Japan

Find Your Degree in Japan

Apr-Feb Academic Year

13 Listed Institutes

83 Ranked Universities

140,000 Int. Students

Study Living About Institutes Student VISA Work permit Scholarship

Study

Study in Japan

Japan is a country of contrasts, preserving old traditions related to the unique Japanese culture, like the Buddhist heritage, and, at the same time, the nation is a leader in scientific research, mostly technology, famous for manufacturing robots. More than 100,000 international students from every corner in the world enrol in Japanese universities and colleges every year. Higher educational institutions here focus on academic performance based on innovative and creative ideas, but they also set much value in developing human quality.

Since 1949, there have been twenty-two Japanese (or Japanese born) winners of the Nobel Prize, especially in the fields of medicine, biology, chemistry and physics. All these are great reasons to consider studying in Japan. Want more?

Why study in Japan?

Because of the welcoming environment, and the fact that Japan is a leading nation in terms of futuristic technology, engineering, and biomedical research, students find Japan to be a very appealing study option.

Since 1949, there have been twenty-two Japanese (or Japanese born) winners of the Nobel Prize, in the fields of medicine, biology, chemistry and physics. You could say Japan has quite an interesting legacy when it comes to sciences.

The literacy rate of Japan is almost 100% - the biggest in the world. In Japanese culture, education is regarded highly. So, you’re likely to find yourself in a world-class academic environment.

Practical Information

How to apply to universities in Japan

For most universities in Japan, you can simply apply online by submitting the application form along with all requested application documents. Additionally, you can check an official website dedicated to higher education studies in Japan that offers detailed information about courses provided by all universities in Japan.

Carefully check all the required application documents and make sure they are all translated into English. For instance, an internationally recognised Bachelor's degree or equivalent is the main requirement when enrolling for a Master’s degree at a university in Japan.

Make sure to know what the language requirements are, and whether you need to prove skills in English before enrolling in a degree programme.
Show how you performed as a student, and be sure to know what your Grade Point Average (GPA) was during your studies.
To help your chances of going to Japan, be sure to apply to more than one university!

Make sure you qualify for a Japanese university

Take Preparation Courses: These kinds of courses enable degree-seeking students to get an extra educational boost just before they start their Master’s degree or other post-graduate degree programmes. Try a pre-M.B.A., pre-Law, or pre-Medicine programme, as well as any other foundation or preparation courses that will allow you to study in the degree programme of your choice.

Improve your English through an English-language prep course: If you’re attending a degree programme in Japan, you will sometimes need to prove that your language skills are good enough to participate in the classes and understand the lectures. These courses will also prepare you for any of the English-language tests that universities require.

English-language tests

There are over 250 English-taught programmes in Japan.

Universities in Japan will want to see proof that you have good English-language skills, so that you can easily succeed in their courses. Almost all Japanese universities accept these official English exams:

IELTS
TOEFL
C1 Advanced

Living

Living in Japan

What is it like to study in Japan

Within Japanese universities, you will have to respect a tight class schedule and attend several courses and seminars each day. Most Japanese professors are friendly with foreign students; but during courses, you are advised to pay attention and ask questions at the end of the lecture.

Apart from the final exam, most courses will also require passing a mid-term exam as well and you should expect assignments, projects or research work every week.

Tuition fees in Japan

Tuition fees at Japanese universities are variable, depending on university and the field of study. The average fee payment for the first-year unit ranges from 7,900 and 15,800 USD/year.

However, you can find study degrees with tuition fees of 3,500 USD/year and others with more expensive fees that lead up to 52,000 USD/year, usually for specialised degrees like Engineering, Business or Medicine.

Accommodation costs

Many universities in Japan offer accommodation for international students. There are rooms and apartments with low rents but availability is usually limited. A single room in a university dormitory is around 270 USD/month and a double room costs 180 USD/month.

Another option for affordable housing is sharing an apartment; a room in a shared apartment cost between 200 and 500 USD.

Healthcare

Foreign students who plan to live in Japan for a period of more than 3 months have to subscribe to the “National Health Insurance”. Once you arrive in Japan, register for the National Health Insurance at your nearest local office and pay the insurance premium.

You will have to pay the insurance premium monthly once registration is completed.

Food costs

Local supermarkets in Japan have affordable prices, and on average you only spend around 200 USD on your monthly groceries. Most restaurants have high prices; a three- courses meal costs on average 40 USD. However, you can find plenty of street food at lower prices.

If you go to study in Japan expect to need about 800-1,200 USD/month for living costs.

About

About Japan

Japan is an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean, divided into four main islands: Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku. Honshu is home to Tokyo and many of Japan’s other largest cities, including Yokahama, Osaka, and Nagoya.

The meaning of the name Japan is "sun-origin", the reason why the nation is known as the "Land of the Rising Sun". Although the country’s territory is smaller than California, Japan is presently the 10 the most populous country in the world, with 127.3 million people.

From 1970’s to 2010, Japan was the world’s second largest economy. Today, Japan is famous for scientific and technology advance and innovations, especially in the fields of electronics, automobiles, machinery, earthquake engineering, industrial robotics, and biomedical research.

Most locals don’t speak English, so you will have to learn basic Japanese to adjust easier during your stay in Japan.

In Japan, you would experience four distinct seasons, with mild winters and rare snowfalls, humid springs, and very warm summers. In some regions, winters are cold with frequent snowfalls.

Iconic places to visit

Japan is a unique place that offers memorable experiences to any visitor. You’ll be surrounded by skyscrapers and modern restaurants, but you can also take trips to see Buddhist temples that each showcase Japanese history and culture. Additionally, Japan has fantastic natural landscapes so there are plenty of things you can enjoy, both indoor and outdoor.

Some of Japan’s iconic places are:

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial
Mount Fuji
Temple of the Golden Pavilion.
Imperial Palace Tokyo
The Island Shrine of Itsukushima
Osaka Castle
Sensoji Temple

Fun facts

Tokyo, Japan’s capital city, is the world’s largest metropolitan area.
Japan has one of the highest life expectancy, since more than 50,000 people there are over 100 years old.
Square-shaped watermelons are grown by Japanese farmers for easier stack and store.
Sleeping on the job is acceptable in Japan, as it's viewed as exhaustion from working hard.
Japanese people have 20 different ways for saying "sorry."
The term karaoke means "empty orchestra" in Japanese.
Japan is home to over 3,000 McDonald’s restaurants, the largest number in any country outside the U.S..

Institutes

Listed Institutes in Japan

Fukuoka-shi (1)

Kawasaki (1)

Kyoto (3)

Nagoya-shi (1)

Sapporo-shi (1)

Sendai (1)

Tokyo (5)

Tsukuba (1)

Student VISA

Student visa for Japan

Determine which visa you need

Which visa you need depends on how long you are going to study in Japan:

Short term courses up to 90 days:

many nationalities can visit Japan for up to 90 days on visa waiver. When you arrive in Japan you will get a sticker in your passport which shows that you can stay in Japan for 90 days. During that time you can, for example, take a language course in Japan. Read more about which nationalities can travel to Japan on visa waiver. If you travel on visa waiver you must have a return ticket within 90 days.

More than 90 days but less than 20 weeks:

citizens of some countries like Germany, Ireland, Switzerland, and the UK can extend their period of stay with 90 more days by applying to the Ministry of Justice in Japan before their first 90 days have expired (read more on the link above).

For other nationalities stays of this kind of length is trickier. Schools usually won't issue a student visa for less than 20 weeks so your only solution would be to do a so called "visa run" by staying for 90 days in Japan and then travel to a nearby country like Korea and return to Japan for another 90 days upon re-entry. The Japanese authorities don’t like this solution but to do it once usually works without any problem but for longer stays, you should get a student visa. To do this you must have booked your exit ticket when you enter Japan the first time.

Long term courses 20 weeks-2 years:

For courses that are 20 weeks (two quarters) or longer you can and should apply for a student visa following the procedure below. Prospective students must be 18 years old or more, and have completed high School or above with a minimum of 12 years in school in order to get a student visa to Japan.

Apply to a school in Japan

Once you have decided on how long you want to study it is time to apply to a school in Japan. If you will take a long term course and apply for a student visa the application process is done through your school. Their deadline for visa applications is often about five months before the course starts so make sure to apply earlier than that so you have time to complete all the documentation. High ranking language schools and universities sometimes can take later applications too.

If you only take a short term course on visa waiver in Japan you can skip directly to step 8.

Fill in the school’s visa application documents

To apply for a student visa to Japan is a multiple step process. First, you fill in different visa application documents and submit to your school. Then the school checks that your application is complete before they rewrite it and submit it to the immigration authorities in Japan. Then you will eventually get a Certificate of Eligibility (step 4) that you need for the final step of your visa application.

Once you apply to a school they will send you (or ask you to download) the following documents that you need to fill in and submit to the school:

An application form where you fill in data about yourself and the course. Make sure to always write your name as it is written in your passport.
A personal history form where you fill in your educational and occupational history. Fill in as much as possible. Any blank periods will need to be explained. On this form or a separate form, you will also have to fill in some details about your family members.
Application essay motivate why you want to study in Japan. Write more than 1-2 sentences and if you are a bit older it is good to write how your studies in Japan can benefit your career.
Diploma and transcript from the last school you have graduated from translated to English or Japanese.
Certificate of previous Japanese studies if applicable.
A copy of your passport the photo page.
Passport photos schools usually want 8 photos. However, nowadays a few schools can accept digital photos.
Medical history some schools ask for your medical history or a tuberculosis check up but many schools don’t.

You also need to prove that you can pay for your course and support yourself in Japan. For this you usually need to submit:

A letter of remittance where you state how much money you will have in Japan and whether it is your money or if you have a guarantor. The money you list should cover the tuition fees and your living costs.
A bank account balance certificate showing that you or your guarantor have the needed money (usually at least 1600000 Yen).
Proof of employment for you or your sponsor.
A written oath or pledge from you or your guarantor that you promise to pay the required costs.

Get your CoE

After the school has accepted your application, they will submit it to the immigration authorities. About one month before your course starts they will issue a Certificate of Enrollment, CoE, that you need for step 5. The school will send you the CoE as soon as it has been issued and you have paid for your first semesters. Make sure that the school has your correct address and that you pay them on time.

Theoretically, the Japanese immigration authorities can deny you a CoE but that almost never happens for Western students. However, if you apply late or if your application is incomplete or if you are just unlucky your CoE might arrive close to the start of your course giving you some time pressure so do what you can to avoid that.

Apply at the Japanese Embassy in your country

The final step to get a student visa to Japan is to make the visa application at the Japanese Embassy in your home country. To do this you need to submit:

Your CoE
Your passport
A passport photo
A visa application form filled in digitally or by hand using block letters. Write your school as guarantor "Guarantor or reference in Japan" unless they have instructed you otherwise.

For more information see the website of the Japanese Embassy in your country. Please note that you need to complete this process and get your visa before you arrive in Japan.

Get your visa

So finally you are done!

If you submit a complete application you will almost always get your visa from the Japanese Embassy. However, they can deny you if the information is incomplete or if you, for example, have some serious criminal record.

How long it takes depends on where you are applying but you are usually recommended to apply at least two weeks before you travel to Japan.

Work permit

Working in Japan

Finding Part-time Work

Many foreign students choose to do part-time work to help pay their tuition or living expenses. Today, 75% of foreign students are engaged in some type of part-time work in Japan (Source: JASSO survey 2013). However, under the status of residence of "College Student," which is given to foreign students, they are originally allowed to reside in Japan for the purpose of studying at school, and it is not permitted for foreign students to work for a paid job. Therefore, if anyone resides in Japan with the status of "College Student" and still wishes to take a paid part-time job, he/she is required to obtain an official permission called shikakugai katsudo kyoka (Permit to Engage in Activity other than that Permitted by the Status of Residence Previously Granted) from the nearest regional immigration bureau. In such a case, the students must observe the condition that such paid work will not interfere with their schoolwork, which is their original purpose of residence in the country. As an exemption, no such permission is required for activities as educational/research assistants who are paid and work based on a contract with a university or a technical college to which an applying student belongs. (Note: For technical college students, only those who are in the 4th and 5th grade or in advanced courses are eligible for this exemption)

Obtaining a permit to work from the immigration bureau

For foreign students who wish to work part-time, the first thing to do is to apply for and obtain a shikakugai katsudo kyoka (Permit to Engage in Activity other than that Permitted by the Status of Residence Previously Granted) at the nearest Regional Immigration Bureau.

List of Regional Immigration Bureaus

http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/soshiki/index.html (Japanese)
http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/english/soshiki/index.html (English)

The Government of Japan believes that foreign students are competent international human resources with specialized knowledge and skills that will support the upgrading of Japanese industries and the globalization of Japanese companies. The government, therefore, is promoting the hiring of foreign students by Japanese companies. With this said, however, mutual understanding in this respect between foreign students and Japanese companies is still in its early stages. For this reason, the Government is providing support to promote participation in internships for foreign students that make use of school breaks at Universities, etc. and enable foreign students to experience working for Japanese companies.

An internship is a system that enables students to have practical on-the-job training in companies, etc., with employment experience related to their areas of specialization or their future careers.
Experiencing an internship will also provide a good opportunity for foreign students to get a feel for Japanese business practices and will be a meaningful opportunity for learning greetings, acquiring business manners, and enhancing communication skills.

Working after Graduation

Foreign student internships are offered two times a year during spring and summer school breaks. Calls for participation are made through each Employment Service Center for Foreigners, but foreign students cannot contact companies directly.

For further information, please refer to the latest information on the website page on internships for foreign students at each Employment Service Center for Foreigners or contact your campus office.

The websites of major Centers are as follows:

Tokyo Employment Service Center for Foreigners
（http://tokyo-foreigner.jsite.mhlw.go.jp/english.html）
Osaka Employment Service Center for Foreigners
(http://osaka-foreigner.jsite.mhlw.go.jp/e-toppage.html)
Nagoya Employment Service Center for Foreigners (http://aichi-foreigner.jsite.mhlw.go.jp/english.html)
Fukuoka Hello Work for Supporting New Graduates(Japanese) (http://fukuoka-young.jsite.mhlw.go.jp/)

Scholarship