EAST ASIA · JAPAN
Students in Japan finish school in different ways: with a Japanese high school diploma, the IB Diploma, an American diploma with AP courses, or A Levels. Yours shapes where you can apply and what each university will ask of you.
For 2027 entry
START WITH YOUR QUALIFICATION
At a Japanese high school, you apply to Japanese universities through their own exams and routes, some with the national Common Test. With the IB, an American diploma, or A Levels, universities in Japan and abroad each read your results in their own way.
JAPANESE CURRICULUM
You graduate with your school’s diploma and a record of your grades. For Japanese universities, you may also sit the Common Test (大学入学共通テスト) in January.
INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE
You take six subjects, three or four at Higher Level, plus the core, in Japan or abroad. Japan’s education ministry (MEXT) asks Japanese universities to treat an IB Diploma earned in Japan the same as one earned abroad.
AMERICAN CURRICULUM
Your school’s diploma and GPA, usually with Advanced Placement (AP) courses and exams.
BRITISH CURRICULUM
You usually take three or four A Levels in your last two years, for example at an international school.
Letrado’s adviceAsk your counselor for your school profile early. It explains your curriculum and grading, and U.S. colleges read it alongside your transcript. If you’re at a Japanese high school, ask how your school will send your grades in English.
The test: The 2027 Common Test is on January 16 and 17, with make-up exams on January 23 and 24. You apply online to the National Center for University Entrance Examinations by October 2, 2026.
Your scores: The Center publishes the answers after each day’s exams and sends your scores straight to the universities that use them. You see your own scores only in April, if you asked for this when you applied (a ¥300 fee).
Universities’ own exams: They fall between February 1 and March 25, 2027, with results by March 31. The University of Tokyo (UTokyo), for example, holds its exams from February 25 and posts results on March 10.
The autumn routes: Comprehensive selection (総合型選抜) opens from September 1, 2026, with results from November 1. School recommendation (学校推薦型選抜) needs your principal’s recommendation and opens from November 1, with results from December 1. From 2027 entry, both include an interview, apart from some school recommendations where you promise to enroll.
UTokyo’s planned College of Design: UTokyo plans to open a five-year bachelor’s and master’s program in September 2027, subject to MEXT approval. One route accepts the SAT, the ACT, the IB, or A Levels, including predicted grades, and asks for an English test unless you’ve studied in English for three of your last four school years. Applications run from October 15 to November 5, 2026, with final results on February 20, 2027.
ICU’s English-language admissions: International Christian University (ICU) admits students through a process run in English. For April 2027 entry, you apply from October 1 to 8, 2026, and hear on December 1. You can apply for September 2027 entry instead, but only for one entry term, and offers can’t be deferred.
COMPARE THE SYSTEMS
You can apply to all three in the same year, and we help with all three. Each has its own application, deadlines, and idea of a strong applicant, so give each one its own plan.
UNITED STATES
Selective colleges look at your grades in the context of your school, alongside your essays, activities, teacher and counselor letters, and test scores where they ask for them. You apply to each college separately, often through the Common App.
Letrado’s adviceMake sure your school profile and counselor letter explain your curriculum. Then use your essays for what only you can say.
UNITED KINGDOM
You apply through UCAS to up to five courses, with one personal statement for all of them. Universities look closely at your subjects and predicted grades, and some courses add an admissions test or interview.
Letrado’s adviceChoose a subject you’d enjoy studying for three years, then check each course’s subject requirements before anything else.
JAPAN
In the general route (一般選抜), you sit the Common Test in January if your universities ask for it, then their own exams in February or March. Two other routes, comprehensive selection and school recommendation, start in the autumn. Some universities, such as International Christian University (ICU), also admit students in English.
Letrado’s adviceThe University of Tokyo (UTokyo) posts first-round results on March 10, and its rules refer to enrolling by March 15, before U.S. regular decisions arrive. Decide early what you’d do then.
EducationUSA, the U.S. government’s network of study advisers, is run in Japan by the U.S. Embassy and consulates with the Japan-U.S. Educational Commission (Fulbright Japan). It answers questions by email and offers online advising, information sessions, and seminars.
PLAN YOUR YEAR
U.S., UK, and Japanese deadlines, results, and offers fall at different times. Seeing them together shows where you may need to decide before every answer is in.
Japan From Sep 1
Japan Sep 15–Oct 2
UK Oct 15
18:00 UK time.
U.S. Nov 1
Other U.S. colleges set their own early dates.
Japan From Nov 1
U.S. Jan 1 and 2
Harvard’s is January 1, and Yale’s is January 2.
UK Jan 13
18:00 UK time.
Japan Jan 16–17
Japan From Feb 25
Other universities hold theirs between February 1 and March 25.
Japan Mar 10
Its rules refer to enrolling by March 15.
U.S. Late March
Harvard’s come by the end of March, and Yale’s in late March.
Japan Mar 31
In principle, under MEXT’s guidelines. Not for school-recommendation or single-choice (専願) places.
Japan April
U.S. May 1
The usual U.S. reply date, including at Harvard and Yale.
Exam results Early July
In 2026 they came out on July 6.
U.S. dates vary by college, so check each college’s own page. Japanese universities set their own dates within MEXT’s rules.
TRY THIS WITH EACH UNIVERSITY ON YOUR LIST
Open each university’s own pages and note an answer for every row. Bring the gaps and questions to our conversation, or work through them with your counselor.
| What to check | What to note for each university |
|---|---|
| Your qualification | Does it accept the diploma or certificate you’ll finish with, for direct entry? |
| Subjects and tests | Which subjects, grades, English tests, or admissions tests does the course need? |
| Dates | When is the deadline, when will you hear back, and when must you reply or enroll? |
| Full cost in yen | Tuition, housing, flights, insurance, and visas for the whole degree, and again with a weaker yen. |
| Would you go? | If this were your only offer, would you be glad to go? |
PLAN THE COST
A U.S. bachelor’s degree usually takes four years, and many UK degrees take three. Exchange rates can change over that time, so plan for the full degree, not just the first year.
YOUR YEARLY BUDGET
Letrado’s adviceRun your budget twice: once at today’s exchange rate and once with the yen 10% weaker. Keep at least one option that still works.
Who can apply: Japanese citizens and permanent residents living in Japan who haven’t yet studied at a university, including IB and A Level students and graduates of accredited international schools.
What it asks for: A high school average of at least 3.7 out of 5, TOEFL iBT 80 (4.0 on the new scale) or IELTS 6.0, your school’s recommendation, and a family income of ¥20 million or less.
Dates: Entries for study starting between April 2027 and March 2028 closed on September 24, 2026, with results in early March 2027. That call was published on July 16, 2026.
UK Student visa: You can apply up to six months before your course starts. You pay the health surcharge for every year of your visa when you apply.
U.S. student (F-1) visa: You apply once your college has sent your I-20 form. If you’re a U.S. citizen, you don’t need one.
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