Japan

At a glance

Who it suitsStudents willing to learn Japanese, and students aiming at the few universities that still teach a whole degree in English.

Tuition, national universities

535,800 yen a year plus a 282,000 yen admission fee at Kyoto; about 820,000 yen in the first year [1]

Tuition, private universities

About 1,300,000 yen in the first year, and about 3,800,000 yen for medicine or dentistry [12]

Living costs

105,000 yen a month on average; rent averages 41,000 yen, or 57,000 yen in Tokyo [3]

Work during study

28 hours a week once you hold the permission; 8 hours a day in long holidays [8]

Stay and work after

A job-hunting stay of 6 months, extendable once, to a maximum of 1 year [9]

Money you must show

No fixed sum: Japan asks for bank balances, income certificates and the source of the funds [13]

Which qualification leads where

• A-LevelGood route

  Named in the national admission rule alongside the IB, and accepted by name at Waseda. [4]

• IB DiplomaGood route

  Also named in the national rule as satisfying the twelve-year education requirement. [4]

• AP and a US high-school diplomaPossible

  Twelve years of schooling satisfies the national rule, but no Japanese page read here names AP as an accepted qualification. Ask the university before you assume it counts. [4]

• GaokaoPossible

  Waseda accepts it by name among its standardised tests. Elsewhere, expect the EJU to be the test that matters. [10]

• Chinese high-school diploma onlyPossible

  Twelve years of formal schooling satisfies the national requirement — but you will still sit the EJU and the university's own entrance examination. [4]

English you need

IELTS

6.5 [4] Prepare for IELTS →

TOEFL iBT

4.5 [4] Prepare for TOEFL →

For an English-taught programme. For a Japanese-taught one you need JLPT N1 or N2 AND at least 250 on the Japanese section of the EJU — passing N1 does not excuse you from the EJU.

Universities to look at

• Waseda University Tokyo

  Accepts Six schools teach a whole degree in English and state that Japanese is not required to apply. It accepts SAT, ACT, IB, A-Level and the Gaokao by name.

  Admissions page → [10]

• Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU) Beppu, Oita

  Accepts Its tuition-reduction scholarship runs in bands of 30%, 50%, 65%, 80% and 100%.

  Tuition a year 1,455,000 yen in the first year and 1,655,000 yen after, plus a 200,000 yen admission fee (2027 entry)

  Admissions page → [2]

• Kyoto University Kyoto

  Accepts ⚠️ One undergraduate degree is taught in English, Civil Engineering. Its iUP programme says the final two years are mainly or exclusively in Japanese.

  Tuition a year 535,800 yen a year plus a 282,000 yen admission fee — the national standard

  Admissions page → [7]

• University of Tokyo Tokyo

  Accepts ⚠️ PEAK, its English-taught undergraduate route, takes its final intake for September 2026.

  Tuition a year 642,960 yen a year plus a 282,000 yen admission fee — above the national standard

  Admissions page → [14]

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Decide the language question first

• Decide early whether you are going in English or in Japanese: it changes the universities, the tests and the timetable.
• If you are going in English, check the programme still exists: Tokyo's PEAK closes after September 2026 and Tohoku's FGL after 2026. [5]
• Going in Japanese? Register for the EJU — it is held twice a year, in June and November, and most universities require it. [15]
• A Japanese-taught degree usually wants JLPT N1 or N2 as well as 250 on the EJU's Japanese section. [4]

Apply

• Apply about 6 to 8 months before the intake; Waseda's English-based window is 8 January to 10 February for a September start. [16]
• Apply for MEXT through the Japanese embassy if you can: it waives tuition and pays your return airfare. [17]

Visa

• Your university applies for the Certificate of Eligibility on your behalf; the visa follows at a Japanese consulate. [13]
• Prepare a bank balance certificate, a year of income certificates and documents showing where the money came from. [13]
• Apply for the permission to work after you arrive — the student status alone does not allow it. [8]

Before you fly

• Arrange housing through the university if you can: rent in Tokyo averages 57,000 yen a month against 41,000 yen nationally. [3]
• Remember the year starts in April, not September — though some programmes have an autumn intake. [18]

Oct 2026 Apr 2028

1. Oct 2026 18 months before passed

   Decide English or Japanese, and check the English-taught programmes are still open. [5]

2. Jul 2027 9 months before

   Sit the EJU if your route needs it. [16]

3. Aug 2027 8 months before

   Send your applications — 6 to 8 months before the intake. [16]

4. Jan 2028 3 months before

   Receive the admission letter, then the Certificate of Eligibility, then apply for the visa. [16]

5. Mar 2028 1 month before

   Arrange housing and book flights for the April start.

6. Apr 2028 At the start

   Arrive, register your address, and apply for permission to work if you want a job. [8]

A year

¥76,000 – ¥130,000

Whole degree

¥300,000 – ¥530,000 over 4 years

Converted to RMB at two significant figures — the rate moves and the ranges are wide. Rate: European Central Bank: euro foreign exchange reference rates, 18 September 2026, checked 2026-09-19.

Tuition, national

535,800 yen a year plus 282,000 yen admission (Kyoto); Tokyo charges 642,960 yen [1]

Tuition, private

About 1,300,000 yen in the first year; APU is 1,455,000 yen rising to 1,655,000 yen [12]

Living costs

105,000 yen a month on average, excluding study and research expenses [3]

The same fee for everyone

Japanese universities do not charge international students a higher rate — unlike most destinations here [12]

Scholarships and funding

• MEXT scholarship, undergraduate [17]

  Tuition exempted, return airfare provided, and a monthly allowance. It runs 5 years including the Japanese-language year, or 7 for medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and veterinary science.

  You must be under 25 and have completed twelve years of schooling. Two routes: your embassy recruits and screens you, or a Japanese university with a MEXT quota recommends you. ⚠️ The monthly amount is published only in the official guidelines document, and two of the ministry's own pages disagree about it — read the guidelines before you budget on a figure.

• JASSO Monbukagakusho Honors Scholarship [19]

  48,000 yen a month for an undergraduate, for one year from April or six months from October.

  You apply after you are enrolled. It wants a GPA of at least 2.30, JLPT N2 or better, and monthly support from home below 90,000 yen.

• APU: tuition reduction [2]

  Bands of 30%, 50%, 65%, 80% and 100% off the tuition.

Visa

• Your school normally acts as your proxy and applies for the Certificate of Eligibility at an immigration bureau in Japan. [13]
• Japan publishes no fixed sum you must show. It asks for a savings balance certificate, a year of income certificates and documents identifying where the money came from. [13]
• The Student status of residence by itself does not permit work. [20]

Work during and after studies

• With permission to engage in activity other than that permitted, you may work up to 28 hours a week. [8]
• In long school holidays that rises to 8 hours a day. [8]
• Adult entertainment work is prohibited by law, whatever permission you hold. [8]
• After graduating you may switch to a designated-activities stay for job hunting: 6 months, extendable once, to a maximum of 1 year. [9]

When you arrive

• Register your address at the local city office in the first fortnight.
• Apply for permission to work before you look for a job. [8]
• Join the national health insurance — it is compulsory and it is cheap.

Common mistakes

• Two of the three flagship English-taught undergraduate routes at national universities are closing: Tokyo's PEAK after September 2026 and Tohoku's FGL after 2026. A guide written from older sources will send you to a door that has already closed. [5]
• Kyoto's iUP is widely described as English-taught. Its own page says the final two years are mainly or exclusively in Japanese. [7]
• Passing JLPT N1 does not excuse you from the EJU. If your university asks for the EJU Japanese test, you sit it anyway. [11]
• The academic year starts in April. A September-intake programme is the exception, not the rule. [18]

Sources

1. Kyoto University: tuition and fees checked 2026-09-19
2. Ritsumeikan APU: tuition fees checked 2026-09-19
3. Study in Japan: cost of living checked 2026-09-19
4. Study in Japan: universities and admission requirements checked 2026-09-19
5. University of Tokyo PEAK: applying checked 2026-09-19
6. Tohoku University: courses in English checked 2026-09-19
7. Kyoto University: English-taught degree programmes checked 2026-09-19
8. Study in Japan: part-time jobs checked 2026-09-19
9. Study in Japan: immigration procedures for working checked 2026-09-19
10. Waseda University: English-based undergraduate programmes checked 2026-09-19
11. JASSO: does the JLPT replace the EJU? checked 2026-09-19
12. Study in Japan: academic fees checked 2026-09-19
13. Study in Japan: immigration procedures checked 2026-09-19
14. University of Tokyo: tuition and fees checked 2026-09-19
15. JASSO: about the EJU checked 2026-09-19
16. Study in Japan: application schedule checked 2026-09-19
17. Study in Japan: MEXT scholarships checked 2026-09-19
18. Study in Japan: the educational system checked 2026-09-19
19. Study in Japan: JASSO scholarships checked 2026-09-19
20. Study in Japan: residing in Japan checked 2026-09-19

Rules and fees change. Everything here was checked against the official pages on the date shown. Confirm on those pages before you apply or pay.