Education in Japan: school stages, the Common Test, university exams and the EJU

In short

Japan follows a single national ladder of schooling, often called the 6-3-3-4 system: six years of elementary school, three of lower secondary, three of upper secondary and four of university. Education is compulsory for the first nine years. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, known as MEXT, sets the national framework. Entry to university is decided by exams, and for international students there is a separate test called the EJU.

School stages

Elementary school and lower secondary school, called chugakko, together form the nine years of compulsory education. Upper secondary school, called koko, is not compulsory, but nearly all young people attend. Upper secondary schools may be general, vocational or a mix, and some offer part-time or correspondence courses. The school year runs from April to March, so the main intake and the start of university classes both fall in spring.

Schools can be national, public (run by a prefecture or a city) or private. Technical colleges called kosen and specialised training colleges offer other paths after lower secondary or upper secondary school. After upper secondary school, students may enter a university, a junior college or a vocational school.

How universities admit students

Japanese universities select applicants in more than one stage, and the details depend on the type of university.

• Common Test: the Common Test for University Admissions replaced the older Center Test in 2021 and is run by the national centre for university entrance examinations. It is held once a year in winter and is used by many national, public and private universities.
• Individual university exams: national and public universities normally ask applicants to sit their own second-stage exam after the Common Test. Private universities may use only their own exam, only the Common Test, or both.
• Other routes: many universities also admit some students by recommendation or by an admissions office process that looks at interviews, essays and activities.

Each university publishes a guide each year with the subjects it needs, so a student should read the guide of every faculty on the list before choosing subjects in upper secondary school.

The EJU for international students

The Examination for Japanese University Admission for International Students, called the EJU, is run by the Japan Student Services Organization, known as JASSO. It is held twice a year in Japan and in several other countries and regions. It has four subject tests: Japanese as a foreign language, science, Japan and the world, and mathematics. The science test lets the candidate choose among physics, chemistry and biology, and mathematics has two courses of different depth. Applicants take the subjects that their chosen university asks for. Many universities, colleges and graduate schools use the EJU in screening, and some also hold their own tests or interviews for international applicants.

Japanese language tests

The Japanese-Language Proficiency Test, called the JLPT, measures Japanese as a foreign language at five levels, from N5 (the easiest) to N1. It is usually held twice a year in Japan and in many other countries. Many language schools and universities ask for a level that shows the student can follow lessons in Japanese. The JLPT is separate from the EJU, which tests subjects for university admission.

Studying in Japan

Teaching is mostly in Japanese, so international students usually start with a Japanese language school or a university preparatory course. A growing number of universities also offer degree programmes taught in English, and these set their own conditions, which may include an English test, a school certificate such as the IB Diploma, or the SAT. Foreign applicants need a student visa, which is arranged through the school or university that accepts them. The official Study in Japan site gives a list of language schools and universities.

Ideas for a study plan that fits the Japanese system:

1. Begin with the language. Reading skill decides how quickly you can follow textbooks and exam questions, so read short Japanese texts daily, even before you start a course.
2. Look at the exam calendar backwards. Plan from the date of the EJU sitting or the university exam, then fix weekly targets for each subject.
3. For the science and mathematics subjects, practise the vocabulary in Japanese as well as the method. Know how a term such as a derivative or a chemical bond is written in kanji.
4. For Japan and the World, build a timeline of modern Japanese history and a short list of economic and political terms.
5. Practise under time limits with questions in the style of the real exam, then write down the cause of each mistake.
6. Keep a folder with the admission guide, deadlines and documents of every university on your list.

English questions on this site cannot replace Japanese-language practice, but they help with subject knowledge, English-taught programmes and tests for study abroad.

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