite fluently.
Most exchange students get into the classes they want to register for without any problem.
The academics at Sophia are designed to satisfy students from a variety of US, Canadian, and European schools. Students should expect to spend a good deal of time studying, especially for the Japanese class which all exchange students are required to register for each semester. The later option is the only one with simple cooking facilities. Students can also choose to find their own housing in Tokyo. If students choose to have the Overseas Liaison section find housing for them, they must take what they are assigned.