Application

Handbook
Now that you’ve picked your school, it’s time to
complete your application and get one step closer
to enrolling in a language school in Japan!

This document contains very important information

on how to complete the online application forms and
submit the required documents. While working on Remember!
If you have any questions that haven’t been
each section of your application, please refer to the
answered here, please contact your Student
instructions below in order to submit a high-quality Coordinator who will be happy to assist you.
application.

Section 2 - Your Personal Information

For this section, take out your passport and copy everything over so that the information
listed in the application COMPLETELY matches your passport.

Section 3 - Application Fee

Please make sure to make your application

fee payment in order to reserve your spot at
your chosen school and term.

If you wait to pay the fee, the school could run

out of spots in the meantime!

You should complete this step ASAP, before

completing and submitting your application.
 Section 4 - Current Proficiency Level and Study Goals

Length of Study in Japan

Here, you need to consider 1) your future plans and 2) you/your sponsor’s bank statement.

1) FUTURE PLANS:
If you are interested in moving on to higher education in Japan, select the maximum course
length as your desired period of stay.

***Learn more about how language

Term Maximum Course Length
studies would align with higher
education here!
April 2 years

If you don’t plan on pursuing higher

July 1 year and 9 months
education in Japan, you can apply for
a shorter study length of 6 months or
October 1 year and 6 months 1 year and extend your studies
afterward (for up to the maximum
January 1 year and 3 months course length determined by your
chosen term start).

However, please keep in mind that extensions are not guaranteed. In general, it’s best to
apply for the longest course you can, rather than apply for a shorter course and rely on
extending it.

2) BANK STATEMENT:
You/your sponsor’s bank statement balance must be in line with the length of study you are
applying for. The requirements generally start from 1,200,000 yen for 6 months of studies, but
since the bank statement requirements vary for each school, please refer back to the specific
requirements you confirmed in your email correspondence with your coordinator.

Reason for Study and Goals

Your purpose statement must be consistent with your plan after graduation. For example, you
should not mention an intention to work in Japan after studies, if you are not eligible to do so.
In these cases, it’s better to instead emphasize how a greater command of Japanese will offer
you more job opportunities back home or abroad.
 What is your purpose for studying Japanese in Japan?

Please answer the following questions in your statement:

Why would you like to study the Japanese language?

What first made you interested in learning the Japanese language?
Why study Japanese in Japan (rather than in your home country)?
Why did you decide to apply to your chosen school?
How will learning Japanese benefit you?
What will you do once you have finished your language studies?
If you have applied for a student visa in the past, why are you re-applying for a new
one?

What is your plan after graduation?

When choosing your ‘plan after graduation’, please refer to the following:

Move onto Higher

Return Home Find Employment
Education

We generally recommend You can choose this option You can choose this option
selecting this option since it’s only if you have; only if;
the easiest and involves
fewer questions during the a) A Bachelor’s degree or a) You are eligible to move
school review stage of the higher, and on to higher education in
application process. Even if b) JLPT N2 level proficiency Japan (e.g. have a US high
you select this option, it is (or plan to reach N2 at the school diploma or equivalent
not binding. You can find end of language studies). such as the GED; or A-levels
employment or move on to or equivalent in the UK), and
higher education after the Typically, beginners are
course as long as you are advised to apply for the b) You are applying for the
qualified to do so, and are maximum course duration if full course length.
accepted by a higher choosing this plan, as it
education institution or usually takes this amount of
offered a job. time to reach JLPT N2
proficiency, which is often
required by employers in
Japan.
 Section 5 - Japanese Language Experience

IMPORTANT: Be sure to include on your application

all the Japanese self-study experience you have.
Don't forget to count these types of study
experiences toward your total study hours:

-hiragana, katakana, kanji writing practice

-testing yourself on vocabulary
-watching Japanese anime/shows or listening to Japanese
music with a focus on learning vocabulary, listening
practice, or speaking repetition
-Japanese language exchange with a friend

Remember that 150 hours of study experience is the official

requirement to apply for a student visa, and the
school/immigration has the right to check on your study
progress anytime until you receive immigration approval
(the COE). Plus, studying consistently until you arrive in
Japan will set you up for success at school and in your life
here!

How did you study?

If you have completed several types of studies (for example, self-studies and studies at a
language institution) please submit an entry for each type.

When did the studies begin/end?

【Don’t remember the exact day?】

Select "01". The important thing is that the month and year are accurate.

【Currently studying?】
Enter a future end date to show that you will continue studying until arrival in Japan (e.g. if you are
applying for the April term, input 01/04/YYYY).

【Did you complete a Japanese language course?】

If you are currently taking a course or have taken a course in the past, please enter the exact start
and end date (or expected end date) of the course, as shown in your proof of studies.
 About how many hours have you Do you have certification for this
studied? study experience?

Please calculate the total number of If you list Japanese study experience at a
hours you have studied so far (for each school/with a teacher in this section,
study format) as best as you can. Do not please submit proof of your studies.
provide a range. See Section 14 - Documents Upload for
Good example: 150 hours more information.
Bad example: around 20 - 50 hours

Section 6 - Financial Supporter Information

In this section, if you are self-sponsoring, please fill out the details of your current
employment. If you do not meet the sponsorship requirements and are having a direct
relative sponsor your application instead, please fill out the details of their current
employment.

Annual income/Company
Reason for sponsorship
name/address
Make sure the total annual income you list This field will appear only if you indicate that
in this section matches the proof of annual someone else will be your financial sponsor.
income you are submitting. This also applies Please write the reason from the sponsor's
to your company's name and address. If point of view. For example: "She is my
the proof of income shows a different daughter and I wish to support her studies.”
company name or address for any reason,
please add a note to the document
explaining why.

Title (Role) in Company Company phone number

Unspecific titles such as “Worker” or The sponsor’s personal/home phone

“Employee” are not accepted. Please enter a number is not accepted unless they are a
specific job title such as “Sales Manager,” business owner and the number serves as
“Customer Support Representative,” the official number of the business.
“Cashier,” “Owner,” “High School Teacher,” Please include the country code.
etc.

If your sponsor is retired, you can fill in the

details of their last employment in this
section.
 Sections 7 and 8- You and Japan in the Past

Past Visits to Japan

In this section, please list the details of ALL your past visits to Japan. You’ll need to upload a
copy of the entry and exit stamps received in your passport for each visit.

IIMPORTANT: If you did not receive a blue departure stamp for a trip, please additionally
submit a flight e-ticket to verify the departure date to Section 13 - Documents Upload. The
itinerary must include:

Your full name

Day/month/year of departure from Japan.

Previous COE/Visa Applications

Every single time you were in the process of applying for a Japanese
long-term visa (student visa, working visa, spouse visa, etc.) must be
considered. Canceled applications will also count.
Failure to declare the correct number of past COE/visa applications is
taken very seriously by Japanese Immigration. Even if a COE/long-term
visa was issued but never used to enter Japan, it still counts and must be
declared here.

If you are unsure about any past applications, we strongly recommend contacting the school
or employer to confirm whether a COE application was made on your behalf, whether a COE
was issued, and if applicable, whether it was canceled properly. If you received a long-term
visa in your passport and did not use it to enter Japan, it is your responsibility to have the visa
canceled at your local Japanese embassy/consulate.

IMPORTANT: If you answered “Yes” in this section, there are additional documents you must
submit.

Front and back copy of your zairyu card (Japanese residence card)
Visa sticker received in your passport
Documents collected from your previous Japanese language school (only if you were on
a Student Visa):
Certificate of completion
Transcript of grades/attendance
Copy of your COE application form submitted to Immigration (在留資格認定証明書交
付申請書)
 Section 9 - Your Educational History

Please add an entry for ALL schools you have attended from first grade of
elementary/primary school until present, even if the school is no longer in operation.
IMPORTANT: Do NOT include kindergarten, pre-school, foundation year, etc.

Education Years

In general, students from the US or

countries with a comparable education Note:
system are expected to have completed 12 You should include schools you did not
years of education, spanning from graduate from or attended for a short period
elementary to high school graduation. of time (e.g. due to moving or changing
Students from the UK or countries with a schools). Please also include periods of
comparable system are expected to have 13 home-schooling, if applicable.
years of education.

Start date / End date

If you don't know the exact day, you can select "01". The important thing is that
the month and year are accurate.

If you are still attending the school, please enter an end date that matches the
date on your letter of expected graduation. This letter is required from
students currently in their last year of school and have not graduated yet.

Date Awarded / Expected Date

Awarded

This should match your graduation date on

your diploma or expected letter of
graduation (if you are still enrolled).
 Section 10 - Your Personal Background

If your educational history is not straightforward (i.e. you repeated years, temporarily
withdrew from studies), please provide explanations for each timeframe in this section. For
example: “From June 2020 to August 2021, I temporarily withdrew from school to work full-
time.”

【Any Gaps?】
If you have any gaps of 6 months or more in your educational history or working experience,
please provide explanations for each timeframe in this section.

【Any Overlaps?】
If there is an overlap in listed periods of full-time education and full-time work experience,
full-time work and part-time work, or even more than one full-time work, please explain how
you were able to manage both duties concurrently, as this could be flagged by Japanese
Immigration.

Section 11 - Health

Please be honest about your health. If you leave out important information about your medical
history, there is a risk that the school will be unprepared to support you should any problems
arise during your time in Japan.

Section 12 - Your Working Experience

Please list all work experience here. If you engaged in long-term, unpaid work please
make a note in the description (e.g. volunteer work). There should be as few gaps or
overlaps in this section!

Start date / End date

If you don't know the exact day you started/ended a

particular job, you can select "01".

Please list the full address (including the country, postal

code, etc) of the location you work. Make sure to
provide all details, if the company is no longer in
business.
 【Still employed?】
If you are still employed, please enter the date that you expect to stop working for
the company. If you are self-sponsoring your application, it is ideal to put a future end
date to show that you will continue working until arrival in Japan (e.g. if you are
applying for the April term, input 01/04/YYYY).

Section 13 - Emergency Contact

You only need to list one person in this section. The primary emergency contact must be a
family member. Please inform us in the Communication Inbox if you are unable to list a
family member for any reason.

Section 14 - Documents Upload

Now, for the most important section of your application! Please take a look at the examples
we have provided and make sure the documents you submit meet the requirements
outlined below.

Photo

🔎 See Example HERE 🔎

A student visa is a legal document that requires a high-quality passport style photo. Please
ensure your photo meets the following criteria:

High resolution and definition.

Taken within the last 3 months.
Taken against a plain white background (no texture or pattern)
Even lighting with no visible shadows on you or the background
No glasses
No smiling
Different from the photo in your passport.
No scans or copies of printed ID photos (if you choose to have the photo taken professionally,
ensure you obtain a high-definition digital copy of the file, not a printed copy)
 Passport

🔎 See Example HERE 🔎

The passport needs to be lying flat, open to the ID page, with both the top and bottom pages
showing in full. No fingers, objects, colored/textured background, or watermarks should show.
Please use a scanner.

Proof of Japanese Studies

🔎 See Example HERE 🔎

If you listed Japanese study experience at an institution/online in Section 4 - Japanese Language
Experience, please submit proof of your studies. The transcript/completion certificate must
show all the Japanese courses you have taken. An unofficial certificate (even one pulled from an
online student portal) is accepted as long as it shows all of the following information:

School's name
Your name
Course name(s)
Term(s)/date(s) for all courses

Previous Visa Documents

🔎 See Example HERE 🔎

If you studied in Japan on a student visa in the past, the following documents are required:

Front and back copy of your zairyu card (Japanese residence card)
Visa sticker received in your passport
Documents collected from your previous Japanese language school:
Certificate of completion
Transcript of grades/attendance
Copy of your COE application form submitted to Immigration (在留資格認定証明書交付申
請書)

***If you do not have any of the above documents, please contact your previous Japanese
language school to request them.
 Bank Statement

🔎 See Example HERE 🔎

Statements from more than one account are accepted. Please ensure that the bank statement
shows all of the following:

Bank name
Account holder name (the sponsor’s)
Date of issuance (date, month and year must be showing)
Total balance

NOTE: Investment statements are not always accepted by the schools, and bank statements for a
savings or checking account are preferred. If submitting an investment statement, please confirm if
the funds can be withdrawn at any time.

Proof of Business Registration

If your sponsor is a business owner, please submit proof of business registration (e.g. for
businesses in the US, a screenshot from this database is acceptable:
[Link]

Diploma

🔎 See Example HERE 🔎

Only the diploma from your highest completed education is needed.
If you are still in school, please submit a letter of expected graduation as a placeholder, including
the following information (you’ll need to submit your diploma once it is available):

School name
Your full name
Expected graduation date (MM/YYYY)

If you do not have access to your diploma or if it's lost and cannot be reissued, please provide an
official transcript that includes the following information:

School name
Your full name
Graduation date (MM/YYYY)
 School Application Forms

If you have been requested to complete the school application form, make sure that the
information entered in the school application form matches the online form you have completed.
You can copy/paste from the online forms if it helps.

Please complete and upload the school forms as an EDITABLE file.

NOTE: If the documents you are submitting are NOT in English, please add simple English
translations. Ensure that your translations are neatly added to the document, avoiding any overlap
with existing content. Please also indicate which sections of the original text correspond to your
translations.

Section 15 - Submit Application

Once you hit “Submit Application” your coordinator will be notified to review your application and
you will no longer be able to make changes to the online forms. Once reviewed, your coordinator
will get in touch about any changes that need to be made.
Finally, after you have finalized your application with us, we will send it to the school!

Otsukaresama!
as we like to say in Japan for a job well done!