Accepted Students

• You will be provided with a guide to living in Japan: what you need to know about the city, the university, and your student life.
• Take a tour of our amazing campus location, Ryogoku, with some student volunteers.
• Discuss how to set up a bank account, and receive other tips on managing your personal finances abroad.
• Learn how to obtain cell phones, shop for daily necessities.
• Become familiar with the train system and other modes of transportation.
• Review foreign residence cards, health insurance, visa sponsorship, and Japanese regulations.

• Become oriented and comfortable with our grading system, credits, campus hours, attendance policies, and more.
• Discover all the student services we offer (academic advising, free tutoring, counseling, faculty office hours).
• Meet various members of the admissions and administrative staff who can help you throughout your time at college.

• Placement tests will be conducted on orientation days. A reading and writing test will be done on the first day, followed by a math test on the following day. Results from these placement tests will help our registrars office guide you into courses for your first semester that fulfill program requirements and meet your interests.
• By the end of welcome week, your first semester schedule will be in your hands and you'll feel completely ready to step through the doors for the first day of classes!

The writing placement test is used to evaluate whether the test-taker can be exempt from Writing Workshop, which is a required course for all first semester students. This 80-minute test involves writing an essay that will help our writing professors place the student in the writing course that best matches their present skills.

Writing test procedure:

1. Read multiple passages
2. Choose one topic
3. Summarize the author's argument in your own words
4. Write an essay with your opinion on the topic. You may support, oppose, or partially support/oppose the author's ideas. You will need to write at least five paragraphs to support your ideas.

The reading placement test is used to evaluate whether the test-taker can be exempt from Reading Workshop, which is a required course for all first semester students. The administrator will guide you through the 35-minute test.

Reading test procedure:

1. Section 1: Vocabulary (20-minutes, 80 multiple choice questions)
2. Section 2: Reading Comprehension (15-minutes, read multiple passages of varying lengths, then answer 38 questions)

The paper-based math placement test 60-minutes, and is used to evaluate whether the test-taker can be exempt from Mathematics Workshop, which is a pre-requisite course to the required Intermediate Algebra course.

Mathematics test procedure:

1. 20 math questions
2. Note: we also offer the online assessment, ALEKS, a web-based learning program, for determining math placement. ALEKS is optional and can be taken during the semester if students wish to be tested out from any math course(s). More information will be provided during the New Student Orientation Session and can also be found here.

1. What are the placement tests?
   The placement tests are designed to assess students' current skill levls and knowledge in writing, reading, and mathematics. Academic Affairs will use your test results to determine the most appropriate courses for your 1st semester reqistration.
   
2. Why are they important?
   If you pass a placement test, it means you will not have to take basic workshop course in that subject. Instead, you can take the advanced level class and/or take other courses that you are more interested in. All fundamental workshop courses (Writing Workshop, Reading Workshop, and Mathematics Workshop) are worth 3-credit hours. If you have to take all three workshop courses, you can only earn a maximum of 3 credits, which will be used towards your A.A. degree total. In other words, you would have ot pay for 3 classes, but only get credit for one of those classes. One the other hand, by passing these placement tests, you can sav both money on tuition fees and time by only taking one or two workshop classes. This may shorten the total duration of your study time.
   
3. Who needs to take the placement tests? And when?
   All incoming freshmen (including current EAP Program students in the highest level of that program) are required to take the tests prior to enrolling in our Academic Program unless they have ACT/SAT scores high enough to be placed into advanced courses. Transfer students are also required to take the tests unless they have transfer credit or are officially waved by the university. Incoming students will take the placement tests during the New Student Orientation week. The placement tests for EAP Program students at the LA level are scheduled during the semester.
   
4. Should I study for the test? How can I be prepared for the test?
   The placement tests are intended to be used as a tool to place you in the course most appropriate for your present skill level. Since your placement test results are important and will affect the period of your study in the Academic Program. It is a good idea to be prepared and do your best to perform well, in order to increase your chance of passing.
   
   Especially for the math test, it is always good to become familiar with the mathematical terms if you are not familiar with. Here is a useful link which can help you prepare for the Math Placement Test.