【University】 To National and Public University, One Time One Chance (Know yourself as well as your enemy).

　The system of Japanese University’s entrance exam is too complicated, isn’t it?　

Today, we are introducing about “the varieties of international students’ University Entrance Exam” and give you a piece of advice regarding “Early Scheduled Entry” to national and public universities.

【The Varieties of International Students’ University Entrance Exam】

　Broadly speaking, there are 3 kinds of exams that international students are likely to take when they want to enter universities in Japan: “privately-funded, international students’ entrance exam (私費外国人留学生入試)”, “general entrance exam (一般入試)”, and “entrance examination for candidates selected by special recommendation (推薦入試)”.

【Privately-Funded, International Students’ Entrance Exam (私費外国人留学生入試)】

　This is the most common method for international students, because you can use EJU’s transcript for application. The applicants should be those who have a foreign nationality and the valid Japanese student visa. And also, this is the biggest difference of entrance exam’s system between international students and Japanese students, that is to say, international students must take the interview. It would be … almost inevitable.

【General Entrance Exam (一般入試)】

　”General entrance exam” is the major way of entrance exam’s method for Japanese students, “screening students’ academic ability at the one-time exam” as a purpose. If somebody said “I am going to take university’s entrance exam,” which means he or she is going to take this exam, and this is the most major and ordinary method. Many of Japanese student are going to take this. Basically, the exam’s subjects are: Japanese, Math, English…these major subjects. The ways of exams are: paper test or computer-scored test, and the exam’s questions are composed of the contents we had learned at high school. However, still there is slight possibility that international students also take this exam with Japanese students. For example, some universities or departments which do not offer the privately-funded, international students’ entrance exam (very famous example would be “the Department of Commerce of Waseda University”), and in this case international students also should take and pass this exam. There is no another way.

【Entrance Examination for Candidates Selected by Special Recommendation (推薦入試)】

　”Entrance examination for candidates selected by special recommendation” is the screening method that evaluate students’ characteristics, not only academic ability, and accept them with recommendations. This exams are often taken place prior to the general entrance exam. In case of Ehle Institute, we also carry out this system: we will select the candidates whom meet EHLE’s requirements, and recommend them to several private universities. Having Ehle’s recommendation means this candidate fulfills universities’ application criteria. The screening method is the total and bilateral evaluation of EHLE and the university, and then the first things to be questioned are candidate’s condition of registration, attendance, grade, teacher’s evaluation, etc (EHLE), and the second things to be questioned would be the resume, interview, and an essay (screened by universities).

＊Regarding the system of “entrance examination for candidate selected by special recommendation” of EHLE Institute, the list of universities or the conditions will be different every year. As for the detailed information, please wait for the announcement from EHLE, and check it carefully.

Now, let’s see the difference between the private universities and national and public universities.

【The Situation of the Entrance Exam to the Private Universities】

The busiest season of the private universities application would be early February. International students can use EJU’s transcript to apply, and next they have to take interview. In some cases, furthermore, international students should go to take the university’s original exam (the second exam) as the third step.

　One of the points (the benefits) of private university’s exam is you can apply several universities freely unless an exam’s date will not clash with the other exam’s date. It can be said that in terms of time management, the private university’s application is more flexible. However, if you want to apply several universities, you must work out a study plan and manage the schedule. Besides, please consider carefully about the application fee and the travelling costs.

【The Situation of the Entrance Exam to the National and Public Universities】

In case of national/public university’s entrance exam, basically you have to take the exams at least twice in addition to the interview: there are the first exam and the university’s original exam (the second exam). International students can use EJU’s transcript for the first exam, then go to take interview and the university’s original exam (the second exam).

And strategically speaking, the biggest point for national/public university’s entrance exam is the timing of the second exam. National/public universities all over Japan have the mutual consensus, and exclusively assigns the same days as the exam’s dates, and attempts to split the applicant’s quota for each university. It means, when students want to apply national/public university, they should decide one school only, and they only have one time chance. Therefore, it is crucial how accurate you can estimate your own academic ability, then eventually decide you will apply which university. Know yourself as well as your enemy.

To those who want to go to national/public university, please first go to take the private university’s entrance exam just in case you will fail to be admitted to the university of your choice. But please keep your motivation until February or March. Keep working hard until the very last minute, and challenge to enter your dream school!