I live in the US and I’m currently applying for a study abroad program, the JCLP program at Ryukoku University in Kyoto. In the application form I’m filling out next to every signature there’s always a space for a seal, but it always states “(if available/optional)”. However theres a section of the form that’s designed to confirm that I have taken Japanese classes at an institution in America, which I had filled out and signed by my Japanese language instructor as the form requests, but there’s a part on that page with a space for a seal that states “Institutional seal (required)”.
I know seals are a very common way of proving authenticity of forms in Japan, but as an American student seals here are usually only given at the consent of the college president and are only used for very rare formal occasions. For example my college’s website states the institutional seal is only used to “authenticate true copies of decisions, acts or documents where offical signatures are required by law”. Unlike other study abroad programs this program is solely independent and my college isn’t paying for this, the only person helping to pay for this program is my mother so the fact that my college isn’t involved or aware of what this program even is might make it harder.
For those who maybe have some experience with this do I have to go out of my way to somehow convince my college that my application form is worth an institutional seal, or should I simply disregard that part? I don’t know if this subreddit is the best place for this but if anyone could help it’d be greatly appreciated
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**Question about seals for applying to a Study Abroad program**
I live in the US and I’m currently applying for a study abroad program, the JCLP program at Ryukoku University in Kyoto. In the application form I’m filling out next to every signature there’s always a space for a seal, but it always states “(if available/optional)”. However theres a section of the form that’s designed to confirm that I have taken Japanese classes at an institution in America, which I had filled out and signed by my Japanese language instructor as the form requests, but there’s a part on that page with a space for a seal that states “Institutional seal (required)”.
I know seals are a very common way of proving authenticity of forms in Japan, but as an American student seals here are usually only given at the consent of the college president and are only used for very rare formal occasions. For example my college’s website states the institutional seal is only used to “authenticate true copies of decisions, acts or documents where offical signatures are required by law”. Unlike other study abroad programs this program is solely independent and my college isn’t paying for this, the only person helping to pay for this program is my mother so the fact that my college isn’t involved or aware of what this program even is might make it harder.
For those who maybe have some experience with this do I have to go out of my way to somehow convince my college that my application form is worth an institutional seal, or should I simply disregard that part? I don’t know if this subreddit is the best place for this but if anyone could help it’d be greatly appreciated
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I also needed a school seal for some paper work, and just told my university’s international affairs department that I needed one. I just explained that I needed it as proof of enrollment at the uni before.
Maybe you should try just asking them as they might surprise you.
I would ask the university. Asking for an official seal (hanko/inkan) is pretty standard in Japan, but if you explain that it isn’t in the US they might accept another form of signature