For University Students Ready to Lead
2-Week Future Global Leaders Program
A startup program for students looking to pursue long-term study abroad or build an international career
Three Pillars of the FGL Program
GPS Graduate-Level Lectures
Learn from GPS faculty who teach PhD and Master's students at UC San Diego's graduate school. Topics include international economics, politics, law, and leadership.
Practical Projects
Each participant becomes a leader, developing decision-making, action, and communication skills through experiences unavailable in Japanese universities.
International Network
Connect with local students and international participants. Practice English beyond the classroom with real-world interactions.
Eligibility
No special qualifications required
- Currently enrolled university student
- Basic English (no TOEIC/TOEFL required)
- No visa required (Japanese citizens)
*Non-Japanese citizens may need visa application
Three Learning Environments
Campus Life
Direct lectures from top faculty, networking with professionals, interaction with local students, graduate school admission workshops
Field Trips
Visits to government agencies and corporations (Spring program). Past destinations include the SDG&E Energy Innovation Center, the Salk Institute and the courthouse. Destinations vary by year.
Activities
A visit to the San Diego Zoo (included in the fee); Disneyland and surfing for those who want them, at additional cost (Spring program)
Three Support Services
Complete Concierge Service (February only)
Airport to accommodation transfers and more
24/7 Bilingual Support
Peace of mind for any emergency
Future Career Support
Guidance for long-term study abroad and job hunting
Not a Language School
FGL is offered in official partnership with UC San Diego's GPS graduate school. Rather than focusing solely on English improvement, it's an intensive short-term program that develops the foundations future global leaders need: action, judgment, and communication skills that are valued in the real world.
Who This Program Is (and Isn't) For
Not a language-study trip — graduate-level lectures.
Not for you if…
You're looking for a program that guarantees a higher TOEIC or TOEFL score.
For you if…
You don't have a high test score yet, but you're ready to fight through graduate lectures delivered in English. No TOEIC or TOEFL score is required to join.
Not for you if…
You want a relaxed course pitched at a comfortable, introductory level.
For you if…
You want to be challenged — these are genuine graduate-level lectures, and the difficulty is the point.
Not for you if…
You're mainly after a sightseeing trip, with study as a side note.
For you if…
You're here to learn. The field trips and activities (in Spring: the San Diego Zoo and the Salk Institute, among others) frame the experience — the classroom stays the center of gravity.
Can undergraduates take graduate-level classes?
Yes. FGL Academy participants are undergraduates enrolled at Japanese universities. The classroom is UC San Diego's School of Global Policy and Strategy (GPS), where GPS faculty who teach the school's PhD and master's students lecture directly on international economics, politics, law and leadership at the graduate level. No TOEIC or TOEFL score is required. What is required is the resolve to keep up with real graduate-level classes taught in English. It is a short-term taste of graduate study abroad.
Can a 2-3 week short-term program abroad go on a job-hunting entry sheet (ES)?
Short answer: two or three weeks is not treated the same as a full year abroad, and recruiters know that too. What actually carries weight on an entry sheet is not how long you were away, but a specific thing you did and what changed because of it. At FGL Academy, participants take graduate-level classes in English at UC San Diego's School of Global Policy and Strategy (GPS), taught directly by the same GPS faculty who teach the school's PhD and master's students, on international economics, politics, law and leadership.
If you write about it, do not just say "I studied abroad." Instead, work through one concrete moment in this order: fact (what, where, with whom), the difficulty you ran into, what you did about it, and how you changed. Then go deep on that one scene rather than summarizing the whole trip.
Take the First Step to Global Leadership
No gap year required! Participate without affecting your studies in Japan