ACE Program | APU Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University

2023 Online ACE Program

2023 Online Academic and Cultural Experience (ACE) Program

Applications are CLOSED.
The application period for the 2023 Online ACE Program is now closed. Thank you to all students who applied.

Are you looking for an exciting and unique study abroad experience in Japan? Join us for the APU Academic and Cultural Experience (ACE) Program this summer! The event will be held online this year, allowing you to discover Japan and connect with students around the globe from the comfort of your own home! What's more, it’s free to attend and, we have increased the number of participants allowed for this year, which means you will be able to make even more friends from even more diverse backgrounds!

The ACE Program is designed and hosted by Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU). Participation is open to high school students in grade 10 and above at the time of the program.

You can look forward to:

Making new friends from all over the world (students from over 30 countries have participated in previous ACE programs).
Improving your intercultural communication skills.
Discovering Japanese language and culture.
Taking part in university-level workshops and group work.
Receiving a certificate for attending APU's most popular pre-enrollment camp!

Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

PROGRAM DETAILS

DATES AND TIME:

Dates:	August 5 (Sat) – August 6 (Sun)
Time:	Day 01: 16:00-21:30* Day 02: 14:30-22:00* *Japan Standard Time

CAPACITY:

200 students from around the world

LOCATION:

Zoom (further details will be sent to successful applicants)

PROGRAM FEE:

Free of charge

SCHEDULE:

DAY 01: Saturday, August 5

16:00—17:00	Welcome Session (Get to know about the university, student life, Beppu city, and more)
17:30-19:00	Lecture 1: Culture & Global Citizens (The contribution & value of diversity in our global existence)
19:15-20:45	Lecture 2: Developing Cultural Intelligence (CQ) Part I (Building self-awareness & understanding the value of cultural influences in society)
-21:30	Mix&Mingle* (Let’s get to know each other more!) *Optional

DAY 02: Sunday, August 6

14:30-15:30	Online Live Campus Tour* *Optional
16:00-17:00	Japanese Culture Workshop
17:30-19:00	Lecture 3: Developing Cultural Intelligence (CQ) Part II (Cultivating your CQ, making connections and building relationships)
19:15-20:45	Lecture 4: Towards Global Citizenship (Leveraging the power of diversity and co-existing peacefully with others)
21:00-21:30	Farewell Session
-22:00	Mix&Mingle* *Optional

NOTE:

Please be sure to use a computer to join the program as the above sessions are not suited for phones or tablets.
Participants are required to keep their camera on throughout the sessions.
The above schedule is subject to change. Accepted participants will be notified of any changes via email.

CERTIFICATION

Participants in this event can receive a certificate which they can use to supplement their extracurricular activities when applying to APU. You can get one too! In order to receive the Certificate of Completion, you must attend the welcome session, the farewell session, and all four workshops. Your participation for a session will only be valid if you attend it for the full 90 minutes.

NOTE:

The Certificate of Completion will ONLY be given to participants who have at the very least attended all six of the aforementioned sessions, and answered the surveys shared during the sessions. Exemptions will not be made for participants who need to attend to urgent issues on the day of, experienced technical issues such as internet connectivity, etc.

HOW TO APPLY

APPLICATION LINK:	*Applications are CLOSED.*
APPLICATION PERIOD:	*May 18 - June 15, 2023 (23:59 Japan Standard Time)*
RESULT ANNOUNCEMENT:	July 6, 2023 via email We will let you know if you have been accepted into the program, and if so, which sessions you have been approved to attend.
ELIGIBILITY:	In order to apply for this program, you must be a high school student in grade 10 or above at the time of the program. You may also apply if you recently graduated from high school (within the past 3 years) and are NOT currently enrolled at a university. Prospective transfer students are not eligible to apply. The program is conducted entirely in English therefore it is recommended that applicants who are non-native English speakers have a level of English proficiency equivalent to one of the following: IELTS: 6.0 TOEFL iBT: 75 TOEIC L&R: 750 EIKEN: Grade Pre-1 Cambridge English Language Assessment: 169 PTE Academic: 50 You do not need to submit the above English tests scores to apply. These numbers are only for your reference.
APPLICATION PROCESS:	Before starting your ACE application: Take the 50-minute EF SET test Click here to take the test All applicants including native English speakers are required to take this free online test and submit a test score. Exam duration is 50 minutes: Reading (25 mins) and Listening (25 mins) There is no minimum score required to apply for the program. After completing the test, enter your test score (1-100) and certificate URL (efset.org/cert/XXXXXX) in the online application form. Please make sure to double check if your URL is valid. Please be sure that you use the same name for your EF SET test and your ACE application so that we can verify your score. Native English speakers and non-native speakers will be evaluated separately. Slots will be allocated based on the number of applications per category. Start your ACE application: Step 1: Enter your application information Use the application link above. 2023 APU ACE Terms and Conditions Please read the above document and if you agree, indicate in the online application form. Step 2: Self-introduction recording and Step 3: Critical thinking test After completing step 1, a confirmation page automatically appears. To start steps 2 and 3, please click the link on the page. Or you can use the link in the confirmation email you will receive after completing step 1. When you click on the link for steps 2 and 3, a camera access notification will appear, make sure to click "Allow" in order to complete your recording. This recording must be completed on a desktop or laptop computer. The critical thinking test has 7 questions and takes approximately 15 minutes.