Before sending your inquiry, please confirm the following:
In order to apply, there are two main minimum requirements. Applicants must have completed or be scheduled to complete a 12-year standard education or equivalent as defined by Japanese law, and they must have the necessary language ability. In addition to this, there are various other requirements for educational qualifications at APU.
12-Year Education Requirement
A list of educational qualifications can be found in the Application Eligibility section of the how to apply webpage for first year or transfer admissions.
(1) If the number of years of education is less than 12 years due to skipping a grade
Even if you have only 11 years of education due to skipping a grade, you will still meet the educational qualification requirement upon completion of what constitutes as the 12th year of study in the relevant 12-year standard education curriculum.
(2) Countries/regions with 11 years of education
In accordance with Japanese law, applicants residing in Belarus, Myanmar, Peru, Russia, Sudan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan are required to complete 11 years of education to meet the educational qualification requirement.
If you do not fall into one of the above categories, please check your educational qualification here.
(3) For those who have completed homeschooling
In the case of homeschooling, eligibility will be granted if one of the following can be proven:
- The applicant has completed, or expects to complete by the date of enrollment, a 12-year standard education curriculum*.
- The applicant has passed or is expected to pass an examination** to determine academic ability equivalent to the completion of a 12-year standard education curriculum and will be 18 years of age by the date of enrollment.
*Excluding cases where the certificate of completion (diploma, etc.) is limited to a specific state or region.
**GED, high school equivalency test, etc.
If you would like to request verification of your educational background for application eligibility, submit our Education History Confirmation Request Form. Please note that it may take some time to receive a response. We recommend requesting verification at least four weeks prior to the application deadline.
Language Proficiency Requirements
For the language requirement, applicants can choose to apply in English or Japanese. It is not necessary for English-basis applicants to know any Japanese when they apply. For details, refer to the Application Eligibility section of the how to apply webpage for first year or transfer admissions.
How to meet the language proficiency requirement:
- Submit proof that you meet one of the language proficiency test scores specified by the university
- Meet the conditions for exemption from language proficiency test score submission
- (For applicants residing overseas only) Submit a language proficiency certificate
Minimum English Proficiency Requirement (one of the following):
TOEFL iBT - 75 points
IELTS – 6.0 (a minimum of 5.5 is required for each section)
TOEIC L&R Test - 750 points
Eiken Test - Grade pre-1
PTE Academic - 50
Cambridge English Language Achievement - 169
Minimum Japanese Proficiency Requirement (one of the following, only if applying in Japanese):
JLPT - Level N1 100 points
JLPT - Level N2 120 points
EJU - Japanese – Listening and Listening-Reading and Reading: 250, Writing 30
APU strongly recommends that you submit a language proficiency test score. If for various reasons you are unable to submit a language proficiency test score, please consider the following options:
English-basis: You can take the Duolingo English Test and ask your English teacher to fill out the English Proficiency Evaluation form before the application deadline. The Duolingo English Test results will usually be available a few days following the completion of the test.
Japanese-basis: You can choose the option within the online application to take the J-CAT test. After the application deadline, we will contact you with further information on how to take the test.
Admissions Categories by Nationality and Place of Residence
There are three main applicant categories. These categories are classified according to citizenship and the country/region where you live.
(1) International Applicants Residing Outside Japan
- You are currently living outside of Japan and will continue to reside outside Japan during the entirety of the application process.
Note: If you are a US armed forces personnel, a family member of US armed forces personnel, or civilian under the US-Japan Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), you must meet the following criteria:
- Your place of residence must be within a U.S. territory or designated place of residence based on the Japan-US Status of Forces Agreement.
- The high school you graduated from or are scheduled to graduate from must be a school with a U.S. curriculum located in a U.S. territory under the Status of Forces Agreement.
(2) International Applicants Residing in Japan
- You currently reside in Japan with a student visa or another status of residence (excluding short-term or permanent residency) and will continue to reside in Japan during your application period until your prospective enrollment date.
- You currently reside in Japan with a student visa and will be able to renew your student visa before your prospective enrollment date.
(3) Individuals who meet any of the following criteria cannot apply as an international student. Please contact the Office of Domestic Admissions, as you will need to apply to APU as a domestic student.
- You possess Japanese citizenship, including multiple citizenship, at the time of application.
- You have permanent residency status in Japan at the time of application.
Note: The above does not apply to individuals who plan to renounce their Japanese citizenship. If you will renounce your citizenship, please contact us as soon as possible with the following information using the form below:
- Place of residence (country/region, city)
- Current citizenship
- Desired date of enrollment
- Expected date of renunciation completion (or expected date of application for renunciation)