Japanese Educational System

In Japan, higher education starts upon the completion of 12 years of education: elementary education (6 years of elementary school) and secondary education (3 years of lower secondary school and 3 years of upper secondary school).There are 5 types of higher education institutions that international students can be admitted to, which are 1) colleges of technology, 2) vocational schools (postsecondary course of specialized training colleges), 3) junior colleges, 4) universities (undergraduate) and 5) graduate schools. Depending on the founding bodies, these higher education institutions are categorized into three types: national, local public and private.

Educational System

• After completing your major at a junior college or college of technology recognized by the National Institution for Academic Degrees and University Evaluation (NIAD-UE), you can obtain your bachelor's degree if you pass the examination set by the NIAD-UE. Please check for further details from the school you are applying to.

Degrees and titles you can obtain and the required study periods

	Program	Degree/Title	Required Study Period	Number of Earned Credits
Graduate School	Doctoral Program*1	Doctoral degree	5 years*2	30 credits or more (including credits earned in Master's Program)
	Master's Program	Master's degree	2 years*2	30 credits or more
	Professional Degree Program	Master's degree (professional degree)	2 years	30 credits or more
		Juris Doctor (professional degree)	3 years	93 credits or more
		Master of Education (professional degree)	2 years	45 credits or more
University (Undergraduate)	General faculties and faculty of pharmacy (4-year program)	Bachelor's degree	4 years	124 credits or more
	Faculties of medicine, dentistry, veterinary and pharmacy (6-year program)		6 years	Medicine and dentistry: 188 credits or more Veterinary: 182 credits or more Pharmacy: 186 credits or more
Professional and Vocational University		Bachelor's degree (professional)	4 years	124 credits or more
Junior College		Associate degree	2 years or 3 years	2-year program: 62 credits or more 3-year program: 93 credits or more
Professional and Vocational Junior College		Associate degree (professional)	2 years or 3 years	2-year program: 62 credits or more 3-year program: 93 credits or more
College of Technology		Associate degree	5 years or 5 and a half years*3
Vocational School	Specialized training colleges post-secondary course	Advanced Diploma	4 years
		Diploma	2 to 3 years

• Graduate school doctoral programs are sometimes divided into the first phase (two years) and second phase (three years). The required period of undergraduate study in medicine, dentistry and veterinary and certain pharmaceutical programs is six years, and the duration of their graduate (doctoral) program is four years.
• Master's and doctoral programs list the standard number of years.
• The required period of study at a college of technology is normally five years, yet international students are accepted from the third year.

Most higher educational institutions in Japan set their academic year from April to March of the following year. Many institutions use the semester system. The long holiday seasons are usually in the summer (late July to early September), winter (late December to early January) and spring (February to March). In Japan, most schools admit students in April, but some schools have an autumn admission system.