We’ve featured before the work of students from Nissan Gakuen, or Nissan Automobile Technical College, but what’s it like to actually attend the school? Its programs are quite different from American technical colleges, and offer everything from car repair to vintage car restoration, to customization. And because it’s all operated by Nissan, the institution offers many perks that a school like UTI in the US doesn’t.
The video by Paolo from Tokyo follows a third-year student at Nissan Gakuen, from the moment he wakes up in his $250 per month shared dorm to his after-school hangout with friends. In between, there’s classes, tests, lunch at the cafeteria, and school clubs. Tuition costs ¥1.2 million per year (approximately $7600 USD) and there are programs for two-, three- and four-year degrees.
Unlike US vocational schools, which typically offer six-month to two-year Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree, the minimum program at Nissan Gakuen is a two-year course for a standard automobile mechanic certification. That will get you into the door as a service technician at a dealership. A full four-year program includes engineering fundamentals, car design, and more, equivalent to a bachelor’s degree in applied engineering.
Additionally, there are multi-year tracks for specialized disciplines like motorsports or car customization. Some of that work can be seen at shows like the Tokyo Auto Salon or other major car shows around the country. There are also programs like a robotics club where students enter nationwide contests against other schools to develop autonomous cars, an R/C car club, and bays where students can work on their own vehicles (not all of them Nissans). Incredibly, no matter where the camera goes, the school looks absolutely spotless.
While there’s the inevitable CVT and infotainment diagnosis classes, there’s plenty of Skylines, Zs, and GT-Rs around to keep things interesting as well. The school even has Gran Turismo simulators sitting around for entertainment. Projects we’ve seen emerge from the school include several Tokyo Auto Salon show cars and heartfelt restorations. It seems like a pretty decent career path for a car-obsessed young adult.
