Applications are accepted by email from mid-December to early January, and applicants will be selected by mid-February.

Applicants must meet the eligibility requirements. Please check the application guidelines for details.

Students who have not yet been admitted to the university are not eligible to apply. Applicants must be enrolled at Okayama University for at least 6 months at the time of application.

Yes, you can.

The move-in date differs between Kuwanoki dormitory and International Student Shared House. Please check the application guidelines for details.

In principle, you can only move into the dormitory in April. We will only accept students moving in September if there is a vacancy or if there is a resident who will be leaving in the middle of the year. If you wish to move out the dormitory in the middle of the school year due to plans to study abroad, please contact us.

You can apply. However, if there are candidates with both six-month and longer-term availability, priority may be given to those available for a longer term. 

Room preferences cannot be accepted. Additionally, applicants cannot choose the wing at Kuwanoki Dormitory. Please be aware that even female residents may be assigned to the first floor, so kindly understand this in advance.

As a rule, we do not allow students to leave the dormitory during the term. If you plan to study abroad during your living period, please consult with us before applying.

Visit tour is required prior to application. Please check the application guidelines for details. For visits outside of the application period, please contact the International Affairs Department.

Some international students who will be your unit mates in International Student Shared House are good at English and some are good at Japanese. It is helpful if you have daily conversation level English skills. Kuwanoki RAs use English in orientations and events. What’s important is the desire to communicate!

In International Student Shared House, some international students are more comfortable with English, while others are more proficient in Japanese. Having basic conversational English skills is useful. Kuwanoki RAs may use English during orientation and events. The most important thing is the willingness to communicate!
Generally, undergraduate students often take classes in Japanese, so many international students at the undergraduate level are able to speak Japanese. Among graduate students, there are also many who are more comfortable with English. 

First, the type of housing is different. Kuwanoki RAs live in a private room and interact with all the dormitory students, but in International Student Shared House, you live with a maximum of four people per unit and interact mainly with the international students in your unit. Kuwanoki RAs also do event planning and management tasks, so there is a lot of interaction among RAs and with university staff.

Activities include initial support in case of emergencies, support for international students’ daily life, planning and organizing exchange events, conducting orientation for entering and leaving the dormitory, and having meetings with the dorm managers, faculty and staff. Details are listed in the application guidelines.

You can read about the experiences of senior dormitory residents. If you’re up for the challenge of being a Kuwanoki RA, please come to the RA information session. Please check the recruitment flyer for details.

In the past, there have been years when the number of applicants exceeded the number of available persons and years when it did not. However, regardless of the number of applicants, it is possible to be rejected as a result of the selection process.

Application for the International Student Shared House is open to Japanese students only. Although all nationalities are welcome to apply for Kuwanoki RAs, all activities and meetings will be conducted in Japanese in principle. Japanese language proficiency above the level of daily conversation is required.

Applications will not be accepted if the applicant does not meet the eligibility requirements, not limited to grades.

Floors are mixed and there are no male/female floors. Each unit in International Student Shared House is separated by gender.　

Rooms will be randomly assigned. Although we try to avoid overlap in the nationalities of the international students in each unit of International Student Shared House, there may be some overlap due to the unevenness of the nationalities of the international students as a whole (e.g., Asian students only, same nationality, etc.). Please refer to this page for the country/region of origin of international students.

Room changes or transfers are not allowed after you have moved in. If any issues come up, please make sure to have a discussion with all the members of your unit as soon as possible. If the issue remains unresolved, you can seek assistance from the dormitory manager or the International Affairs Department. 　

No, we do not provide meals. There are kitchens in each dormitory, so you can prepare your own meals. Kuwanoki Dormitory has one in each private room, and International Student Shared House has one in each unit.

Please check the information on each dormitory for details.

Each private room in Kuwanoki Dormitory has a private bath. There is no bath in International Student Shared House, but there is a shower room in each unit.

You can use both Wi-fi and wired internet in each room.

Kuwanoki Dormitory are equipped with washing machines and dryers in the laundry rooms on each floor. Whether or not there is a balcony depends on the building. (Washing machine use: 200 yen per use) In International Student Shared House, each unit has its own washing machine, and you can hang your laundry on the balcony.

Yes, there is a bicycle parking space. Please consult with the dormitory manager if you wish to park more than two bicycles. Cars are not allowed to park.

We do not have a storage room, so please do not bring in any items that will not fit in your private room.

You may bring in furniture and home appliances only for use in your private room. However, you are not allowed to redecorate the furniture provided. Also, please be aware that you are not allowed to leave any personal belongings in the common space (living room, etc.) of International Student Shared House. Devices using open flames are strictly prohibited in all accommodations, so please do not bring in kotatsu or stoves. Bringing in washing machines are also prohibited.

No. Friends and family are not allowed to stay overnight. Guests entering private rooms after 10:00 p.m. will result in eviction.

Guests may enter the building between 9:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. if residents fill in the sign in sheet when entering the building. Residents must accompany guests in the building at all times.

A bank transfer form will be issued every month. Please use the form to transfer the money at the bank. Credit card payments and bank direct debits are not accepted. 

If there are any changes, you will be notified in advance. The fixed utility fees are reviewed once a year and may be adjusted in April. Due to factors such as rising oil prices, there have been continuous increases. 

The entrances to each dormitory are equipped with auto-locks and can only be unlocked with a key card. Security measures, including the installation of surveillance cameras, are also in place. 

There is no curfew, but Quiet Hours are from 10 PM to 7 AM, so please refrain from making loud noises, listening to music, and other activities that might disturb others. As a measure against covid, International Student Shared House is currently closed to outsiders. Only the common facilities on the first floor of the Kuwanoki Dormitory are open to outsiders when using with residents. For details, please contact us. (As of November 2022)

You do not need special permission to stay elsewhere overnight, but if you are going to be away for more than 7 days, please notify the dormitory manager in advance of your absence, where you will be staying, and how to contact you.

There are no restrictions on part-time jobs. However, for Kuwanoki RAs, the requirement is to have enough time to fulfill their responsibilities. Similarly, for Japanese students in International Student Shared House, you must have enough time to support international students. If it is found that you are frequently absent from your room, you may be asked to leave. 

We could say that the rules are stricter than those of private apartments. The dormitory for international students is not just an apartment, but an educational facility of Okayama University. You are expected to share the necessary roles and observe the rules of the dormitory. Please understand that there are rules that must be followed in order for residents to be comfortable in the shared living environment. You can check the basic rules in the “Rules and Regulations” section of each dormitory’s information pageor the page for Current Residents.

A Warning card will be issued. Accumulation of three yellow cards will result in immediate eviction. One red card will result in immediate eviction.

No, it is not required, but we recommend that you purchase your own insurance in case you damage the equipment in your room.

The move out date for International Student Shared House is March 15 of the following year. The move out date for Kuwanoki RA is September 15 or March 24 or 25 of the following year (up to the date of the student’s enrollment). After you leave the dormitory, we will need to clean the room for the next resident, so you will not be able to stay beyond these dates.

It can be extended every 6 months for Kuwanoki RAs after reviewing your status of activities. It cannot be extended for International Student Shared House residents, but it is possible to apply again. Once you have been accepted, you will be charged the admission fee (30,000 yen) again.