Studying in Japan
National-university fees remain comparatively predictable, but they are no longer uniform: check the fee page for your exact institution. For most non-EU students the immigration process begins with a Certificate of Eligibility, usually arranged through the school before the visa application.
15 of 15 sections confirmed against their official source. Last confirmed 2026-08-08.
Overview
Japan remains comparatively affordable at public institutions, but the old shorthand that every national university charges exactly JPY 535,800 is no longer safe. The official Study in Japan portal puts average first-year admission plus tuition at about JPY 820,000 for national universities. Individual institutions can differ: the University of Tokyo, for example, charges JPY 642,960 a year to undergraduate entrants from April 2025, alongside a JPY 282,000 admission fee. Always check the fee schedule for your programme and entry year; private universities are usually considerably more expensive.
For living costs, the latest official international-student survey gives a national average of about JPY 105,000 per month excluding study and research costs. Average rent is about JPY 41,000 nationally and JPY 57,000 in Tokyo, so city choice matters materially.
For immigration, the process usually begins with the institution. After admission, the school commonly acts as your proxy for the Certificate of Eligibility (COE) application to the Immigration Services Agency. Once the COE is issued, you use it for the student-visa application at a Japanese embassy or consulate.
Source: https://www.studyinjapan.go.jp/en/planning/academic-fees/
Study System
The Japanese academic year normally begins in April, with September or October entry available at some universities and especially in internationally oriented programmes. Application calendars vary sharply by institution and programme, so use the university's own admissions page rather than a national deadline rule.
Japan has national, local public and private universities. The official Study in Japan portal currently reports average first-year admission plus tuition of about JPY 820,000 at national universities, about JPY 910,000 at local public universities and about JPY 1.3 million at private undergraduate universities excluding medicine, dentistry and pharmacy. Those are planning averages, not price caps. University of Tokyo undergraduate entrants from April 2025, for example, pay JPY 642,960 annual tuition plus a JPY 282,000 admission fee.
English-taught degrees exist at both undergraduate and graduate level, but availability is much broader in some fields and institutions than others. Japanese-language programmes set their own language standard; JLPT requirements should be checked against the programme's current admissions rules rather than assumed to be universally N2.
Attendance and academic progress matter for maintaining Student status. Schools have immigration-related reporting duties, so prolonged non-attendance or ceasing studies can create residence problems. Avoid treating a commonly quoted attendance percentage as a universal statutory threshold: the circumstances and institution matter.
Source: https://www.studyinjapan.go.jp/en/planning/academic-fees/
Visa & Immigration
For a standard long-term student route, admission comes first and a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) normally follows. The student or an authorised proxy can apply for the COE, and in practice the accepting school commonly acts as that proxy. After the COE is issued, the student applies for the visa at the responsible Japanese embassy or consulate. Processing times vary, so start on the institution's timetable rather than assuming a fixed one-to-three-month window.
Japan does not publish one nationwide minimum bank balance that every student must show. Immigration instead asks for evidence that study and living costs can be met. Depending on the case, that can include a bank-balance certificate, proof of income and documents showing the source of funds. Schools may apply their own documentary thresholds when preparing a COE application, so ask the institution for its current checklist rather than relying on a forum figure.
Japan's eVISA is not a substitute for the long-term student route. Use the embassy or consulate instructions for your nationality and place of residence after the COE process is complete.
Source: https://www.studyinjapan.go.jp/en/planning/immigration-procedures/
Residence Permit
Students entering with a qualifying mid- or long-term status receive a residence card immediately at designated major airports, including Narita, Haneda, Chubu, Kansai and several others. If you enter through another port, the card is generally mailed after you register your address.
After establishing an address, notify the municipal office within 14 days. That resident registration unlocks other practical steps such as National Health Insurance and local administrative services. A My Number notification follows for tax and social-security administration; it is separate from the residence-card number.
Student periods of stay can be granted for up to four years and three months. Apply for extension before expiry and follow Immigration Services Agency instructions if an application remains pending. Keep the residence card with you as required by Japanese law.
Source: https://www.studyinjapan.go.jp/en/planning/immigration-procedures/
Healthcare
Foreign residents who will stay in Japan for more than three months generally have to join National Health Insurance (NHI). Register at your municipal office after resident registration.
The premium is calculated by the municipality using the previous year's income, including part-time earnings. Students and other low-income residents may qualify for reductions, but income still needs to be declared even when it is zero or very low. Avoid budgeting around a single national monthly premium because municipalities and income situations differ.
For treatment covered by NHI, the scheme normally pays 70 percent and the patient pays 30 percent. Some services are outside insurance coverage, and Japan also has high-cost medical-expense protections for large covered bills.
Source: https://www.studyinjapan.go.jp/en/life/insurance/
Housing
University and student dormitories can be easier for a new arrival because they often reduce the guarantor and large-upfront-payment problem, but availability and prices vary by institution. Apply early if your university offers a place.
In the private market, initial costs can include a security deposit, key money (reikin), real-estate-agent commission and guarantor-company fees. Contracts and furnishing levels vary, so check exactly what is included before signing.
The official JASSO survey gives average monthly rent of about JPY 41,000 nationally and JPY 57,000 in Tokyo, with lower averages in several regional areas. Those are useful planning benchmarks, not guaranteed market prices for a particular neighbourhood.
Source: https://www.studyinjapan.go.jp/en/life/accomodation/
Bank Accounts
Open an account once you have registered your address and, ideally, once your My Number notification arrives. Japan Post Bank is the usual first account for students because it accepts new arrivals readily and has branches everywhere.
Bring your residence card, your student ID, your My Number if you have it, and a personal seal if you have one. The hanko, a name stamp, is used in place of a signature at many institutions, and although it is slowly being phased out you may still be asked for one.
Japan remains more cash based than the rest of this guide, though IC cards such as Suica and Pasmo, and code payment apps, now cover most daily spending. Keep cash for small restaurants, shrines and older shops.
Transferring money in from abroad is straightforward but slow and expensive through banks. Arrive with enough for the first month.
Source: https://www.studyinjapan.go.jp/en/
Taxes
If you work part time, income tax is withheld from your pay. Students earning modestly across a year commonly owe little, and can adjust at the year end.
Everyone registered as a resident and aged twenty or over is enrolled in the National Pension. Students may apply for the student payment exception, gakusei nofu tokurei, which defers contributions while you study rather than cancelling them. Apply at your municipal office. Ignoring the pension notices, which arrive in Japanese, is a common and avoidable mistake.
Residence tax is levied by your municipality on last year's income, so it usually arrives in your second year rather than your first, which catches students out.
Your My Number is required when you take a job, and your employer will ask for it.
Source: https://www.studyinjapan.go.jp/en/
Transportation
Buy a commuter pass, teiki, for the route between home and university. Students receive a substantial discount, the university issues the certificate you need, and over a year the saving is large.
Get an IC card, Suica or Pasmo or the regional equivalent, and use it for trains, buses and convenience stores alike.
Trains are punctual to a degree that is not a stereotype, and the last train is the organising principle of an evening out. Miss it and you are walking, or paying for a taxi that costs more than the night did.
Cycling is common and regulated. Register your bicycle, use lights, and do not leave it outside a station in an unmarked spot; impounded bicycles are retrieved from a distant lot for a fee.
Source: https://www.studyinjapan.go.jp/en/
Student Life
University clubs, the circles, are the centre of social life and recruit hard in April. Joining one is the single most effective thing an international student can do, and the commitment expected is higher than in Europe.
The convenience store is a genuine institution and its food is genuinely edible. University canteens are cheap. The co-op sells textbooks at a discount and membership repays itself.
Japan is exceptionally safe, and the ordinary precautions of a European city are largely unnecessary, which is disorienting rather than unwelcome.
Two customs worth learning before you arrive: separate your rubbish according to your ward's rules, which are strict and locally variable, and be quiet on trains. Both are noticed.
Source: https://www.studyinjapan.go.jp/en/
Language
Hundreds of degree programmes are taught in English and you can graduate without Japanese. Whether you can live, work and be hired without it is a different question, and the answer is largely no.
Japanese taught university programmes generally expect JLPT N2. Employers use N2 as the practical threshold for a Japanese speaking role, and students who reach N2 or N1 while studying have visibly better outcomes.
From 2026, applicants entering a Japanese language school, as distinct from a university, must demonstrate Japanese at roughly JLPT N5. Universities, graduate schools and vocational schools are not covered by this and set their own standards. Check which category your institution falls into.
Universities run Japanese classes for international students, usually free. Start in the first term rather than the third, because the difficulty compounds.
Source: https://www.studyinjapan.go.jp/en/
Part-time Jobs
Student status does not automatically permit paid work. You need Permission to Engage in Activity Other Than That Permitted under the Status of Residence Previously Granted. Eligible new students can often request the general permission on arrival; otherwise apply through immigration.
With that permission, the usual limit is 28 hours per week while classes are in session, across all jobs combined, and up to 8 hours per day during long school vacations specified by the institution.
Work connected with adult-entertainment businesses is prohibited even when the role itself appears unrelated. Breaching the conditions can jeopardise future immigration applications, so treat part-time earnings as supplementary rather than as the core of the funding plan.
Source: https://www.studyinjapan.go.jp/en/work-in-japan/part-time-jobs/
Post-study Work
A graduate who has not secured a qualifying full-time job by graduation may, if eligible, change from Student to Designated Activities for continued job hunting. The ordinary period is six months and can generally be extended once, giving up to one year. A recommendation or other support from the school is normally part of the process.
J-Find (Future Creation Individual) is a separate route and should not be confused with the graduate job-hunting status. It targets recent graduates of highly ranked overseas universities and uses its own age, graduation-date, university-ranking and funds requirements. Check the Immigration Services Agency's current J-Find page and eligible-university list before relying on it.
Once you secure qualifying employment, you change to the appropriate work status. Japanese-language expectations are employer- and occupation-specific rather than a single legal JLPT threshold.
Source: https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/applications/status/designatedactivities51.html
Emergency Numbers
Two numbers, and they are not the same one. For police, call 110. For fire and ambulance, call 119. Both are free from any phone.
An ambulance is free in Japan. Call one if you need one.
Japan has earthquakes and typhoons. Download the official disaster alert application before you need it, learn where your building's evacuation site is, and understand that the phone alert sounds seconds before the shaking, which is enough to get away from glass.
Your university will have an emergency contact and most large cities run a multilingual medical information line for foreign residents.
Source: https://www.studyinjapan.go.jp/en/
Government Websites
The Immigration Services Agency, part of the Ministry of Justice, decides your Certificate of Eligibility, your residence status, your work permission and your post study options. Its pages, at moj.go.jp/isa, are the authority.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its embassies issue the visa itself, after the COE exists. Study in Japan, run by the government, is the official portal for programmes and procedures. JASSO administers scholarships and publishes cost surveys. MEXT sets national university tuition and runs the MEXT scholarship.
Your municipal office handles address registration, health insurance and pension. Your university's international office is the practical first stop for almost everything else.
Reports indicate that visa renewal and permanent residency fees will rise from 1 October 2026. Check the current figures rather than a cached page.
Source: https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/
Focused Japan guides
Official resources
- Study in Japan (official portal) — Official programmes, academic-fee averages and student-life guidance.
- Immigration procedures for students — Certificate of Eligibility, entry and residence procedures.
- Immigration Services Agency — The authority on residence status, work permission and renewals.
- J-Find (Future Creation Individual) — Separate highly qualified recent-graduate route; verify current eligibility here.
- JASSO — Scholarships and the official cost of living surveys.
- MEXT — Education policy, scholarships and national higher-education information.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs — Embassies and consulates, which issue the visa once the COE exists.