Studying in Japan

What a year costs

The Study in Japan portal gives these approximate first-year costs, including the one-off admission fee:

• National universities: about JPY 820,000 (undergraduate and graduate)
• Public (prefectural and municipal) universities: about JPY 910,000 undergraduate, JPY 900,000 graduate
• Private universities: about JPY 1,300,000 undergraduate outside medicine, about JPY 1,100,000 graduate
• Private medicine, dentistry and pharmacy: about JPY 3,800,000
• Japanese language schools: JPY 610,000-1,900,000

National universities no longer all charge the same. The University of Tokyo's published fees are a JPY 282,000 admission fee, then JPY 642,960 a year for undergraduates and JPY 535,800 for master's students. Check the fee page of the university you are applying to, for your year of entry.

Living costs. JASSO's 2023 survey of privately funded international students puts average spending at JPY 105,000 a month, excluding study costs. Average rent was JPY 41,000 nationally and JPY 57,000 in Tokyo. Budget more than the average in Tokyo, Yokohama and Osaka, and less in regional cities.

Add to that National Health Insurance, which every resident staying more than three months must join through their city office, the key money and deposit that many private landlords demand on top of the first month's rent, and furniture for what is usually an empty flat.

The visa

You need the Student status of residence. The process has two stages, and the first happens in Japan:

1. Certificate of Eligibility (COE). Your school, acting as your proxy, applies to the regional immigration bureau. You supply documents through the school, including proof of funds. 2. The visa. With the COE, you apply at the Japanese embassy or consulate in your country with your passport, form, photo and COE.

On arrival you receive a residence card at the airport, and you must register your address at your city office within 14 days of settling.

The fee: about JPY 15,000 for a single-entry visa, for applications accepted from 1 July 2026, when the Ministry of Foreign Affairs raised its visa fees. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that fees may be waived or differ depending on nationality and purpose, and that you pay in local currency, so confirm the exact amount with your embassy. No fee is charged if the visa is not issued.

The money. Japan does not publish a single proof-of-funds figure. The Study in Japan portal says only that you may be asked for your sponsor's savings balance certificate, an income certificate for the past year, and documents showing where the money came from. In practice, the school handling your COE tells you what balance it will submit, and it is usually sized to cover a year of tuition and living costs. Ask for the figure in writing before you move money, and make sure the source of the funds is traceable: unexplained deposits are a common reason COE applications stall.

Working while you study

Up to 28 hours a week, and up to 8 hours a day during long school holidays, but only once you hold permission to engage in activity other than that permitted by your status of residence. You can request it at the airport on arrival or later at an immigration bureau. Work in adult entertainment businesses is prohibited by law, whatever the hours.

The 28 hours is a weekly cap across all your jobs combined. Students who exceed it risk having their visa renewal refused. Under an Immigration Services Agency notice of April 2026, Japanese language schools must now check every three months where each student works and for how many hours, and report serious violations. JASSO reports that about 67% of privately funded students work, earning an average of JPY 59,000 a month. That helps, but it does not cover rent and food in a big city on its own.

After you graduate

Your Student status ends when you graduate, even though your residence card still shows a later date. To stay and look for work, you change to Designated Activities (job hunting):

• 6 months, renewable once, for up to 1 year in total
• You need a recommendation letter from your university and evidence that you were already job hunting before graduation
• Some universities ask you to show funds for the period: Ritsumeikan, for example, tells its graduates to show at least JPY 600,000 for six months

You cannot work part-time on this status unless you obtain permission again. Graduates of eligible top-ranked universities can instead apply under J-Find, which allows up to 2 years.

Once you have a job offer, you change to a work status, most commonly Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services. Japanese employers recruit graduates in an annual cycle that starts more than a year before the April start date, so begin in your penultimate year, not after graduation.

Language

Most undergraduate programmes teach in Japanese and use the Examination for Japanese University Admission (EJU) plus the university's own tests. English-taught degrees exist, concentrated in top national universities and some private ones, and are more common at master's and doctoral level. They set their own TOEFL or IELTS minimums: check each programme.

For the visa, English-taught students do not need Japanese. But part-time jobs, landlords, city offices and above all graduate recruitment run in Japanese. Japanese employers commonly expect business-level Japanese for regular graduate roles. If you intend to stay after graduating, treat Japanese as part of your degree.

If you are going first to a Japanese language school, the rules tightened in 2026. Under the Immigration Services Agency's April 2026 notice, applicants must prove their Japanese with a formal test certificate (such as the JLPT or NAT-Test) or an interview, not just a certificate of 150 hours of study. Graduates of foreign universities are exempt.

When to apply

The Japanese academic year starts in April. Many universities also admit in September or October, especially for English-taught and graduate programmes.

Work backwards from the COE. Immigration needs time to process it, then you need an embassy appointment and a flight. For April entry, most applications close in the autumn of the year before. For Japanese-taught undergraduate programmes you will usually need an EJU score first. The EJU runs twice a year: for 2026, the first session's results came out on 28 July, and applications for the second session closed on 31 July. Check the university's own schedule, as each sets its own dates.

What to watch out for

Language schools vary enormously in quality. Some run as recruitment businesses that depend on students working the maximum hours. Check that the school is on the Immigration Services Agency's list of accredited Japanese language institutions, ask about its attendance and university progression rates, and be wary of agents who promise that part-time work will pay your way.

Attendance matters for your visa. Study in Japan warns that low attendance caused by excessive work can lead to deportation. Immigration looks at attendance when you renew, and schools report to it.

The 28-hour limit is enforced. It is a total across jobs, and it counts every week in term. A second job that pushes you to 32 hours can cost you your renewal and your future work visa.

The fee increase is new. Many agency sites still quote the old visa fee. Use the Ministry of Foreign Affairs page and your embassy for the current amount.

Housing contracts are expensive to start. Private rentals often require key money, a deposit, an agent fee and a Japanese guarantor or guarantor company. University dormitories and international student halls are much cheaper to enter: apply for them as soon as you have an offer.

Where these numbers come from

Rules change, sometimes at short notice. Every figure above carries the date we checked it. Check the official source before you rely on it, and ask your school for the proof-of-funds amount it will submit, because Japan does not publish one.