Students studying in the TUJ cafeteria
Increasing its commitment to prioritizing students, the Japan campus of Temple University (TUJ) will roll out major enhancements to its Bridge Program for non-native English-speaking students seeking to enter the undergraduate programs from May 2022. Students enrolled in TUJ’s Bridge Program have the opportunity to accelerate their progress to a university degree from a globally renowned American university by taking university courses while being immersed in intensive academic English training.
TUJ provides a unique international learning environment in the heart of Tokyo with over 50% of its students originating from outside of Japan. Because TUJ students study in English and obtain their degree from Temple University’s main campus in Philadelphia (USA), they are expected to have a sufficient level of English fluency to gain admission (minimum score of 79 on TOEFL iBT or 6.0 on IELTS for non-English native speakers).
The Bridge Program provides a pathway for non-English native speakers with a strong academic record, but who cannot achieve sufficient language test scores for full admission, to gain conditional acceptance into a highly ranked global university. Although Bridge students are predominantly Japanese, students residing outside of Japan can also receive visa sponsorship and participate in the Bridge Program.
As Bridge students advance across the three levels in the program (Bridge 1, 2, 3), they progressively take more credit-bearing university courses while benefitting from concurrent academic language skills training. By coupling an actual classroom experience together with specialized English training, Bridge students can speed towards a degree from a top American institution while acquiring sufficient English fluency to succeed in the classroom and global workplace.
Going forward, Bridge students can earn up to 15 credits towards their 120-credit undergraduate degree. To date, Bridge students could obtain only six credits towards their degree. After completing the Bridge Program and seeing their English ability improve, students fully matriculate into the University. The revamped program also features a more flexible grading and advancement scheme including the ability to advance directly into the undergraduate program if a student shows sufficient progress on standardized language tests.
“As TUJ strives to equip students with the skills required to succeed in a global workplace, our upgrades to the Bridge Program will enhance the university experience,” TUJ Dean, Matthew J. Wilson said. “The upgrades reduce the overall time and costs associated with a university degree and language skills development. We are excited to assist Japanese and overseas students on their journey to an exciting global career.”
The planned upgrades pave the way for non-native English-speaking students to complete their undergraduate studies more quickly than the previous system. For a student participating in the Bridge program, the total tuition and fees until graduation will be lower in comparison to the current system.
TUJ is the largest and longest-running branch campus of a foreign university in Japan. The university celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) designated TUJ as the first Foreign University, Japan Campus in 2005. The Japan campus of Temple University, located in Sangenjaya, Tokyo, educates nearly 1,600 undergraduate and graduate students from 57 countries.
To learn more about the Bridge Program, click the following link:
Bridge Program (For Non-native English Speakers)