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Exchange students from Kwansei Gakuin University's partner institutions overseas have come to study at KGU for the fall semester. On September 10th, the university organized the first face-to-face meetings for host families and the students at the Kwansei Gakuin Hall, and on September 11th, there was a welcome lunch event at the Big Mama cafeteria. The students were enthusiastic about beginning their time at KGU, and learning many things about the Japanese language and culture.

183 international students from 31 different countries will study at KGU for the AY2019 fall semester, an increase of 35 students over the AY2018 fall semester (148 students; 113 students for the AY2019 spring semester). Of those 183 international students, 42 of them will live with host families. While they had previously introduced themselves via email, September 10th was the first time that any of them had met face to face. Since the face-to-face meetings were one-on-one, each student waited for their name to be called with a mixture of nervousness and anticipation. As the students faced their host families for the first time, they had relieved smiles on their faces as they said "Hajimemashite" and shook hands or hugged each other. One student from New Zealand talked about looking forward to visiting many places with his host family and eating Japanese food.