Q & A about living in Japan

Q. What is the difference between a research student and a graduate student?
A. Research students are those who study at the graduate school or undergraduate based on their own research theme, and are not eligible for awarding a degree. (Students and auditors are also not subject to degree importance.) Many research students are pursuing graduate schools and aiming to obtain master’s and doctoral degrees.
How to enroll in graduate school For both master’s and doctoral courses, most universities set the admission period in April, but some schools use fall admission in September and October and other admission periods. The application / admission period varies depending on the graduate school, but in the case of admission in April, it seems that the application is usually conducted from autumn to March of the following year. In some cases, recruitment for April admission may be divided into two sessions. Many schools have their own selection tests.

Q. How to enroll in graduate school
A. For both master’s and doctoral courses, most universities set the admission period in April, but some schools use fall admission in September and October and other admission periods. The application / admission period varies depending on the graduate school, but in the case of admission in April, it seems that the application is usually conducted from autumn to March of the following year. In some cases, recruitment for April admission may be divided into two sessions. Many schools have their own selection tests.

Q. Does SBJ have support for going to graduate school?
A. Support for graduate schools requires special experience and abilities of teachers, but SBJ also provides guidance on going to graduate schools.

Q. How much does tuition for a university and others cost?
A. Tuition fees are lower for National government schools than for private schools. For private schools, please note that tuition fees vary greatly between major at the same school. Privately funded international students can also take advantage of tuition reduction.The following is an estimate of the annual tuition fee for each school type.

in ten thousands yen

School Tuition
(Annual Fee)
Admission Fee(*)
Private University Foreign Students 50 to 130
University (Faculty) National Government 50 to 55 15 to 30
Private 90 to 370 25 to 200
Graduate School National Government 50 to 55 15 to 30
Private Literature 55 to 100 20 to 25
Private Science 60 to 130 20 to 25
Vocational school 80 to 130 15 to 30

Q. How much does living cost?
A. The average monthly expenditure for privately funded international students studying at university is 138,000 yen, including housing and tuition fee payments. However, keep in mind that this amount is an estimated living expenses, and the amount varies greatly depending on the type of housing (renting an apartment or living in a dormitory) and the area where you live.
Reference : Monthly living expenses 80,000 yen (rent 30,000 yen, food expenses 30,000 yen, electricity 8,000 yen, insurance 2,000 yen, other 10,000 yen)

Q. Can international students do part-time job?
A. An international student who wishes to work part-time may study at a school if he / she obtains a “non-qualified activity permit” at the Regional Immigration Bureau that governs his/her residence. It is possible to work part-time. Part-timers have time and content restrictions. With regard to hours, less than 28 hours a week on the original side, and long-term leave periods for educational institutions such as summer vacations are less than 8 hours per day (up to 40 hours a week). Regarding the contents, working in a business related to Amusement Business is prohibited by law. Violation of these may result in forced deportation. It seems that there are many types of jobs such as Restaurant business, sales, and supermarket cashiers. The hourly wage varies depending on the region, but for the Restaurant business, the standard is 900 to 1,100 yen.

Q. How do you find the part-time job?
A. SBJ provides a variety of part-time jobs information and has the assistance. Public Employment Security offices (Hello Work) websites and part-time job information sites nationwide are also available. In the case of international students, they seem to be referred to a part-time job through a friend, but be sure to check the details of the work and the remuneration in advance and make sure that there are no problems.