Whether you are applying for college or a vocational school, the biggest factors are your Japanese proficiency and attendance record. If you wish to go to college, try to score the N1-2 level in the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT)*. For vocational students, we recommend the N2 level of proficiency. It’s best to decide which schools to apply to by the summer and submit applications in the fall.

* The Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) started in 1984 as a test to measure and certify the Japanese-language proficiency of those whose native language is not Japanese. It has five levels: N1, N2, N3, N4 and N5. The easiest level is N5.