Academic Year 2017

Sophia University Graduate School

Graduate School of Languages and Linguistics
Masters Program in Linguistics
(TESOL: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages)

Application Booklet
This is supplementary information of the original application booklet in Japanese.
For full details, please refer to the Japanese version. All materials (including the
application forms) can be downloaded from the Sophia University website:
http://www.sophia.ac.jp/jpn/admissions/in_ad/ad_gaiyo/innyushi
Further inquiries in English can be directed to the Admissions Office.

Sophia University
Admissions Office
7-1 Kioi-cho, Chiyoda-ku
Tokyo 102-8554, JAPAN
Tel: 81-3-3238-3517
Fax: 81-3-3238-3262
Email: admission-g@cl.sophia.ac.jp

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Number of students to be admitted

Masters Program in Linguistics

33 students

This is the total number of students to be admitted to the four courses within the Program in Linguistics: Linguistics,
Research in Communication Disorders, TESOL and TJFL (Teaching Japanese as a Foreign Language). Each course does
not specify the number of students it accepts.
Students are accepted to the Program once a year, for Spring semester entry (April).
Eligibility
Those who meet one of the following criteria and two of the following prerequisites can apply to the TESOL Program:
(1) Applicants who have graduated, or are expected to graduate from a university in Japan before entering the Masters
program.
(2) Applicants who have completed, or are expected to complete 16 years of formal education at a foreign educational
institution before entering the Masters program.
(3) Applicants aged 22 or over who have been screened by Sophia University Graduate School and have been
approved as having academic ability equivalent to that of a student who has graduated from a university.
(4) Applicants whose academic ability has been approved by Sophia University Graduate School as equivalent to that
of a student who has completed an undergraduate course at Sophia University.
Applicants who have completed, or are expected to complete less than 16 years of formal education with a bachelors
degree are eligible.
Applicants without a bachelors degree, who fall under (2), (3) and (4) above and who completed university education
in a country that regards the length of formal education as less than 16 years to obtain a degree (or equivalent
qualification) are required to go through an eligibility screening process. Please contact the Admissions Office at least
one month prior to the application documents submission deadline.
PrerequisitesApplicants must meet prerequisite 1 below and one of the prerequisites in 2.
1. [For non-native speakers of English only] TOEFL scores higher than 550 (PBT), 213 (CBT) or 79 (iBT), IELTS
(Academic) scores higher than 6.0 or First Grade of the Jitsuyo Eigo Gino Kentei (Eiken, Test in Practical
English Proficiency). These tests should be taken within two years of the application deadline. We do not accept
TOEFL ITP (Institutional Testing Program) scores.
2. Applicants should meet one of the following four criteria:
(1) The applicant holds a teachers license.
(2) The applicant is expected to obtain a teachers license before entering the Masters program.
*Even though applicants may have been accepted to Sophia University on the basis of their expected obtainment
of a teachers license, failure to obtain a teachers license or have the results submitted before our deadline
(March 24, Friday, 2017) will result in cancellation of their acceptance.
(3) At the time of application, the applicant has experience of teaching a foreign language for one year or more at
educational institutions and companies in Japan or in other countries as their principal occupation.
*Private tutoring does not fulfill the one-year teaching experience requirement.
(4) The applicants holds a CELTA certificate.
Application procedure
Please make your application in accordance with the following steps:
Register on the on-line application system: https://sophia.applyjapan.com
Make sure to include all your application information in your on-line application
Pay the application fee and submit your application on-line
Mail the printed application forms and other application materials to the Sophia Admissions Office by express
registered mail by the given application documents submission deadline. (Use the mailing label provided on the
Sophia University website.) Application materials must reach Sophia Admissions Office by the application
documents submission deadline.
(1) Hand-delivered applications will not be accepted.
(2) The application documents are not returnable for any reason.
(3) The applicant cannot change the program/course s/he is applying for after the submission of the application.
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(4) Applications made directly from countries outside Japan must be submitted well in advance. When the applicant
resides outside Japan, the mailing address on your application form should be in Japan. Documents for matriculation
will be sent out to the address in Japan for successful applicants.
*Medical Attention
Any applicant with physical conditions that might require special attention when undertaking the entrance exam and
university work should notify the Admissions Office in writing before the application period.
Application schedule for 2017 entry (Applicants can apply during either of the two application periods below.)
1st application
2nd application
On-line application period
June 24 through July 25, 2016
December 2, 2016 through
January 5, 2017
Application documents submission July 28, 2016
January 6, 2017
deadline
Oral examination date
September 14, 2016
February 16, 2017
Notice of results on the Sophia website 10:00 a.m.(JST), September 29, 2016
10:00 a.m.(JST), February 23, 2017
Acceptance letter and documents for October 6, 2016
February 28, 2017
matriculation to be mailed on
Matriculation fee payment deadline
November 11, 2016
March 10, 2017
Application fee
35,000 Yen.
Payment should be made by credit card or through Chinapay or PayPal services, during the last stage of the online
application, during the on-line application period. Payment must be completed by 23:59 (JST) on each application
deadline. After the deadline, applications will not be accepted. The application fee is non-refundable.
Application documents
1
Application Form
2
3

4
5

6
7

After completion of the on-line application, you can print out your application
form.
Koseki Tohon or other applicable For applicants who have had a name change.
documents
Certificate of (Expected)
Issued by the university the applicant graduated, or will soon graduate, from. If
Graduation
the university is a foreign educational institution, the Bachelors degree
certificate must also be submitted.
Official Transcript of Records
Issued by universities and must show all courses taken and grades received for
undergraduate and graduate (if applicable) work.
Letter of Recommendation
One letter of recommendation from the applicants instructor at university or a
supervisor at work. Use the form provided on the Sophia University website. The
letter must be sealed in a separate envelope.
Essay
An English essay of 2,000 words or less, giving the applicants reasons and
purposes for wishing to study in the TESOL course.
Certificate of English language Either a TOEFL official score, IELTS (Academic) official score or a test
proficiency
certificate of the First Grade of Eiken.
*Not required for native speakers For TOEFL, attach the Test Taker (Examinee) Score Report (photocopy
of English
accepted) to the application, and arrange to have ETS send the Official Score
Report to Sophia University (University Code 0819). The Official Score report
must be delivered to Sophia University by the application documents submission
deadline. We do not accept TOEFL ITP (Institutional Testing Program) scores.
For IELTS, attach the Test Report Form (photocopy accepted) to the application,
and arrange to have the testing institution send the official Test Report Form to
Sophia University. There is no code number for our university. Please make sure
to specify our university, mailing address and other necessary information so that
the official Test Report Form will reach our university.
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Certificate forPrerequisites2
(SeePrerequisiteson Page 2)

One of the following should be submitted:

(1) a photocopy of the teachers license
(2) a certificate of expected acquisition of the teachers license
(3) a certificate of employment - the certificate must clearly state that the
applicant has experience of teaching a foreign language for one year or more.
(4) a photocopy of the CELTA certificate

ExaminationThe entrance exam consists of an oral examination conducted in English.

1. Entrance examination procedure
(1) Admission ticket:
The admission ticket (jukenhyou) will be sent to you through the web application system. Please print out the
admission ticket yourself and bring it on the examination day. For details, please refer to the original application
booklet written in Japanese.
The entrance examination will be held at the Yotsuya campus. The examination room will be announced on the
bulletin board at the Main Gate on the day of the examination.
2. Examination subjects / schedule
Time
10:00 a.m.

Subject
Oral exam

Details
Interview in English

Notice of the results

Applicants can confirm their acceptance/rejection through the Sophia official website below from 10:00 a.m. (JST)
on the results-notice date (See application schedule on Page 3).
http://www.sophia.ac.jp/jpn/admissions/in_ad
An acceptance letter and documents for matriculation will be sent out to successful applicants.
Matriculation procedures
To secure admission, a newly admitted student must pay tuition and other fees due prior to university entrance and
submit the necessary forms to the Sophia Admissions Office by the matriculation fee payment deadline.
Information concerning tuition
and other fees for the 2017 academic year have not been decided yet. The information will be sent to accepted students
along with the letter of acceptance. For your reference, fees for the 2016 academic year were as follows:
Entrance Fee
200,000 (once at matriculation)
Semester Enrollment Fee
60,000 (per year)
Tuition Fee
480,000 (per year)
Education Enhancement Fee
180,000 (per year)
Alumni Association Fee
20,000 (once at matriculation)
Premium for Personal Accident Insurance for Students
Pursuing Education and Research (2 year period)
1,400 (once at matriculation)
Total Amount:

941,400

Failure to meet the deadline will result in cancellation of your acceptance. No exceptions to this rule will be made.
For detailed information, please refer to the Entrance Procedures pamphlet sent with the acceptance letter.
Scholarship information
Please refer to the following website:
http://www.sophia.ac.jp/eng/financial/scholarships/

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