How to Apply to Universities in Japan (2027): Step by Step

Bachelor's degree (English-taught international programme)

1. Check whether your target university runs a dedicated English-taught bachelor's programme for international applicants (for example a Global 30 style programme, an international college, or a named course); these usually admit once a year for a September or October start and are separate from the mainstream Japanese-taught April intake.
2. Confirm the academic and language documents the programme asks for: secondary education recognised as equivalent to Japanese senior high school, transcripts, and an English test such as IELTS or TOEFL iBT unless your prior schooling was taught in English.
3. Submit the application with all supporting documents by the published deadline; most of these programmes publish their next cycle's dates roughly eight to eleven months before the programme starts, so check the current year's guidelines rather than relying on last year's dates.
4. Sit any required written test or interview; several programmes run this online for applicants applying from outside Japan.
5. If accepted, ask the university's international office to start your Certificate of Eligibility application, then use the certificate to apply for a student visa at a Japanese embassy or consulate.

Bachelor's degree (Japanese-taught, general route)

1. Prepare for and sit the Examination for Japanese University Admission for International Students (EJU) in June or November of the year before you plan to start, choosing the subjects your target universities require.
2. Check whether your target university also requires the JLPT or its own written test or interview.
3. Apply to the university within its own published window for the April intake; some universities also offer pre-arrival admission based on EJU and school results without a separate campus visit.
4. If accepted, apply for a Certificate of Eligibility and then a student visa before travelling to Japan.

Master's degree

1. Identify a graduate school, department or specific programme rather than the university as a whole, since deadlines, required documents and selection methods are set at that level.
2. For a research-based programme, contact a prospective academic supervisor and ask for their agreement to supervise you before applying; many departments expect this before they will consider an application.
3. Prepare your Bachelor's degree certificate and transcript, a research plan or statement of purpose, and a language test result matching the programme's language of instruction.
4. Apply within the department's own deadline; a number of leading universities also run a separate, generally later, English-taught master's route with its own international deadline.
5. If accepted, apply for a Certificate of Eligibility and a student visa before travelling.

PhD

1. Contact a prospective supervisor in your field and agree a research topic before applying; Japanese universities generally expect this contact ahead of a formal application, sometimes through a preliminary research-student (kenkyusei) enrolment first.
2. Confirm your prior degree is recognised as equivalent to a Japanese Master's degree.
3. Apply to the specific graduate school within its own deadline, since Japan has no single national doctoral admission date.
4. Arrange funding: a scholarship such as MEXT, a university stipend, or your own means, since doctoral study is rarely tuition-free in Japan.
5. Apply for a Certificate of Eligibility and a student visa before travelling.