Tohoku University is a member of APRU, a consortium of prestigious universities in the Pacific Rim area, and participates in the online APRU Virtual Student Exchange Program (APRU-VSE) as a pilot member.
Although the pandemic makes it difficult to study abroad, APRU-VSE is an initiative that enables international co-learning and cultural exchanges. APRU member universities provide online courses and transfer credits to each other. APRU-VSE tuition is waived for students from member universities if they pay tuition at their home universities.
Also, APRU-VSE has Co-curricular Programs that let students join APRU member universities’ online events and open lectures, not limited to academic courses.
Thirteen universities from nine countries and regions provide approximately eighty subjects for the APRU-VSE pilot program, which was started in August 2020. Five Tohoku University students are taking courses from three universities, and eleven APRU students are taking Tohoku University courses.
Tohoku University will promote international online study initiatives through various platforms to provide students with new learning opportunities, not limited to temporary measures during the pandemic.