Application Process for School in Japan

If you want to know how to study abroad like in Japan, this article is right for you. We discuss the whole application process for schools in Japan for both entering a Japanese language school and university.

As we all know, picking a school that is not appropriate for you could waste your time, effort, and money. Therefore, we consider some important information you need to know before you begin your application, whether in a Japanese language school or university.

Application Process for A Japanese Language School

Important Points To Check

Before enrolling in a Japanese language school, you need to inquire about the following:

• • If it requires a high school graduate diploma
  • The passing marks for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test
  • The date of enrollment and the deadline for the new applicant
  • Attach the translated documents for the application.
  • Conditions required for resident certification.

Remember, early planning and completion of documents are necessary to avoid inadequacies upon the admission process.

Know the Qualifications for the Admission

OVERSEAS

• • Completion of 12 years of education (6 years of elementary school, 3 years of lower secondary school, and 3 years of upper secondary school).
    ∗Not applicable for not transferring schools applicants 
    For more details please check the Japan Student Assistance Organization (JASSO) website here.
  • Japan language test N5 class and higher, or equivalent language certificates.
  • Bank Statement (Tuition and Expenditure) for parents

 DOMESTIC

• • Those who already have a status of residence that can continue staying in Japan for more than a year from the time of admission.
  • Must provide residence certificate.

When is the Admission Starting?

ADMISSION SCHEDULE	START OF FILING
April intake (1 or 2 years program)	November
July intake (1 year and 9 months program)	March
October intake (1 year and 6 months program)	May
January intake (1 year and 3 months program)	September

*Applying to schools for admission requires receiving all the documents early.
school might be full of intake, we cannot guarantee program entries.

The Flow of the School Application Process 

• • Discuss with the school board 
  • Parents also can process the application
  • The payment for the application filing fee, admission fee, tuition fee, etc. is made through bank transfer.
  • Transferring of funds will be fully accomplished after the authorization.
  • Provide all documents issued within three months of the current date.
  • Applicants themselves are required to fill in application forms on their own.
  • For documents other than Japanese, a Japanese translation needs to be attached.
  • Insufficient documents are not qualified to apply.

You Need to Apply for Student Visa and Resident Certification

For language school, a student visa will permit a student to stay the entire educational period of one year or one year and three months, but the school will extend it when the time comes. The maximum duration of stay to study at a language school in Japan is two years. But if you plan to leave school out, then your visa will no longer be valid.

Different School Programs

University Pathway Program 

The program will help students to transfer to another University. It will focus on improving students’ listening comprehension and description ability.
The course aims to elevate exam skills gradually before filing and placement tests. It also assists the student in preparation for the report, thesis, interviews, and so on.

Postgraduate Program 

It offers courses, conversion courses, and professional qualifications. The program also has a research degree that enhances the students in a research presentation method of research contents.

Business Program 

Aiming for employment in Japan and Japanese companies abroad. The program will educate the student on how to enhance the information gathering skills in Japanese as well as fundamental computer skills. It also includes practical interview exercises and short-term corporate training or internship.

Speaking Program

The course is to help students improving their communication skills in the Japanese language. It helps to practice the long tone which foreigners are not good at by teaching the correct pronunciation, rhythm, and intonation. Moreover, the course helps to improve the overall speaking ability.

The Flow of the Application Process for School in Japan

1. 1. The school will check all the documents for authorization on the admission
   2. Apply for a certificate of Eligibility for Resident Status after receiving an acceptance letter.
   3. Settle the tuition fees after receiving a Certificate of Eligibility for Resident Status.
   4. The issuance of the residence certificate and certification from the time of application.
   5. The original certificate is mailed directly or returned via an agent.
   6. Confirm whether the name on the passport matches the one stated on the Certificate of Eligibility.
   7. After you finished step number five, you can now proceed to the application for a visa at the Japanese embassy in your country.
   8. When arriving in Japan, it is necessary to apply for a “Residence card” at the immigration.
   9. “Residence card” is very important for foreigners to secure while staying medium or long-term in Japan.
   10. The attached pictures in the Residence card will be the same in the School application form.
   11. If necessary, you can apply for permission to work while applying for the “Residence card.”

Furthermore, within the 14 days after the arrival, a student is required to visit the city hall for resident registration and application of health insurance.

Important Points for Choosing a Japanese School

• • Program Length and Content
  • Class size
  • General subjects offer
  • Total class hours per term
  • School environment 
  • School ratings and reviews
  • Availability of a school counselor
  • Easier to transfer to a preferred school
  • Quality assurance in education
  • Total tuition cost
  • Details about the placement test
  • Learn more about the student diversity

APPLICATION TO UNIVERSITY

Important Points To Check

Before enrolling in a University or College, you need to inquire about the following:

• • If it requires a high school graduate diploma
  • Confirm the application requirements carefully
  • Check the starting date of enrollment and the deadline for the new applicant. It usually begins seven months before admission.
  • All documents need to translate into Japanese and attached are the proof documents from the embassy in the home country.
  • If uncertain whether you qualify for the school, so it is better to apply for multiple schools.
  • Incomplete documents are not accepted.
  • Sending of application documents is limited only to mailing.

Application Requirements

Curriculum

A. A person who has completed 12 years of school education from their country.
B. Graduate transcript with the authorized certificate by the Minister of Education.

Status of Residency

The person who falls under any of C to E.

C. People who have a foreign nationality and have a status of residence “study abroad.”
To attain the status of residence status, click here.
D. Foreigners who have other types of visa and passed placement test and completed school application qualifies for change status into Student Visa.
E. Foreigners who have Student Visa and passed the placement test and completed the school application qualifies for change status into Resident Visa.
Those who can submit proof of applying for a Certificate of Eligibility.

Required for Application

1 and 2 are both required

1. SAT（Reading, Writing, Math）scores or  ACT with Writing scores
2. English External Qualification Examination

• • TOEFL iBT® 80 points or more
  • TOEIC® L & R 830 or more
  • IELTS Academic Module Overall Band Score 6.0 or more
  • Practical English Proficiency Test Level 1

However, the applicants who spent at least five years at the institution where English is the primary language are exempted from score submission provided it lasts within six years. Remember, the test validity is within two years only, except for the Practical English Proficiency Test. Plus, all documents are required to submit.

About Japanese Education
University classes in Japan, use Japanese as the primary language. Therefore, it will require your Japanese skills to converse and understand the Teachers.

Entire Application Process

First Assessment

1. 1. Application Procedure
      Application period: About seven months or more before the admission period (by fiscal year)
      Application Form: The application has to send to the school thru the mail.
   2. Selection method
      By checking the application requirements and transcript record.
   3. Notice of Acceptance
      The announcement of the qualified students will be after a month. Check the result via the Internet.
      They’ll announce the examination number thru the school website. So, make sure you will check it from time to time. The examination pass acceptance letter is mailed to the student first, then the examination admission ticket will follow.

Second Assessment

The students who passed the examination qualified for the second assessment.
The application procedure is not necessary.

1. 1. Selection method
      Examining all the documents
      Placement Test
      Interview
   2. Examination date and venue
      For example, in the Aoyama Campus, they announce the date and venue of the exam approximately one month after the primary examination schedule.
   3. Test Subject and Time
      Essay 9:30-10:30
      Interview 13:00~
      *English or Japanese
   4. Announcement of Passers
      (10 days after the exam)
      Announcement via the internet.
      The school will mail a letter of acceptance and entrance procedure to the successful applicants.

Documents Needed for University Application

All submitted documents should be in Japanese or English, if it’s not, so it required translation. You must provide supporting documents as proof that there is no discrepancy between the original content and the other one received from the embassy’s notary office or another notary office in your country. Therefore, the attachment of supporting documents on the certificate is necessary for the submission. Furthermore, sending off application documents is limited to postal mail only. So anticipate that it will take a long time to obtain a certificate from the embassy.
*Note that the students are not able to change the program after the submission of the application.

List of Documents needed for the application

1. Letter of Acceptance
2. Photo slip
3. High School Diploma
4. Academic transcript of the entire high school period (Grade 10 to 12)
5. Copy of Residence Card
   ※Only Student who lives in Japan
6. Copy of Passport
7. 2 pieces Photo (4 cm in length and 3 cm in width)
   Write the application department name at the back of the photo and paste it on the application form and photo card.
8. Application envelope
9. Application document checklist
10. Transfer notice
    Please read the contents of the application requirements carefully in “Application Eligibility” and submit one of the documents.
11. IELTS Test Report
12. Eiken Test/ Eiken Foundation of Japan
    ※Exempted to the exam requires submitting the proof documents.
13. English education certificate or Transcript at least 5 years

School entrance examination fee

The entrance examination fee is 35,000 Yen. If you pay for the examination, you will use the “transfer application form” and transfer the money from the financial institution window in Japan. Remember, don’t use ATM and Internet Banking as a mode of payment for it is not allowed.
Please attach the transfer receipt to the application form and mail it together with the other application documents.

※We have bank support services that will process on your behalf.

Notes on filling in the transfer request.

• Remittance requires at the local bank six days before the application deadline.
• If the remitter is not the applicant himself/herself, it is necessary to enter the applicant’s name in the contact matter field without any error.

Admission Schedule

Approximately in December

Pay the total application fee (equivalent to the enrollment fee).

Important Points for Choosing a University

①Subjects	What are the contents of the lecture and research? Are there any interesting subjects available？ Is research available？
②Academic Programs	What are the majors available? Is there a master’s program or graduate school? Short-term course to learn Japanese or Japanese culture?
③Research Facilities	Do they have complete research facilities? Are the Facilities managed by expert support staff?
④International Student Support Services	Are there any international student support staff available? Are they giving free counseling to students? Do they have tutors to help study and live?
⑤Retention and Graduation Rates	What percentage of graduates in five years? What are the reviews from students online? What is the percentage of dropouts per year?
⑥Placement Test	What is the passing score on a placement test? What are the subject categories？ What are the courses offered after passing the exam?
⑦Tuition Costs and other Expenditures	What are the total tuition fees? What types of financial aid did they offer? How much is the potential cost?
⑧ Scholarship Program	Is there any scholarship program available？ What is the percentage of scholars?
⑨Campus Environment	What is life like outside the classroom? Do a lot of students commute? Go home on the weekends? What is the overall campus environment?

 

Test Information

EJU Examination

The Examination for Japanese University Admission for International Students (EJU) is a test that is often referred to in Japanese language schools, universities, and colleges to measure the basic skills in the Japanese language.

Test Subjects
Japanese, science (physics, chemistry, biology), general subjects, and mathematics are the test subjects. 
You can select the language whether Japanese or English, but in Japanese language subject, it’s only Japanese.

Placement Test Retake
Applicants/students can take the placement test only twice in twelve consecutive months.

Top score benefits 
Those students with excellent grades can receive a scholarship from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology(MEXT).

Exam Venue
The exam venue is both in Japan and abroad.

The following is the overseas testing venue.
※ Please note that this list may change without prior notice.

India（New Dehli）Sri Venkateswara College, Delhi

Indonesia（Jakarta）University of Indonesia DEPOK Campus
Indonesia (Surabaya)

Indonesia（Surabaya）Economic Faculty University of Surabaya, Indonesia

Korea（Seoul）

Yongsan High School (Link to EJU Korea Official Website)

Ishimura Junior High School (Linked to EJU Korea Official Website)

Samsir High School (Link to EJU South Korea Official Website)

Gro High School (Link to EJU Korea Official Website)

Korea（Busan）Gyeongnam Industrial High School (Link to EJU Korea Official Website)

Singapore Japanese Cultural Association

Sri Lanka （Colombo）Sri Lanka Japanese Cultural Center (Sasakawa Hall)

Thai（Bangkok）Former Japan International Student Association of Thailand (OJSAT)

Taiwan（Taipei）Language training center / Taiwan University society and company building museum

Philippine（Manila）De La Salle University Saint Benilde

Vietnam（Hanoi）Hanoi Trade University (Vietnamese Human Resource Cooperation Center)

Vietnam（Ho Chi Ming）Ho Chi Minh City Social Science and Humanities University

Hong Kong Kowloon Bay International Exhibition Trade Center

Malaysia（Kuala lumpr）Hotel Armada Petaling Jaya

Myanmar（Yangon）Myanmar former Japan Student Association (MAJA)

Mongolia (Ulaanbaatar) National University of Mongolia

Russia（Vladivostok）Far Eastern Federal University

Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT）

The Japanese Language Proficiency Test is a big exam with the most public effectiveness to measure Japanese skills. The examination is reading and listening with a mark sheet method. It’s divided by level from N5 to N1. (N5 is easiest and N1 is the most difficult level).
For more information click here.

The majority of Japanese language schools and universities required JLPT.

Exam Repetition
The exam has done twice a year.

Examination Venue
Japan: 46 prefectures (2018 achievements)
Overseas: 40 countries / areas, 135 cities (2018 achievements)

CONCLUSION

Application for Japanese schools and Universities requires a complicated processing procedure. You need to complete all the necessary documents otherwise you’re not qualified to apply for any school admission. Moreover, the risk that students cannot attend school at their desired time will increase if there is no document checking. Therefore, you will need assistance starting from the filing period until the placement examination to pass your desired school or university.

Our agency will give full support in preparing documents for the application as well as in the school recommendation.

Why Choose Us?

We always welcome the students’ questions and concerns.
We always love to support students leading them to success.

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