Information for Course Registration

1. All students including exchange students must abide by the registration regulation by Sophia.
2. Late course registration is not accepted under any circumstance. Please refer to the Academic Calendar: https://piloti.sophia.ac.jp/eng/academic/AcademicCalendar/
3. You will register for courses by yourself after arriving at Sophia University. We recommend that you have as many course options as possible and prepare a flexible study plan. (We cannot guarantee that you will be able to enroll in the courses you list at the time of application.)

Restriction of Course Registration

1. Exchange Students must register for more than 10 hours of class work per week (600 minutes, 1 hour being 60 minutes). This is namely 6 periods as 100 minutes constitute one period.
   This restriction is to fulfill the requirements of “College Student” visa status, but this is also valid for the students who have Japanese Citizen or other visa status.
2. In principle, exchange students should mainly take courses offered by their own faculties and programs.
   • LAP students are strongly recommended to choose the Comparative Studies courses of Japan and Latin America: “Comparative Literature of Japan and Latin America” (Spanish, Spring only) or “Seminar (Brazilians in Japan: Education and Social Conditions) ” (Portuguese, Spring and Autumn).
   • SAIMS students must choose at least one of the following courses: “Conservation”, “Sustainable Development”, or “Environmental Science”.
3. Exchange Students may register for some courses taught in English offered by other faculties. Please refer to the “Course List of English-Taught Non-FLA Courses” distributed after arrival.
4. Some courses are lottery courses, while others are not.
   For lottery courses, there is a possibility of not being selected. We recommend choosing more courses than you plan to take, to ensure you have enough options.
5. If you are a graduate student at your home university but are applying to Sophia University’s undergraduate exchange program, you will not be permitted to take graduate-level courses at Sophia University.
6. Please avoid planning to take courses or earn credits that are required for graduation at your home university. Courses may be cancelled or become unavailable without prior notice. Under no circumstances will you be allowed to enroll in more than the maximum permitted number of credits.
7. The following courses are NOT open to Exchange Students.
   • FLA core programs
   • FST laboratory classes
   • GPGS compulsory courses
   • The foreign language courses (except Japanese language)
   • Seminars except FLA
   • Courses in Studies in Christian Humanism
   • Compulsory courses in General Studies, “Studies in Christian Humanism: For Others, with Others”, “Liberal Arts of the Body”, “Critical Thinking & Writing”, “Overview of Data Science”, “Thinking about Issues, Perspectives and Positionality”.
   • Academic English courses under University-wide General Studies (Courses with registration codes that start from GSP and the numberings with ENG)
8. Principles courses, such as “Principles of Microeconomics” “Principles of Macroeconomics” and other introductory courses in International Business and Economics in the Faculty of Liberal Arts, cannot be taken if you have already studied equivalent content at your home university.
9. Courses at the 300- or 400-level have prerequisites. During the course registration process, you may be required to explain to the instructor that you have already studied equivalent content at your home institution and therefore possess the necessary background knowledge to take the course. Please review the syllabus carefully before registration. 
10. Credit Restriction (per semester)
    • Faculty of Liberal Arts: No more than 20 credits
    • Faculty of Science and Technology: No more than 20 credits
    • Graduate Program in Global Studies: No more than 12 credits

Notes for Japanese Language Program and Its Placement Test

Japanese Language Program

Japanese Language Program (Center for Language Education and Research)

Japanese Placement Test

• Those who would like to take Japanese language course must take a Japanese Placement Test.
  • For the schedule of the JPT, please refer to this page.
  • Beginner students who have never studied Japanese and wish to register for “Japanese 1”, will not be required to take the test, but must submit a survey after arrival.
  • If you missed to take the test / submit a format, you will not be able to register Japanese language courses.

• You will be placed to the appropriate level following based on the results of the placement test and you are not allowed to change your class. Therefore, please note that it is not always possible to take classes designated by your home institution.

Credit Explanation & Grading System

Credits

Grading Scale

Transcript of Records, Certificates

Date of Issue

• Spring semester transcript: mid-September
  Autumn semester transcript: late-March
  • Please refer to My Sophia for the precise date of the academic year.
• One official transcript for Exchange Students will be sent directly to the Office of International Programs or Registrar’s Office at students’ home institution.
• We will NEVER issue the ToR earlier than the date above. If you need Sophia transcript to transfer credits for your graduation, please be aware of this issuance date.
• Online Grades View on Loyola can also be displayed from the same date.
  Please keep in mind that exchange students will NOT be able to log in to Loyola and My Sophia after the end of the enrollment period (September 20 for Spring Semester / March 31 for Autumn Semester).
• For additional copies of ToR, please follow the instruction: https://piloti.sophia.ac.jp/eng/academicrecords/certificates_transcripts/alumni/

Other Certificates

• We can issue “Certificate of Exchange Program”, which attests to the duration of the Exchange Program. Please consult Center for Global Education and Discovery.