FGL — A Two-Week Program for University of Tokyo Students
Experience an American graduate school, while you are still an undergraduate.
FGL (the Future Global Leaders Program) is a two-week program whose graduate-level lectures are taught by faculty from UC San Diego's graduate school, the School of Global Policy and Strategy (GPS). It is for University of Tokyo students and runs for two weeks, from Sunday February 14 to Saturday February 27, 2027, on the UC San Diego campus. Participants stay at the Residence Inn by Marriott, with breakfast each morning.
In the University of Tokyo's own student announcements, this program is listed as the UC San Diego Winter Program (カリフォルニア大学サンディエゴ校
Operated by Eigo Pro LLC (英語プロ合同会社), established in 2009 at the request of UC San Diego's GPS. Lectures are delivered by GPS faculty.
Sunday February 14 – Saturday February 27, 2027
Graduate professors, teaching graduate-level lectures, to undergraduates.
FGL is the only short-term program that offers this.
Our History with University of Tokyo Students
University of Tokyo students have been joining FGL programs since 2010.
A few years later, we designed a dedicated program for University of Tokyo students, together with staff at UC San Diego.
The initial programs ran in summer. At the University of Tokyo's request, we moved the program to winter. It now takes place in February, during the Japanese academic spring break.
It is the first short-term international program recognised by the University of Tokyo, and the longest-running of the university's short-term programs still offered.
The University of Tokyo publishes participant reports (留学体験記) written by past participants on its Go Global site. They are listed there as UCサンディエゴ
Program at a Glance
- Dates
- February 14–27, 2027 (two weeks). You arrive on the 14th and depart on the 27th.
- Location
- UC San Diego's School of Global Policy and Strategy (GPS), San Diego, California. Run jointly with students from other Japanese universities.
- Accommodation
- Residence Inn by Marriott San Diego La Jolla: an all-suite hotel with a kitchen in every room, serving a free hot breakfast every morning. Next to the UC San Diego campus, with the trolley station, supermarkets, shops and restaurants all within walking distance.
- Academic support
- You do not need perfect English. Small-group seminars led by a GPS graduate student run before and after the lectures, so that undergraduates can follow the material.
- On-site support
- Jacob Searing, who runs Eigo Pro LLC, is in San Diego for the whole program as interpreter, guide, and 24-hour emergency contact, in Japanese.
- Fee
- $4,150 (about ¥620,000 at ¥150 to the dollar), covering accommodation, lectures and other program costs. The total includes the ¥43,400 application deposit. International airfare is arranged separately by each participant.
Inside UC San Diego's graduate school (GPS), on video
Short clips showing what classes and activities look like at UC San Diego's graduate school (GPS).
University of Tokyo Graduates on the Program
Y. Ono
The University of Tokyo
“I had a great experience taking American-style classes. Each student had their own opinion and expressed them actively, which was different from Japanese universities.”
N. Wada
The University of Tokyo
“Communication with foreign people is very enjoyable. During the stay I could not only learn English but also different cultures and values.”
Students from the February 2026 group
In their own words, from students who took part.
「卒業論文の時期に被らず、アメリカで実施され、かつホームステイではないUCSDでのプログラムを選択した。」
I picked the UCSD program because it didn't clash with thesis season, was in America, and wasn't a homestay.
- 「卒業論文の時期に被らず、アメリカで実施され、かつホームステイではないUCSDでのプログラムを選択した。」I picked the UCSD program because it didn't clash with thesis season, was in America, and wasn't a homestay.
- 「政治、経済、司法などのトピックを米国の視点から分析している点が新鮮で、どの講義も大変興味深かった。」Seeing politics, economics and the judiciary analyzed from a US perspective was refreshing — every lecture was fascinating.
- 「授業前に少人数でフォローセミナーが30分ほどあるため、効果的に授業に臨むことができる。」There's a 30-minute small-group support seminar before each class, so you go in ready to get the most out of it.
- 「そこで知り合った学生はいまでもDMをくれ、サンディエゴや大学の行事などを英語で教えてくれている。」The student I met there still DMs me, telling me about San Diego and university events in English.
- 「4人1組の家具付きアパートのような部屋でした。キッチンには電子レンジ、冷蔵庫などもあります。」It was a furnished apartment-style room for a group of four. The kitchen has a microwave, a fridge and so on.
- 「初めての海外体験として、アジア人も多く比較的治安のよいサンディエゴを選べたのは幸運でした。」For a first experience abroad, I was lucky to be able to choose San Diego, with a large Asian community and comparatively safe.
- 「サポートは万全で、特に不自由なく2週間を過ごすことができた。」The support was thorough; I got through the two weeks without any particular inconvenience.
- 「交通機関は大学からバス・トロリーで使えるパスを配られるので、金銭負担はほとんどなかった。」The university gives you a pass for the buses and the trolley, so I spent almost nothing on transport.
- 「英語で意見を言うことや、英語で友達を作ることへの抵抗感がなくなった。」My resistance to giving opinions in English, and to making friends in English, disappeared.
- 「career workshopでは、アメリカでの履歴書の書き方なども教えてもらえたので、海外での就職も現実的に視野に入るようになった。」At the career workshop they taught things like how to write an American résumé, so working abroad started to feel realistic.
- 「参加者の英語のレベルや年齢は多岐に渡るのでそこも気にする必要はないと思います。」Participants' English levels and ages vary widely, so I don't think you need to worry about that either.
Room With Friends — or On Your Own
Every participant stays in a suite at the Residence Inn by Marriott — a comfortable, secure, hotel-standard home base from day one. Up to four students share a suite, and each suite has three beds plus a sofa bed — when four students share, one of them sleeps on the sofa bed. There are two bathrooms, so mornings don't back up even with four. Every suite has a full kitchen as well, so cooking for yourselves is an easy way to keep food costs down. Suites are single-gender. Applying on your own is completely welcome. And if you'd like to room with friends, just name them on your application — any number, and we'll do our best to keep you together. Room assignments are finalized about two weeks before arrival, and we'll honor changes right up until then wherever space allows.
2-Week Schedule
Sunday February 14 – Saturday February 27, 2027
Sunday, February 14: arrive in San Diego. We meet you at the airport.
On campus, and the GPS lectures
Feb 15–21The week opens with a campus tour and orientation, then GPS faculty lectures with small-group seminars around them.
Activities
- Campus tour, orientation, and the Team Building Challenge Course
- Lectures and seminars: entrepreneurship, U.S. foreign policy, Japan relations, international trade
- Weekend activities: the San Diego Zoo and Balboa Park (included in the fee); Disneyland for those who want it, at additional cost
Highlights
- Networking lunch with UC San Diego students
- Speech and debate, admissions and careers workshops
Pulling the lectures together, and the debate presentations
Feb 22–27More lectures and visits, ending with group debate presentations and the closing ceremony.
Activities
- Lectures and seminars: the U.S. judicial system, globalization
- A visit to the San Diego Superior Court, and the Salk Institute architecture tour
- An optional beach day, and preparation for the group debates
Highlights
- Group debate presentations
- Closing ceremony and certificates (February 26); departure on February 27
Detailed daily schedule provided before program start
What's New for Spring 2027
Free online information sessions, open before you apply
Free online information sessions, open to any student considering the program.
October 1, October 15 and November 2
See the information and prep sessionsPre-departure study sessions for accepted participants (free)
For students whose participation is confirmed, four pre-departure mock seminars online: November 19, December 3 and December 17, 2026, and January 7, 2027. There is no charge.
A UCSD Recreation pass and a visit to the San Diego Zoo
A UCSD Recreation pass (campus gyms, pools and other sports facilities) and a visit to the San Diego Zoo. Both are included in the program fee.
Open to everyone, including students who have not applied yet
Sign Up for an Information or Prep Session
Free online information and English prep sessions. We walk through how to apply and what the program fee covers, and there is time for live Q&A. Joining with your camera off is welcome.
Signing up for a session is separate from the steps to join the program. Attending is not a requirement for applying to FGL.
We email the Google Meet link to everyone who signs up, before the session.
Program Fee
About ¥620,000 at ¥150 to the dollar
Includes the ¥43,400 application deposit
What's Included
International airfare is not included.
Fee detailsWatch: the fee, applying and the deadlineEligibility
For students who have passed the University of Tokyo's internal selection
Applying After the University's Internal Selection
- Step 1
The University of Tokyo's internal selection
This is your university's own procedure. For its schedule, please check the announcements from the University of Tokyo.
- Step 2
Apply to FGL
Once you have passed the internal selection, you apply on FGL's own application form at fgl.academy/apply.
After you pass the internal selection, there is no further FGL selection or interview.
The application form is on the page titled “Apply to the Program”.
Related links
These all open external websites.
- UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy (GPS)
- GPS faculty
- UC San Diego campus map
- UC San Diego student organisations
- San Diego Zoo
- UCSD Recreation (campus gyms, pools and other sports facilities)
- MTS (bus and trolley maps and schedules)
- Salk Institute
- Residence Inn by Marriott San Diego La Jolla (Japanese page)
Apply here
Places on the two-week program for University of Tokyo students are limited
Apply to FGLTakes you to fgl.academy/apply