Exchange Program with University of the Ryukyus (Ryūdai)
The University of the Ryukyus (Ryūdai) is a national university in Okinawa. It was established in 1950 and became a national university in 1972 during the reversion of Okinawa to Japan.
The University of Hawaii system (10 campuses) has had exchanges with Ryūdai since 1988. As of 2008, however, each individual campus had to negotiate its own exchange agreement with Ryūdai. The Manoa campus signed an exchange agreement with Ryūdai in 2008 and is allowed to send a total of 5 students (undergraduate or graduate) per year to study at Ryūdai.
Applicant Requirements
Those applying must be full-time students in good academic standing. Undergraduates must have completed at least two years of college and at least two semesters of Japanese before leaving on the exchange program. (Depending upon the area of study, advanced language proficiency may be necessary.)
For more information, please visit the following Manoa International Exchange (MIX) pages.
For information on the University of the Ryukyus (Ryūdai) exchange programs and requirements: https://manoa.hawaii.edu/mix/partner-universities/u_ryukyus/
For information on the application: https://manoa.hawaii.edu/mix/outbound/apply/
Tuition and Fees
While students will be accepted as exchange students on a tuition-free basis at Ryūdai, they must pay UHM full-time credit (undergraduates: 12 credits; graduates: 8 credits) tuition fees. Also, although the application for admission fee and the tuition will be waived at Ryūdai, they will be required to pay housing application fees and student fees at Ryūdai.
Two Exchange Programs at Ryūdai
University of the Ryukyus Short-term Exchange Program (URSEP)
Content courses taught in English for those with little Japanese language knowledge (good for beginners at Japanese language)
Short-term Regular Program (STRP)
Content courses taught in Japanese (good for those proficient in Japanese language writing and speaking)
This is a unique opportunity for students to study about Okinawa IN Okinawa. Okinawa becomes the classroom with plenty of experiential learning — and the student will have gained an experience of a lifetime!
