Japanese
The immersive and challenging experience at the School of Japanese will engage you at your current level while propelling you on to the next.
Apply Now Inquire NowSpend a summer at the School of Japanese and you’ll experience the single most effective method for rapid language acquisition: a total immersion environment with the Language Pledge®—a promise to read, write, listen, and speak only in your language of study.
Japanese Program Options
Apply to a program based on your language proficiency. High school graduates to 80+ years old are eligible.
- 8-week immersion program for beginner to advanced students who want to improve language proficiency as rapidly as possible. Please see summer Dates and Fees.
- The graduate programs are for students with superior proficiency who are pursuing a Master of Arts in Japanese Language and Culture or Doctor in Modern Languages. Please see graduate Dates and Fees.
Live in Language
Whether you’re anticipating travel abroad, preparing to teach the Japanese language, doing graduate research, or exploring the popular culture of contemporary Japan, our programs will open the doors to linguistic and cultural fluency.
At the School of Japanese, we’ve created an atmosphere in which students from different levels feel comfortable communicating with each other. This mutual support gives you the freedom to speak up, ask questions, and help each other learn.
Total Immersion at the Middlebury Japanese School
You cannot really separate language from culture. So those are interconnected. And when you learn the language, you learn the culture. So we try to incorporate not only language excellency, but also cultural experiences, which they cannot learn in a traditional classroom setting.
At Middlebury, you have to officially sign not to speak nothing but Japanese.
And it’s like a community effort to create such an environment. Outside of the class, students are surrounded by 20-some teachers who are all Japanese native speakers. And they bring not only their excellence in teaching, but they are so, so talented. And that’s why we can offer club activities such as tea ceremony, or calligraphy, or those traditional things in Japanese school.
It is really tremendous how much students can learn in such a short period of time. They could feel confident that they can function pretty well once they’re in Japan.
Japanese Program Overview
In class, you’ll benefit from a top-notch faculty who will challenge and encourage you at every step, giving you the tools to rapidly improve your language skills.
Outside the classroom, you’ll participate in organized co-curricular activities—including soccer, Japanese tea ceremonies, calligraphy, and karaoke—each designed to help you build new vocabulary while developing cultural fluency in Japanese.
Funding
Thanks to the support of generous donors (including Language Schools alumni) and Middlebury’s commitment to providing an opportunity for as many students as possible, we are pleased to offer need-based financial aid and merit-based fellowships and scholarships. Thanks to the generous donation from Mayumi and Masao Oka, we have established TOBIRA scholarship for MA candidates.
Students can also apply to outside funding opportunities including the Boren Fellowship, Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship, and VA Benefits.