Information as of 18 September 2026. We work to keep it accurate, but details can change or contain errors. Always check the official websites for the latest, correct information.
Japanese schools guide for international students
For international students, and their families, who want to study at a junior high school, high school or KOSEN (college of technology) in Japan. It covers schools that accept international students and how to apply, in this order: the International College of Technology (ICT), the national KOSEN routes, boarding schools, public high schools in Tokyo and Osaka, and the visa rules. Figures and dates come from the schools, the national KOSEN organisation, MEXT, boards of education and Japanese law, with a source for each.
Schools you can apply to from overseas are covered separately from public high-school selections for families living in Japan. Rules that affect Japanese families living abroad are included too.
| Option | Entry point | Language | Boarding | How international students apply |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| International College of Technology (ICT) | Five-year course after nine years of schooling | STEM subjects taught in English | Years 1–2 fully residential | English interview and documents; no written test[8][1][9] |
| National KOSEN (51 colleges) | International students join year 3 | All classes in Japanese | Dormitories at every college | MEXT, government-sponsored or privately financed route[4][3][10] |
| UWC ISAK Japan (Karuizawa, Nagano) | Grade 10 or Grade 11 | — | All students live on campus | Grade 10 direct; Grade 11 via UWC national committees[11][12][13] |
| Hiroshima Global Academy (HiGA) | MYP and DP; foreign nationals after junior high | Application documents in English | Full boarding | Selection for foreign nationals: documents and Zoom interview[14][15][16] |
| Ritsumeikan Uji Junior and Senior High School (Uji, Kyoto) | IP course (junior high), IB course (senior high) | Interviews mainly in English or Japanese | Boarding unless living with a guardian in Japan | Online international exam for applicants abroad[17][18][19] |
| Tokyo and Osaka public high schools | Entry to high school | Essay and interview in Japanese or English (Tokyo) | — | Foreign-student selection; guardian must live locally[20][6][7] |
A dash means our sources did not confirm the item; it does not mean the option is unavailable. Conditions change from year to year, so check the guidelines for the year you apply.
In MEXT's survey for FY2023, high schools and similar schools hosted 1,864 international students staying three months or longer, up from 859 in FY2021 (2,621 in FY2017). The most common origins were China, the United States, Thailand, Germany and Mongolia.[21]
Japan's 4th Basic Plan for the Promotion of Education sets a target of 20,000 international students at high-school level by 2033 (about 4,500 in FY2023, including study-tour visitors staying under three months). All 47 prefectures support student exchange, and accepting foreign high-school students is the second most common measure.[21]
The programme, applying from overseas for 2027 entry, fees and where graduates go next.
ICT is a five-year college of technology where students learn in English: mathematics, physics, chemistry, IT, AI and robot technology among them. International students also receive intensive Japanese language instruction.[9][8]
ICT has two campuses, Hakusanroku and Kanazawa. Students spend years 1 and 2 living on the fully residential Hakusanroku Campus in the foothills of Mount Hakusan, year 3 at Otago Polytechnic in New Zealand, and years 4 and 5 at the Ogigaoka Campus in Kanazawa, where they share facilities with students of Kanazawa Institute of Technology (KIT).[22][8][9][2][1]
| Year | Where | Accommodation | Total cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Years 1–2 | Hakusanroku Campus | Fully residential | About JPY 3,036,000 a year[8][9][2] |
| Year 3 | Otago Polytechnic, New Zealand | Homestay | About JPY 4,224,960 (one payment in yen)[8][2] |
| Years 4–5 | Kanazawa Campus (Ogigaoka) | — | About JPY 1,636,000 a year[1][22][2] |
Years 1–2: tuition JPY 1,824,000, dormitory JPY 546,000, meals JPY 630,000 and PTA, student and alumni association fees JPY 36,000; facility fees are included in tuition. Year 3: tuition NZ$25,831 (JPY 2,324,790), homestay NZ$20,713 (JPY 1,864,170) and fees JPY 36,000, with about JPY 60,000 for materials in some cases. Years 4–5: tuition JPY 1,600,000 (JPY 800,000 a semester) and fees JPY 36,000; the tuition page lists no dormitory or meal costs for these years. A dash means our sources did not confirm the item.
1 July – 12 November 2026
Application period (2027 entry)[1]
25 July 2026
First exam date
Results on 30 July at 15:00 Japan time.[1]
26 September 2026
Second exam date
Results on 1 October at 15:00 Japan time.[1]
21 November 2026
Third exam date
Results on 26 November at 15:00 Japan time.[1]
10 December 2026
Enrolment deadline
Check the guidelines for the enrolment deadline that applies to your exam date.[1]
ICT runs a "5+4" integrated nine-year course that links its five years with four years of undergraduate and graduate study at KIT. Students who choose it transfer to KIT as third-year undergraduates and can complete a bachelor's degree.[23][8]
The national KOSEN organisation explains that graduates of a KOSEN regular course receive the title of "Associate" and become eligible to transfer into the third year of a university. Check with ICT before applying how this applies to its graduates.[3]
In 2025, 24 students entered ICT, three of them from overseas (Norway, Germany and Indonesia).[9]
The three routes into a national KOSEN, the 2027 selection for privately financed students, and fees and dormitories.
International students at national KOSEN come through one of three routes: the Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship, a foreign-government scholarship, or private funding. On every route they join the third year. National KOSEN host international students from 28 countries, and 516 were enrolled on 1 May 2025.[4][3]
| Route | Before year 3 | Main conditions and selection | Fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| MEXT Scholarship | One-year preparatory course in Japan | Embassy screening; born on or after 2 April 2002 (2027) | Tuition waived; JPY 117,000 a month[4][10] |
| Foreign-government students | Preparatory course at home, then Japan | Malaysia and Mongolia (as of May 2025) | —[4][3] |
| Privately financed students | Joint transfer selection | 11+ years of schooling abroad; EJU, English test, interview | Entrance JPY 84,600; tuition JPY 234,600 a year (planned)[4][3] |
A dash means our sources did not confirm the item.
Malaysian government-sponsored students complete a preparatory course in Malaysia before coming to Japan and joining the third year. In the enrolment table for 1 May 2025, 239 students were MEXT scholars and 108 were sponsored by the Malaysian government.[3]
The Embassy of Japan in Malaysia's scholarship page shows that applications for the 2027 KOSEN intake have closed.[24]
Since 2011, all national KOSEN have run a joint transfer selection for privately financed international students. For 2027 entry, places are offered in recruiting departments across all 51 national KOSEN.[3]
13–16 October 2026
Applications must arrive (2027 entry)[3]
6 November 2026
Online interview
Make-up interview on 13 November.[3]
10 December 2026
Results[3]
Examples of schools with boarding that students living overseas can apply to, limited to what the schools' official materials confirm.
Check these with the school before applying
Public high-school selections for foreign students who live in Japan or are about to move there.
Tokyo's entrance exam for foreign students living in Tokyo is open to foreign nationals who meet conditions such as having entered Japan within the past three years. It consists of an essay and an interview, each in Japanese or English. Because it takes place before the general exam, students can sit both, but those who pass cannot then take the general exam (details for 2024 entry).[20]
For April 2024 entry, eight schools ran this exam: Takenodai, Tagara, Minamikatsushika, Fuchu-Nishi, Asuka, Rokugo Koka, Suginami Sogo and Kokusai. Separately, applicants of any nationality who arrived within the past six years and need Japanese-language support can request exam papers with furigana.[20]
For 2027 entry, Osaka Prefecture holds its selection for returnee and foreign students who need Japanese-language support at eight schools: Higashiyodogawa, Nagayoshi, Fukui, Kadoma Namihaya, Fuse Kita, Yao Kita, Seibi and Osaka Wakaba.[7]
These selections assume the student lives with a guardian
The status of residence for students coming from overseas, and the criteria for studying at high school or junior high school.
Japan's "Student" status of residence covers education at universities and KOSEN, and also at high schools, junior high schools, elementary schools and similar institutions.[26]
| School | Age | Main criteria |
|---|---|---|
| High school | 20 or under | At least one year of Japanese-language education or education in Japanese[5] |
| Junior high school | 17 or under | Guardian in Japan, full-time pastoral staff, staffed dormitory or similar[5] |
This summarises a Ministry of Justice ordinance and does not list every condition, so confirm procedures with the school and the Immigration Services Agency.
The Japanese-language condition for high school does not apply to students accepted under a student exchange plan or similar scheme set up by the national or a local government, an incorporated administrative agency, a national university corporation, a school corporation, a public interest corporation or similar body.[5]
For junior high school, the criteria also require someone in Japan to act as guardian, a full-time staff member at the school responsible for foreign students' daily life, and staffed dormitory or other suitable accommodation. For elementary school the age limit is 14 or under.[5]
MEXT Scholarship students going to a KOSEN must newly obtain a Student visa before travelling (2027 guidelines). ICT's Global Admission requires foreign nationals living overseas to obtain a Japanese student visa by 31 March 2027 (2027 entry).[10][1]
Confirm how each school handles this before enrolling
Points of comparison drawn from the facts on this page. This is not a ranking or a recommendation.
What you need to apply to a Japanese university with the IB Diploma or other qualifications is covered on the admission routes page.
ICT teaches mathematics, physics, chemistry, IT and related subjects in English, and interviews applicants from overseas in English. It also offers intensive Japanese for international students. National KOSEN, by contrast, teach all classes in Japanese, and privately financed applicants take the EJU in Japanese.
Global Admission applications run from 1 July to 12 November 2026, with exams on 25 July, 26 September and 21 November 2026. Selection is based on an English interview by video call (30 minutes) and the application documents; there is no written test.
There are three ways: as a Malaysian government-sponsored student, preparing in Malaysia before joining year 3; through the Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship for KOSEN students; or through the joint selection for privately financed students. For 2027 entry, privately financed applications must arrive between 13 and 16 October 2026, and applicants need 11 or more years of schooling abroad, EJU results taken in Japanese and an English test score.
ICT years 1–2 cost about JPY 3,036,000 a year including tuition, dormitory and meals (ICT tuition page). A national KOSEN charges an entrance fee of JPY 84,600 and tuition of JPY 234,600 a year (planned amounts in the 2027 guide), plus about JPY 50,000 a month for the dormitory including meals. UWC ISAK Japan costs JPY 7,225,000 for 2026-27, and 70% of its students receive some financial support.
To attend junior high school on a Student status of residence, the child must be 17 or under, have someone in Japan acting as guardian, and attend a school with a full-time staff member responsible for foreign students' daily life and staffed dormitory or similar accommodation. Ritsumeikan Uji describes admission to its junior high IP course on its English website.
Tokyo's September 2026 intake required applicants to live in Tokyo with a guardian, or to be certain to do so by the start date. Osaka's full-time selection also requires, in principle, that both the student and the guardian are residents of the prefecture. These routes suit families moving to Tokyo or Osaka together.
Planning to apply to schools in Japan? Talk to Nansu Juku.
Tell us your year group, your subjects and grades, and where you want to study. We help you plan the scores, subjects and application steps. Consultations for families considering our courses are free.
Checked against each source on 2026-09-18. Entry requirements, deadlines and fees change every year, so always confirm with the official pages for the year you apply.
