Akita International University: All-English Global Studies & Global Business Bachelor’s Programs

Imagine earning a U.S. style liberal-arts bachelor’s degree—taught entirely in English—without leaving Japan or breaking the bank. Akita International University (AIU) turns that vision into reality. Nestled between rice fields and snow-dusted mountains in northern Honshu, the public university has spent two decades perfecting a model that blends small-seminar teaching, diverse faculty, and mandatory global mobility. Its graduates head to Big-Four consulting firms, United Nations traineeships, and top graduate schools from Columbia to NUS. Above all, AIU offers a community that prizes curiosity and cross-cultural empathy—the very skills employers say they cannot automate. Whether your dream is to influence climate policy, launch a social-impact start-up, or bridge trade between Tokyo and Jakarta, AIU’s Global Studies (GS) and Global Business (GB) tracks supply the intellectual toolkit and professional network to make it happen. Read on for a deep dive into curriculum highlights, career outcomes, and pro-tips for securing a spot in next year’s class.

1. Why Choose AIU?

Program Overview

Founded in 2004 and modeled after U.S. liberal-arts colleges, AIU pioneered the all-English policy long before it became a buzz-word in Japanese higher education. Every lecture, tutorial, and assessment is delivered in English—except the language courses themselves. Students choose one of three majors (GS, GB, or Global Connectivity) yet enjoy extraordinary freedom to roam electives. A GS student can enroll in “Entrepreneurial Finance,” while a GB student tackles “Politics of the European Union,” fostering interdisciplinary agility. The first-semester English for Academic Purposes (EAP) boot camp equips non-native speakers with citation etiquette, academic-writing syntax, and discussion-leadership techniques so they thrive once upper-division reading lists hit 120 pages a week.

Immersive English Environment

AIU’s wooded campus functions like a living language lab. Classes, club meetings, and even cafeteria chatter default to English—you do not just use English, you live in it. Faculty hail from more than twenty countries, and roughly 30 % of on-campus students at any time are inbound exchangers, giving every group project a multinational flavor. Small class sizes (average 17) mean professors quickly learn each student’s name and learning style, providing continuous feedback and mentoring.

Global Recognition

In the 2025 Times Higher Education Japan rankings, AIU placed 10^th overall and 1^st nationwide for “environment”—a metric covering diversity and international outlook. The same table ranked AIU above many “super-global” national universities with triple its budget, underlining the return on investment international students can expect.

2. Global Studies Track: Building International Insight

Interdisciplinary Curriculum

The GS track blends politics, sociology, anthropology, and regional studies, then layers on quantitative methodology so students can test their own hypotheses. Typical second-year courses include “Human Rights in East Asia,” “Comparative Political Economy,” and “Environmental Policy Analysis.” From Year 2 you design a research plan that culminates in a 10,000-word thesis supervised one-on-one by a faculty adviser. A complete curriculum outline is available on the GS program page.

Fieldwork & Exchange

GS majors satisfy AIU’s one-year study-abroad requirement at any of 208 partner universities in 52 countries. Many students pick a region linked to their thesis—think migration studies in the Philippines or security policy in Sweden—and use that year to collect interviews or archival data. AIU offers outbound scholarships covering up to ¥600,000 of overseas costs. Details appear on the study-abroad requirement page.

Campus-Based Learning Communities

Waiting for departure day? GS faculty host weekly “Global Issues Café” debates—from Arctic shipping lanes to AI ethics—often featuring diplomats and NGO directors dialing in via Zoom. You build a global Rolodex before you even leave Japan.

3. Global Business Track: East Meets West in Management

Case-Based Learning

If GS is theory-driven, GB is action-oriented. Third-year students spend Friday mornings dissecting Harvard Business School cases and Friday afternoons pitching market-entry strategies for Japanese SMEs eyeing Southeast Asia. Core modules cover managerial accounting, consumer behavior, sustainable supply-chain design, and cross-cultural negotiation, all contextualized for the Asia-Pacific market.

Analytics & Technology

AIU recently installed a Bloomberg Terminal and hosts AWS Academy workshops, enabling GB majors to graduate with certifications in cloud fundamentals or data visualization. A newly launched “Digital Transformation Lab” pairs students with regional governments looking to digitize public services—a résumé goldmine.

Internship Opportunities

Akita’s prefectural government runs a “Local to Global” internship scheme that pairs GB majors with export-ready companies in the Tohoku region. Past placements include craft-sake breweries, AI-powered agritech start-ups, and sustainable forestry cooperatives. Because the program is credit-bearing, your field reports double as portfolio pieces for future employers. Over 90 % of GB graduates land full-time jobs or graduate-school offers within six months of commencement—many with employers met during the internship cycle.

4. Admissions, Tuition & Scholarships: Your Roadmap

Entry Requirements

AIU evaluates applicants holistically. Standardized test scores (SAT/ACT or the Japanese EJU) are optional but recommended. Non-native English speakers submit TOEFL iBT 79, IELTS 6.5, or higher. A motivational essay and an online interview let you showcase fit and grit. AIU also considers extracurricular leadership, community service, and demonstrated interest in intercultural engagement.

Costs & Funding

Tuition at AIU is refreshingly transparent: a one-time matriculation fee ¥423,000 and annual tuition ¥696,000—totaling ¥1,119,000 for Year 1 and ¥696,000 for each subsequent year (official tuition page). Merit scholarships slice up to ¥400,000 off tuition, while need-based waivers can cover the entire matriculation fee. Because the campus sits just outside Akita City, monthly living expenses hover around ¥60,000, including dorm rent, cafeteria meals, and public transport—far below Tokyo averages.

Item	Amount (JPY)
Matriculation Fee (Year 1 only)	¥423,000
Annual Tuition	¥696,000
Total Year 1	¥1,119,000
Total Years 2–4 (per year)	¥696,000

Application Timeline

The fall intake opens in late October and closes in early January, with results released by mid-March. Spring intake (April start) opens in April and closes in June. Plan your standardized testing at least six months before the application deadline so that score reports arrive on time. Pro tip: submit your online application at least one week before the deadline to avoid last-minute portal congestion.