STEPS | Application procedure guide
Undergraduate Admission
Undergraduate study is generally four years of study (exception of six years for medical, dental, veterinary and pharmaceutical programs) and upon completion awarded Bachelor's degree.
Start of academic year is either Spring (April) or Fall (September or October).
*Just click each STEP for further information.
One of the following condition must be satisfied; as stated by MEXT
Below is cited from Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO)
In order to be admitted to Japanese universities or junior colleges, one the following conditions must be satisfied:
1. Individuals who completed 12 years of formal school
education
2. Individuals who, after finishing their high school education abroad (less than 12 years of formal school
education) completed the designated university preparatory course *1
3. Individuals who have a foreign university admission certification, such as the International Baccalaureate, Abitur, Baccalaureate, or GCE A-Level.
4. Individuals above the age of 18 who passed their region's high school equivalency
exam that is equivalent to 12 years of formal education (individuals who completed less than 12 years of formal schooling must have also completed a university preparatory course or
course at a training facility)
*Please consult your country/region's embassy to confirm whether the high school equivalency exam you took is equivalent to 12 years of formal education.
5. Individuals who completed secondary education equivalent to at least 11 years of formal education in their country/region
(according to the list of foreign schools approved by the Minister of Education)
6. Individuals who completed their formal education at a foreign high school in Japan (individuals who completed less than 12 years
of formal schooling must have also completed a university preparatory course or research course)
7. Individuals who completed their formal education at an overseas educational institution officially recognized as
equivalent to a high school
8. Individuals who has completed 12 years of formal education at an education institution officially recognized by an international
accreditation institution (i.e. WASC, CIS (ECIS), ACSI)
9. An individual who has passed the high school equivalency examination (individuals under the age of 18 will be considered as
having passed the examination the day after they turn 18 years old)
10. An individual who has completed their education at a special needs secondary education institution or College of Technology (the
individual must have completed 12 years of formal education)
11. An individual who has completed their secondary education at a designated vocational school (according to the list of schools
designated by MEXT)
12. An individual who completed their formal education at a school under Japan's old education system
13. An individual who, on the basis of the university's admission requirements, has qualified for the university's
individual selection process. *Please consult your country/region's Japanese embassy to determine the number of years of formal education your schooling/curriculum is equivalent to
*1 A university
preparatory course: In order to be admitted to a Japanese university, an applicant must have completed at least 12 years of formal education. However, in some countries or
regions, education through high school lasts less than 12 years. In this case, students must complete MEXT (the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology)'s
designated "university preparatory course for admission to university" in order to be eligible to apply for Japanese universities.
STEP 1 | Basic Eligibility
Look for a program in a university you wish to study for the coming four years.
Use the data portal to find by what academic major you wish to pursue.
Alternatively download the list of universities offering pre-arrival admission from here.
There are over 100 of programs taught in English which does not require Japanese proficiency.
STEP 2 | Program and University Search
Basic documents required for application are as follow. Some university will require other additional documents which should be checked by the applicant from their website.
1. Application Form: Designated by the university
2. High school graduation diploma
3. High school academic transcript
4. Certificate of English or Japanese proficiency: English certificate may me exempted if the applicant can prove he/she has studies in English as their primary language of instruction
but this should be confirmed by university you wish to apply to. Japanese proficiency is required if the program is taught in full/partially in Japanese
STEP 3 | Preparation of application material and entrance examination
Once receiving the acceptance note for admission from your preferred university, first of all, congratulations! Now one can proceed to either;
1. Apply to scholarship or tuition waiver provided by university. This is in condition if the university you applied to has the system in place. Often
times, depending on your past academic record or performance upon application, university will determine whether he/she is eligible for tuition waiver. Some will waive up to 100%.
Detail should be confirmed by the university you got accepted into.
2. Apply to scholarship provided by local government or foundation. There are several scholarships one can apply to once they have the acceptance note
from a university. Application procedure differ to apply directly to the scholarship by applicant or to apply via university you got accepted into.
List of possible scholarships can be found at Scholarships page.
STEP 4 | Apply to financial aid after receiving acceptance note
VISA
To study in Japan, one has to obtain "STUDENT VISA" from Japanese Embassy/Consulate at your residing country.
Detail can be found here (external link to JASSO)
JAPANESE LANGUAGE
Even if the programme/course you will enroll to is taught in English, it is always an advantage to know the local language in advance. Take your time to
learn couple of helpful Japanese to start your life in Japan. Options of courses can be found at Learn Japanese
page.
STEP 5 | Preparation for departure to Japan
<Grade Conversion Chart>
<GPA Calculation Formula>
References: No. = Number, GP= Grade Point
Note:
1)If the courses do not go by the credit system, replace the "number of credits" with "number of courses" registered.
2) If you got transferred, calculate only the credits you obtained after transferred.
3) Other grades, which are not shown on the above chart (ex. "qualified" or "passed"), should be not included.
4) If the last figure has fraction, round it off after the third decimal place.
Graduate School Admission
Masters programme is generally two years and doctoral programme is about three years for completion.
In some, doctoral programme may be composed of two years masters programme (First half of the doctoral program) followed by three years called "Last half of the doctoral program".
This is not the case for 6 years long medical, dental and veterinary undergraduate programme and 6 years long veterinary undergraduate programme. Both of which does not include master's programme. Doctoral program for these may take four years.
Start of academic year is either Spring (April) or Fall (September or October).
*Just click each STEP for further information.
One of the following condition must be satisfied; as stated by MEXT
Below is cited from JASSO
In order to be admitted to Japanese universities or junior colleges, one the following conditions must be satisfied:
【For a Masters or the First Half of a Doctoral Program】
1. Individuals who graduated from a four-year university
2. Individuals who completed 16 years*1 of formal study in their country
*1 Medical, dental, pharmaceutical or veterinary students planning to enroll in a doctoral program must have completed at least 18 years of formal education
3. Individuals who completed at least 3 years of study at a foreign university and earned a bachelor's degree *Medical, dental, pharmaceutical or veterinary students planning to enroll in
a doctoral program must have completed at least 5 years of study
4. Individuals who were awarded a bachelor's degree from the National institution for Academic Degrees and Quality Enhancement of Higher Education
5. Individuals who completed 16 years of formal education in Japan via an online curriculum offered by a foreign school (18 years for medical, dental, pharmaceutical, or veterinary
students)
6. Individuals who completed their studies at a foreign school in Japan officially recognized as equivalent to that of a foreign university (according to MEXT's list of designated foreign
universities' with branch campuses in Japan)
7. Individuals who completed their studies at a designated vocational school (according to MEXT's list of designated vocational schools)
8. Individuals who completed their studies at a school under Japan's old education system
9. Individuals who completed their studies at the National Defense Academy of Japan, Japan Coast Guard Academy, Meteorological College, or another academy or college established by a
ministry or agency.
10. Individuals above the age of 22 who was accepted by the university based on the university's individual admission qualifications selection
【For the Second Half of the Doctoral Program】
1. Individuals who holds a Masters or professional degree
2. Individuals who holds a foreign degree equivalent to that of a Masters or professional degree
3. Individuals who earned a Masters or professional degree by completing an online curriculum at an overseas institution while residing in Japan
4. Individuals who completed their studies at a foreign school in Japan that is officially recognized as being equivalent to a foreign graduate school (according to MEXT's list of
designated foreign universities (graduate schools) with campuses in Japan)
5. Individuals who completed their studies at United Nations University and earned a degree equivalent to a Masters degree
6. Individuals who have obtained a Bachelor's degree or the equivalent and have completed at least 2 years at a university or research institute and possesses the same academic ability as
an individual who holds a Masters degree
7. Individuals aged 24 or above who were accepted by a graduate school based on the school's individual admission qualifications assessment
STEP 1 | Basic Eligibility
Look for a program in a university you wish to study for your graduate study.
Universities either provide programme/course in English or in the case of graduate study, if the prospective supervisor is able to give supervision in English, one can apply to the
graduate school.
Use the data portal to find by what academic major you wish to pursue.
STEP 2 | Program and University Search
[PROSPECTIVE SUPERVISOR]
Applying to graduate school of your choice requires receiving prior consent from a professor to be your prospective supervisor. Some of the
universities require an applicant to directly contact the professor OR to contact through administration office of university. This is indicated in their university website or application
guideline.
Following are tips on how to prepare the essential document when contacting - the research proposal.
[RESEARCH PROPOSAL]
This is an outline of your research plan and methodology which will be an introductory document for professor to understand that you have a firm plan during your study in graduate school,
generally around 2000 words.
Content:
1) Purpose of research
2) Research background
3) Significance of the research
4) Research methodology
5) Bibliography
[APPLICATION DOCUMENTS]
Prepare the necessary documents as stated by each university in their APPLICATION GUIDELINE.
In case of graduate school, some will require one to apply as a "student" or to enroll after being a "research student".
Research student is as follows: (cited from JASSO)
A research student belongs to one of the following irregular/nontraditional student categories:
1. Individuals conducting short-term research who do not plan to obtain a degree (mostly graduate level)
2. Individuals participating in a short-term exchange program through an inter-university agreement (undergraduate or graduate)
3. Individuals participating in a university preparatory course as a prerequisite for enrollment in a graduate program (mostly individuals who completed their undergraduate studies)
Selection process: The selection process usually involves an assessment of application documents, but an interview is required in some cases.
Status of residence: Auditing students who are auditing all of their classes (not enrolled) must attend at least 10 hours of class per week in order to qualify for the "international
student" status. Research students who are not taking classes and are not receiving compensation for their research must have a "Cultural Activities" status of residence.
STEP 3 | Prospective Supervisor, Research Proposal and Application Documents
Selection process of graduate school differs by school. Most common procedures are combination of document assessment, academic skills test, interview, essay and oral examination.
STEP 4 | Entrance Examination
Once receiving the acceptance note for admission from your preferred university, first of all, congratulations! Now one can proceed to either;
1. Apply to scholarship or tuition waiver provided by university. This is in condition if the university you applied to has the system in place.
Often times, depending on your past academic record or performance upon application, university will determine whether he/she is eligible for tuition waiver. Some will waive up to
100%. Detail should be confirmed by the university you got accepted into.
2. Apply to scholarship provided by local government or foundation. There are several scholarships one can apply to once they have the acceptance note
from a university. Application procedure differ to apply directly to the scholarship by applicant or to apply via university you got accepted into.
List of possible scholarships can be found at Scholarships page.
STEP 5 | Apply to financial aid after receiving acceptance note
VISA
To study in Japan, one has to obtain "STUDENT VISA" from Japanese Embassy/Consulate at your residing country.
Detail can be found here (external link to Japan Student Services Organization).
JAPANESE LANGUAGE
Even if the course you will enroll to is taught in English, it is always an advantage to know the local language in advance. Take your time to learn couple of helpful Japanese to start
your life in Japan. Options of courses can be found here.
STEP 6 | Preparation for departure to Japan
<Grade Conversion Chart>
<GPA Calculation Formula>
References: No. = Number, GP= Grade Point
Note:
1)If the courses do not go by the credit system, replace the "number of credits" with "number of courses" registered.
2) If you got transferred, calculate only the credits you obtained after transferred.
3) Other grades, which are not shown on the above chart (ex. "qualified" or "passed"), should be not included.
4) If the last figure has fraction, round it off after the third decimal place.
Exchange Student Admission
One can apply to Japanese university if his/her university has a inter-university agreement (ex. MOU) of student exchange with a Japanese university.
This allows studying in Japan for a duration from few weeks to up to a year with the credit of your home university in place.
Whether or not you university has this agreement shall be inquired to currently affiliated university's office in charge.
