Study in Tokyo 2025

6-year primary education is compulsory. Lessons start at 8:30, last 45 minutes with breaks of 5 and 10 minutes in primary schools in Tokyo. Due to the convenience of public transport, as well as due to the fact that schools are often located in small areas, there are no school buses in Tokyo. The students are mostly at school until noon, and children in high school go home around 16:00.

Primary education is based on the moral, emotional and physical development of children, as well as motivation to explore the world; there is an emphasis on group thinking and the creation of an equal society.

The next 3 years are mandatory for secondary schools in Tokyo, where the children study from 12 to 15 years old. The main difference from the primary one is that the curriculum is now divided into four parts: compulsory subjects, elective classes, morality lessons and extracurricular activities.

Compulsory subjects are: Japanese language, humanities and natural sciences, mathematics, music, fine arts, physical education and labor. Elective classes include foreign language lessons (English), which are chosen by most students, or some other subject, for example, music or fine arts. One lesson a week is devoted to moral education. Students also have the opportunity to play sports, join clubs, organize meetings, participate in ceremonies, plays, concerts and other activities, which refers to extracurricular activities that can take place both inside and outside the school.

The studying in high school is optional and lasts for 3 years, giving the student a choice between general and special education in three formats: full-time, part-time and distance learning. Unlike full-time, which last three years, the other two formats require longer studying to master the entire program.

The competition for admission to high school is very strong, the selection is based on the results of the test, for which many students prepare by attending evening schools-externates. Most high school students choose an academic course that prepares them for university.

The vast majority of Japanese continue their education at public and private universities. Studying at the university in Tokyo consists of three stages:

• Bachelor's degree (4 years);
• Master's degree (2 years);
• Postgraduate studies (3 years).

The studying at medical and veterinary faculties lasts at least 6 years.

During the first two years of the bachelor's degree, students take general scientific disciplines and attend lectures on special subjects. The next two years are completely devoted to professional preparation. During the course of study, the future bachelor must score from 124 to 150 credit points, which are assigned for attending lectures, passing seminars and passing exams.

During the two years of the master's degree, the student must score 30 points. In addition, to obtain a degree, he will have to complete a thesis and pass final exams. Future doctors of sciences should score 50 points. They will also have to defend a dissertation based on their own research and pass several exams.

All universities in Tokyo can be divided into three groups:

• National universities are fully funded by the state. Usually these are large universities with a large budget. In total, there are about 90 national universities in Japan: the University of Tokyo is the most popular of them. Due to government funding, tuition fees are the lowest here — on average, students pay 33,842 USD for 4 years of study.
• Public universities are run by prefectures. Such universities are smaller than national ones, but their main feature is to pay for education: residents of the prefecture pay less for their studies than other students. The average tuition fee is approximately comparable to national universities.
• Private universities in Tokyo do not receive financial support from the state. In this regard, it is most expensive to study here: on average, the foreign students pay 54,147 USD. However, most often private universities are equipped much better than state and national ones.

The main thing for admission to higher educational institutions in Japan is a document of secondary education (plus one or two years at the institute) and excellent knowledge of the Japanese language. The language preparation of foreign applicants is treated very strictly here. You must provide a certificate that you have studied at least two semesters at a language school, and confirm your knowledge on the exam.

To prepare well for admission, it is optimal to attend preparatory courses during the year, for example, at the International Students Institute or Kansai International Students Institute. All applicants pass the general entrance exam and a number of disciplines, depending on the chosen faculty. For humanities, it is necessary to pass mathematics, world history and English, and for natural sciences - mathematics, physics, biology and English.

One of the most important entrance tests is the Japanese language exam. It is passed by both foreign applicants and the Japanese themselves. The exam involves checking the knowledge of hieroglyphs and vocabulary, listening and grammar knowledge, as well as four levels of difficulty. To pass the first level, you need to know 2000 hieroglyphs, for the second — 1000 and then descending. If an applicant passes the first-level exam, then in fact the doors of any university are open for him, but for some the second or even the third is enough.

One-year Japanese language courses have been organized especially for the preparation of foreign applicants at the Osaka International Student Institute.