Create Tomorrow’s Cities: Yokohama National University YCCS English Bachelor Program

Bursting with global energy, Yokohama National University’s YOKOHAMA Creative‑City Studies (YCCS) Program is one of Japan’s few four‑year bachelor degrees taught entirely in English. Rooted in the vibrant port city that first opened Japan to the world, YCCS blends urban creativity, sustainability, and social innovation—giving international students an immersive gateway to the nation’s second‑largest metropolis while still enjoying a supportive, close‑knit cohort experience.

1. Choose Yokohama — Where Creativity Meets Opportunity

Yokohama’s transformation from a small fishing village to a cosmopolitan hub of 3.7 million people mirrors the YCCS ethos: agile, outward‑looking, and innovation‑driven. Only 30 minutes from Tokyo by train yet noticeably more relaxed, the city hosts global conferences, UNESCO Creative‑City initiatives, and booming tech‑startup corridors along Minato Mirai. Studying here means access to Japan’s largest port, green waterfronts, and a deep culture of design and performing arts that feed directly into project work and internships.

YNU’s Tokiwadai campus sits on a former golf course turned park‑like setting just 3 km from Yokohama Station, giving you a peaceful environment for study without sacrificing nightlife or international dining. The program’s annual intake is intentionally capped at about 12 students, creating small seminar rooms where your voice always counts.

2. Inside the YCCS Curriculum — Interdisciplinary Urban Studies

YCCS awards a Bachelor of Arts from the College of Urban Science and requires 124 credits across three concentrations:

• Urban Cultural Creation — creative industries, heritage & tourism
• Urban Social Management — policy, law & community design
• Urban Creative Technologies — smart‑city engineering & data science

Common core courses in leadership, cross‑cultural teamwork, and project planning are paired with Japanese‑language classes that ramp down as you advance, freeing time for specialized electives offered across all five YNU colleges. Field trips to city‑hall think tanks, architecture studios, and creative start‑ups solidify theory in real streetscapes.

Quick Facts	Details
학위	Bachelor of Arts (Urban Science)
Duration	4 years (October intake)
Language	English + intensive Japanese
Annual Tuition	¥535,800
Estimated Total Cost*	≈ ¥1,600,000 per year

3. Learning Experience — Small Classes, Projects & Japanese Immersion

Average class size hovers around 15, and every first‑year student lives together in the Minesawa International Student Dormitory, five minutes from campus. Shared living builds multicultural teamwork skills, and mandatory first‑semester leadership labs sharpen facilitation techniques.

Project‑based modules partner with Yokohama City Hall, private developers, and NGOs working on SDGs‑aligned urban renewal. In one recent studio, students designed way‑finding for the renovated waterfront and pitched directly to city planners. By senior year you complete a thesis supervised by faculty spanning engineering, business, and the arts.

Standardized‑Test Friendly Admissions

Applicants submit a statement of purpose, recommendation letters, and either SAT or ACT scores—ideal for students from systems where the EJU is unfamiliar. Interviews are conducted online, and successful candidates usually hear back by late May for October arrival.

4. Beyond the Classroom — Affordability, Housing & Scholarships

Japan’s national‑university tuition is set by law, making YCCS far cheaper than most English‑language programs in the U.S. or U.K. On top of the ¥535,800 tuition, YNU estimates living, class‑activity, and insurance costs at about ¥1.6 million annually. First‑year dorm rent is a wallet‑friendly ¥5,700 per month—less than a Tokyo commuter’s train pass.

Scholarship & Waiver Options

Create Tomorrow’s Cities: Yokohama National University YCCS English Bachelor Program

Roughly a quarter of YNU’s international students receive some form of scholarship each year, and staff help you navigate applications through the one‑stop Student Center.

5. Launching Your Global Career from Yokohama

Yokohama’s start‑up ecosystem, multinational firms, and easy rail links to Tokyo make internships plentiful. Alumni have progressed to master’s programs at the University of Tokyo, creative agencies in Singapore, and UN‑Habitat field offices. YCCS career workshops include résumé clinics and mock interviews with bilingual HR managers, while the city’s annual Smart‑City Week conference offers networking just down the hill from campus.

Whether you dream of designing creative districts, shaping urban policy, or pioneering sustainable tech, YCCS equips you with interdisciplinary insight, bilingual fluency, and a professional network across Asia’s most dynamic megaregion. Applications for October 2026 open this November—take your first step toward an inspired life in Yokohama.