Study Abroad in East Asia

Studying abroad allows students to engage with the cultures of East Asia while rapidly progressing in their language abilities. The Center for Undergraduate Global Engagement (UGE) offers a number of study abroad opportunities organized or approved by Columbia University.

Listed below are all Columbia-led study abroad programs in East Asia. Many additional Columbia-approved programs in Korea, China, Nepal, Japan, Indonesia, and Mongolia are also available. Students interested in study abroad should see the UGE Find a Program page for a comprehensive list of offerings and options. Any questions should be addressed to the relevant UGE staff member listed for each program. East Asia Studies majors and concentrators should also discuss their plans to study abroad with the Director of Undergraduate Studies.

For information about fellowships to help finance study abroad in East Asia, please see our Undergraduate Fellowships page.

Summer Study Abroad Programs

• Kyoto Summer Programs in Modern Japanese and Classical Japanese (KCJS)
  The Kyoto Consortium for Japanese Studies (KCJS) program offers intensive language training for highly motivated undergraduate and graduate students who have completed at least one, two, three, or four years of college-level Japanese or the equivalent.
• Columbia Summer in Itoshima: Ecology and Society in Rural Japan
  Based in rural Japan, this pilot program brings students, faculty and the local community together in an immersive learning environment spanning the mountains, rivers and coastlines of rural Japan. A small group of students will study history, ecology, anthropology, literature and economics while planting rice, cutting bamboo and harvesting oysters in an experimental program that reimagines liberal arts education from the roots up.

Semester and Year Study Abroad Programs

• Kyoto Consortium for Japanese Studies (KCJS)
  The Kyoto Consortium for Japanese Studies (KCJS) is a semester or academic year long program for undergraduates who wish to do work in Japanese language and Japanese studies. The program will help you strengthen your Japanese skills by providing intensive language training and regular interactions with host families and the local community. Applicants must have completed at least one year of college-level Japanese for the fall semester, and three semesters for the spring semester, or the equivalent.