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) Professional training colleges (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.

- 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 | Degrees or Titles | Required Study Period | |
Graduate School | Doctoral Program*1 | Doctoral degree | 5 years |
Master's Program | Master's degree | 2 years | |
Professional Degree Program | Master's degree (professional degree) | 2 years | |
Juris Doctor (professional degree) | 3 years | ||
Master of Education (professional degree) | 2 years | ||
University (Undergraduate) | General faculties and faculty of pharmacy (4-year program) | Bachelor's degree | 4 years |
Faculties of medicine, dentistry, veterinary and pharmacy (6-year program) | 6 years | ||
Professional and Vocational university | - | Bachelor's degree (professional) | 4 years |
Junior College | - | Associate degree | 2 or 3 years |
Professional and Vocational Junior College | - | Associate degree (professional) | 2 or 3 years |
College of Technology | - | Associate degree | 5 years or 5 year and 6 months. *2 |
Professional Training College | Specialized training colleges postsecondary course | Diploma | 2 years or more |
Advanced Diploma | 4 years or more |
*1 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 year.
*2 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 higher educational institutions adopt the semester system, and most start their academic year in April, although there are also some that begin in autumn.
The long holiday seasons are usually in the summer (end of July ~early September), winter (end of December ~early January) and spring (February ~March).
National | Local public | Private | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Graduate schools |
86 |
84 |
473 |
643 |
Universities |
86 |
94 |
615 |
795 |
Junior colleges | - | 17 | 306 | 323 |
Colleges of technology | 51 | 3 | 3 | 57 |
Professional training colleges | 9 | 184 | 2,586 | 2,779 |
- Outline of the Student Exchange System(Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology(MEXT)
- Outline of the National Universities(MEXT)
- Outline of the Private Universities(MEXT)
- Outline of the Public Universities(MEXT)
- Outline of the Junior Colleges(MEXT)
- Outline of the Specialized Training Colleges and Miscellaneous School(MEXT)
- Outline of the Colleges of Technology(MEXT)
- The Japanese Education System (NIC-Japan)