JAGAM

As of December 9, 2003 The Examination for Japanese University Admission for International Students (EJU) is used to evaluate whether international students who wish to study at the undergraduate level at universities or other such higher educational institutions in Japan possess the Japanese language skills and the basic academic abilities needed to study at those institutions.

EJU takes the place of both the Japanese Language Proficiency Test and the General Examination for Foreign Students (no longer administered as of December 2001), which many universities (undergraduate level) and other higher educational institutions in Japan previously required international students to take for admission. Starting in 2002, EJU will be administered twice a year (June and November) in Japan and other countries and regions. For a list of examination sites, see “Examination sites.”

EJU includes the following subject tests: Japanese as a Foreign Language, Science (Physics, Chemistry, and Biology), Japan and the World, and Mathematics. Applicants select which subject tests to take based on the requirements of the Japanese university they wish to enter. The examination is available in Japanese or English, and applicants may specify, at the time of application, the examination language they wish to take (the Japanese as a Foreign Language test is administered in Japanese only).

To find out which Japanese universities consider EJU scores in their admission process for international students, see “List of Schools using EJU.” This list also gives the subject test and examination language requirements of each university.

Note that there are some universities that base their selection of international students mainly upon EJU scores. They do not require international students to take the entrance examination that they each administer, and instead offer admission based on EJU scores, high school grades, and other such criteria. Under this system, international students can be accepted for admission to the university of their choice without having to travel to Japan. To find out which universities offer entrance permission before arriving in Japan based on EJU scores, see “List of Schools Offering Pre-arrival Admission.” This list also gives the subject test and examination language requirements of each university.

Examinees who achieve a superior score on EJU are eligible to receive Government Honors Scholarships for Privately Financed International Students(offered by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology) after enrolling in a Japanese university. Those who wish to be considered for this scholarship must indicate this intention on their EJU application.