1. Accelerated Graduation Program
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The accelerated graduation program has been devised to encourage the academic efforts of outstanding students who wish to graduate in three years or three and one half years. Those who wish to enroll in the "accelerated graduation program" must meet a number of specific criteria.
Once enrolled, as long as students meet the assessment criteria at the end of the 4th semester, they will continue on the program through the time of their graduation.
*This program is not for APS students in the 2023 curriculum.
Contents
Schedule
| Application for AY2024 Fall Semester | Application for AY2025 Spring Semester | |
|---|---|---|
| Application Materials Available | Early July 2024 | Early January 2025 |
| Application Period | Mon.July 8 - Fri. July 12,2024 | Mon.January 13 - Fri. January 17,2025 |
| Results Announced | Mon.September 9,2024 | Wed.March 12,2025 |
| Program Registered | Sat.September 21,2024 | Tue.April 1,2025 |
In the following cases, students will be ineligible to register for the Accelerated Graduation Program.
- Transfer from a non-4 year university or 3rd Year transfer students.
Application and Selection Procedures
Initial Application
Students in their 2nd semester are eligible to apply to begin the program from the 3rd semester.
Screening will be conducted upon completion of the 4th semester. Those who do not meet the following
criteria will be removed from the Accelerated Graduation Program.
Screening Criteria
- Completion of at least 32 credits by the end of the 2nd semester, and a cumulative GPA of at least 3.20
Re-evaluation Criteria
- Completion of at least 74 credits by the end of the 4th semester, and a cumulative GPA of at least 3.20
- Completion of all required language courses by the end of the 4th semester.
Supplementary Application
Applications to the Accelerated Graduation Program are also accepted in the 4th semester for entrance into the program in the 5th semester. Applications will be accepted from new applicants and from those who previously applied unsuccessfully.
Screening Criteria
- Completion of at least 64 credits by the end of the 4th semester, and a cumulative GPA of at least 3.20
- Completion of all required language courses by the end of the 4th semester
Application guidline / Documents for Submission (new and supplementary applications)
Tuition
Students who register for the Accelerated Graduation Program will be charged tuition under a different model
from regular students, shown below. As such, after registering for the Accelerated Graduation Program the
tuition costs per semester will be higher than those of regular students, so please be sure to check each
semester’s tuition costs carefully.
In addition, it is not possible to switch back to the regular program after registering for the Accelerated
Graduation Program unless you fail the re-screening process in your 4th semester.
APU Tuition is split into two parts: Tuition A (the same for all students) and Tuition B (differs by year).
Tuition A is charged to all current students each semester, so if you graduate in three years you will not have
to pay Tuition A in your 4th year.
If you graduate in three and a half years, you will have already completed your Tuition B payments so you will
only be required to pay Tuition A in your 7th semester and will not be charged for Tuition B.
Please check the Tuition Fees page of the APU homepage for details.
https://en.apu.ac.jp/home/life/content9/
| Year | Tuition | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semester | 1・2 | 3・4 | 5・6 | 7・8 | |
| Example A (half year) | Tuition A | ¥380,000 | ¥380,000 | ¥380,000 | ¥380,000 |
| Tuition B | ¥270,000 | ¥555,000 | ¥555,000 | ― | |
| Total (half year) | ¥650,000 | ¥935,000 | ¥935,000 | ¥380,000 | |
| Total (1 year) | ¥1,300,000 | ¥1,870,000 | ¥1,870,000 | ¥760,000 | |
| Example B (half year) | Tuition A | ¥380,000 | ¥380,000 | ¥380,000 | ¥380,000 |
| Tuition B | ¥270,000 | ¥555,000 | ¥277,500 | ¥277,500 | |
| Total (half year) | ¥650,000 | ¥935,000 | ¥657,500 | ¥657,500 | |
| Total (1 year) | ¥1,300,000 | ¥1,870,000 | ¥1,315,000 | ¥1,315,000 | |
| Example C (half year) | Tuition A | ¥380,000 | ¥380,000 | ¥380,000 | ¥380,000 |
| Tuition B | ¥270,000 | ¥370,000 | ¥740,000 | ― | |
| Total (half year) | ¥650,000 | ¥750,000 | ¥1,120,000 | ¥380,000 | |
| Total (1 year) | ¥1,300,000 | ¥1,500,000 | ¥2,240,000 | ¥760,000 |
- Example A:
A first year enrollee registers for the accelerated graduation program in their second year. - Example B:
A first year enrollee registers for the accelerated graduation program in their second year, but is removed from the program during a re-evaluation at the end of their fourth semester. - Example C:
A first year enrollee registers for the accelerated graduation program in their third year.
Seminar for Accelerated Graduation Program
For students enrolled in the Accelerated Graduation Program, the registration of seminar subjects (3rd and 4th year seminars) will differ from that of regular students. Specifically, students who have applied to graduate in their 6th or 7th semester will have a different seminar registration period. Please check the details in the application guidelines on your college’s seminar page below.
Notes on Study Abroad
Certain students should consult with a study abroad officer before applying for the Accelerated Graduation Program. Please contact the office if in the future you plan to:
- apply for an international student exchange program.
- apply for the Ritsumeikan University domestic student exchange program.
- participate in an independently arranged study abroad program.
Please note that students cannot study abroad during their final semester (of scheduled graduation).
Enrolling in the Program
Application for Preferred Graduation Date
All students enrolled in the Accelerated Graduation Program will be asked about their graduation plans each semester.
All enrolled students will be sent an “Action Required” message on Campus Terminal with the application documents. Please check the message and submit the required documents to the university by the deadline.
All students must submit the documents every semester, regardless of whether their plans for their semester of graduation have changed.
Please note, the university will determine when students can register for classes and graduate based on their submitted application documents, so students should be sure to submit the documents by the deadline each semester. If a student does not submit their application documents, they may not be able to graduate in their desired semester.
Changes to the Requested Graduation Date
As a rule, it is not permitted to request an earlier graduation date after an application has been submitted. Students should consider their requested graduation date carefully before submitting their applications.
Important
In the case that a requested graduation period was changed, course schedules for seminar subjects (3rd and 4th year seminars) will also change. The changes will be reflected during the Course Registration Period B.
Announcement of Graduation Assessment Results
Schedule
Results will be announced on the graduation result release date of the semester of their intended graduation.
Conditions of the Accelerated Graduation
- Submission of the Graduation Selection Period Application at the beginning of the semester of intended graduation.
- Completion of at least 124 credits in the requisite fields.
- Cumulative GPA of 3.20 or higher.
- Completion of at least 20 credits of lecture/seminar subjects held in the non-basis language (excluding J/E classes)
- ※
For Japanese-basis students: completion of at least 20 credits of lecture or seminar courses taught in English.
For English-basis students: completion of at least 20 credits of lecture or seminar courses taught in Japanese.
Interview
- An interview by a faculty member is required on the semester immediately preceding your graduation.
Scholarships
International students receiving a reduction in tuition fees who have become Accelerated Graduation Program students should review "The Guide to Scholarship" available on the Student Services website for information regarding the conditions of the reduction.
