Answer a few quick questions to see where you stand against the published requirements for studying Japanese in Japan: the language-school baseline, a realistic intake timeline from today's date in Japan, and whether MEXT or JASSO scholarship routes fit your profile. Every result links to the official source and shows when it was last checked. Leave anything you are unsure about as "Not sure"; the checker never assumes an answer.
The October 2026 Japanese-evidence change
From the October 2026 intake, immigration requires A1-level Japanese to be confirmed by a test certificate or a school interview. Older school pages that still say "JLPT N5 or 150 hours" describe the previous rule. The requirements guide explains what to ask your school.
1. Language-school signals
Background: language school requirements · check a school is certified · what it costs · language school to university
2. Your intake timeline
Background: April 2027 school deadlines · COE and student visa timing
3. Scholarship matches
Background: MEXT scholarship guide · JASSO and EJU · 36 scholarships compared
This checker compares your answers with published baselines. It does not decide admission, a COE, a visa or a scholarship. Schools can require more. Rules checked .
How the checker decides each result
Each answer is compared with a rule taken from a dated official source: the Immigration Services Agency for Japanese evidence and tuberculosis screening, MEXT's 2027 guidelines for scholarship age and education limits, JASSO for its Honors Scholarship, and named schools' own admissions pages for their deadlines. "Meets published baseline" means only that the published minimum appears to be met. "Check" means an answer is missing, the school decides, or an exception or extra document may apply. "Not eligible for this route" applies to that one route only; it never means every scholarship or school is closed to you.
The intake timeline uses typical school planning windows, labelled as typical, because each school sets its own deadline. A named school's deadline appears only when that school has published it for your intake. For the documents behind a COE application, see how long a language-school COE takes, and confirm a school's legal status with the certified-school lookup before paying a fee.
What it does not do
- It does not estimate a minimum bank balance: no national fixed amount is published, and schools set their own.
- It does not rank schools or recommend agents.
- It does not check scholarships other than MEXT and JASSO, because each has its own rules.
- It does not replace advice on a refused application or complex immigration history. For that, consult a licensed 行政書士 (gyōseishoshi, immigration procedures specialist).
Frequently asked questions
Does this checker tell me if I will get a student visa?
No. It compares your answers with published baselines from immigration, MEXT, JASSO and named schools, and labels each result "meets published baseline", "check" or "not eligible for this route". The school decides admission, immigration decides the COE and the embassy decides the visa. Schools can also require more documents than the national baseline.
Are 150 hours of Japanese study still enough for a language school?
No. For students entering from October 2026, the Immigration Services Agency requires A1-level Japanese to be confirmed by a test certificate or a school interview. A record of 150 study hours alone no longer establishes that level. ISA exempts applicants from its listed countries and regions who submit a foreign university graduation certificate.
What is the age limit for the MEXT scholarship in 2027?
Under the 2027 embassy-recommendation guidelines, undergraduate applicants must in principle be born on or after 2 April 2002, and research students on or after 2 April 1992. That is why the checker asks for your date of birth rather than your age: whole-year age cannot decide the 1 April versus 2 April boundary. MEXT allows narrow exceptions.
Can Japanese language school students get a scholarship?
Yes, some can. JASSO’s Honors Scholarship pays Japanese language institute students ¥30,000 a month, through a nomination by the school after enrolment, for students aiming to go on to higher education in Japan. It is not money you can count on before arrival. The MEXT embassy scholarships fund degree or research study, not a language-only course.
How current are the rules in this checker?
Each result shows its source, the edition used and the date it was checked. The whole rule set was last reviewed on 3 October 2026. Rules change by intake and fiscal year, so recheck the linked official page before you pay a fee or send documents, especially for school deadlines.
Official Sources
This article references the following primary sources. Rules and figures change periodically — always verify current requirements directly before making decisions.
- Immigration Services Agency — Japanese-language institute admissions (A1 evidence from the October 2026 intake)
- Immigration Services Agency — Pre-entry tuberculosis screening (countries and dates)
- MEXT — 2027 Embassy-recommended scholarship guidelines, undergraduate
- MEXT — 2027 Embassy-recommended scholarship guidelines, research students
- JASSO — Monbukagakusho Honors Scholarship for Privately-Financed International Students
- Study in Japan (official) — Japanese language schools