Application Eligibility | APU Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University
Application Eligibility
The following information is for applying for 2025 enrollment.
You must fulfill both Requirement 1 and Requirement 2:
-
Completed a 12-year standard education curriculum at an educational institution by the time of enrollment* to APU. If this applies to you, proceed to Requirement 2: Language Proficiency.
If you do not fulfill the above condition, please check whether you fulfill one of the below conditions 2. – 9. (https://www.mext.go.jp/en/policy/education/highered/title02/detail02/1373912.html) If you fulfill one of the following educational criteria by the time of enrollment* to APU, you fulfill Requirement 1 (Education Qualifications). - Completed a standard overseas education curriculum at an educational institution in Japan designated by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT).
- Completed an upper secondary course at a special training college designated by MEXT.
- Completed a standard education curriculum in less than 12 years at an overseas institution and have completed a curriculum at a preparatory educational institution designated by MEXT or at an educational center designated by MEXT.
- Received an International Baccalaureate Diploma, Abitur, Baccalaureate Diploma, or GCE A Level results.
- Completed a 12-year standard education curriculum accredited by an international evaluation group (WASC, CIS, ACSI, NEASC).
- Be at least 18 years of age and have passed an official examination that shows academic background equivalent or superior to that obtained from a 12-year standard education curriculum (e.g. having received a GED certificate).
- Be at least 18 years of age and have been recognized through an individual screening by APU as having an academic background equivalent to or higher than a high school graduate.
- Completed a standard education curriculum equivalent to at least 11 years at an educational institution designated by MEXT or be expected to do so by the date of enrollment* should the standard education curriculum of your country or region not exceed 11 years (applicable as of August 21, 2023: standard education curricula in Belarus, Kazakhstan, Myanmar, Peru, Russia, Sudan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan). If this condition applies to you, please contact us before applying via the Inquiry Form URL or QR code listed on the back cover, as individual conditions need to be confirmed.
At the time of application, you must submit documents online proving that you will meet one of the above educational criteria by the time of enrollment to APU. After receiving your results, you must submit further documentation by post proving that you have successfully met the required educational criteria in order to enroll at APU. Failure to submit such documentation in a timely manner may result in your acceptance to APU being revoked. If you possess an academic background other than those listed above, you may confirm further details via our Inquiry Form before applying.
*The date of enrollment is April 1 for spring enrollment and September 21 for fall enrollment.
Other Educational Qualifications
If you left high school before graduating, or completed a 12-year standard elementary and secondary school education curriculum in less than 12 years as a result of grade skipping or early graduation and will be younger than 18 years of age by the time of enrollment*, you may confirm further details via our Inquiry Form before applying.
You must meet one of the following English or Japanese language proficiency requirements. Applicants who fulfill certain conditions may be exempted from submitting a language proficiency test. For more details about this exemption, view the application handbook from our Downloads page.
| Minimum English Proficiency Requirements | |
|---|---|
| IELTS | 6.0* |
| IELTS Online | 6.0* |
| TOEFL iBT® Test | 75 |
| TOEIC® L&R Test | 750 |
| Duolingo | 110 |
| Cambridge English Language Assessment | 169 |
| Linguaskill | 169 |
| PTE Academic | 50 |
| EIKEN | Grade Pre-1 |
*A minimum of 5.5 is required for each section
| Minimum Japanese Proficiency Requirements | |
|---|---|
| JLPT N1 | 100 |
| JLPT N2 | 120 |
| EJU Japanese as a Foreign Language* |
Reading Comprehension/Listening and
Listening-Reading Comprehension:
total score of 250 Writing: 30 |
*Both minimum scores must be met
Note
Only scores of examinations taken on or after June 6, 2022 (for April 2025 enrollment) and August 29, 2022 (for September 2025 enrollment) will be accepted. Examinations taken after the application deadline will not be accepted. If you are unable to provide a digital copy of your results by the application period deadline date, you will be asked to submit an original version of the score report. However, if you are unable to provide an original document, your score will not be evaluated.
Educational Qualifications Chart
Answer a few questions to roughly determine your eligibility as a first-year student.
Have you completed or will you complete either of the following?
- A 12-year standard education curriculum at an accredited educational institution that follows the laws and regulations of where the institution is located
- A 12-year standard education curriculum at an international school recognized by the government of the country where the school is located
If you are not sure if your school or country offers a 12-year standard education curriculum, please contact your local Japanese embassy for confirmation.
According to this basic check, you meet the academic eligibility requirements for applying to APU.
Please make sure that you also meet APU’s language requirements. If you have further questions about your eligibility, please contact us via the Inquiry Form.
(Please note that this is a basic confirmation test and does not guarantee your application eligibility.)
Have you completed or will you complete one of the following educational qualifications by the time of enrollment to APU (April 1 for spring enrollment, September 21 for fall enrollment)?
- International Baccalaureate Diploma
- Abitur
- Baccalaureate
- GCE A Levels (two or more subjects*)
*Two subjects is the minimum requirement but we highly recommend submitting three.
According to this basic check, you meet the academic eligibility requirements for applying to APU.
Please make sure that you also meet APU’s language requirements. If you have further questions about your eligibility, please contact us via the Inquiry Form.
(Please note that this is a basic confirmation test and does not guarantee your application eligibility.)
Have you or will you complete a 12-year standard education curriculum at an international school accredited by one of the following?
- The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)
- Council of International Schools (CIS)
- The Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI)
- New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
According to this basic check, you meet the academic eligibility requirements for applying to APU.
Please make sure that you also meet APU’s language requirements. If you have further questions about your eligibility, please contact us via the Inquiry Form.
(Please note that this is a basic confirmation test and does not guarantee your application eligibility.)
Have you completed or will you complete an 11-year standard education curriculum in Belarus, Kazakhstan, Myanmar, Peru, Russia, Sudan, Ukraine, or Uzbekistan?
According to this basic check, you meet the academic eligibility requirements for applying to APU.
Please make sure that you also meet APU’s language requirements. If you have further questions about your eligibility, please contact us via the Inquiry Form.
(Please note that this is a basic confirmation test and does not guarantee your application eligibility.)
Have you passed an official examination equivalent to completing a 12-year standard education curriculum, such as the GED, and will be at least 18 years of age by the time of enrollment (April 1 for spring enrollment, September 21 for fall enrollment)?
According to this basic check, you meet the academic eligibility requirements for applying to APU.
Please make sure that you also meet APU’s language requirements. If you have further questions about your eligibility, please contact us via the Inquiry Form.
(Please note that this is a basic confirmation test and does not guarantee your application eligibility.)
Have you completed or will you complete your education at an institution designated by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)?
List of schools 1, List of schools 2 (Japanese only)
According to this basic check, you meet the academic eligibility requirements for applying to APU.
Please make sure that you also meet APU’s language requirements. If you have further questions about your eligibility, please contact us via the Inquiry Form.
(Please note that this is a basic confirmation test and does not guarantee your application eligibility.)
According to this basic check, you may not meet the academic eligibility requirements for applying to APU.
If you would like to request verification of your educational background for application eligibility, fill out and submit our Education History Confirmation Request Form. Please note that it may take some time to receive a response. We recommend requesting verification at least four weeks prior to the application deadline.
You must fulfill both Requirement 1 and Requirement 2:
Transfer Students from Non-Bachelor’s Degree Programs
This refers to students who plan to transfer to APU from an educational program other than a bachelor’s degree program.
Second and third year transfer applicants must fulfill one of the following requirements:
- Have graduated from a junior college by the time of enrollment*1 to APU.
- Have graduated from a technical college in Japan by the time of enrollment*1 to APU.
- Have graduated from a special training school approved by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) by the time of enrollment*1 to APU. Note that application eligibility will be restricted to the terms stated in Article 90 of the School Education Act.
Transfer Students from Bachelor’s Degree Programs
This refers to students who plan to transfer to APU from a bachelor’s degree program at another university or students who plan to transfer to APU after already receiving a bachelor’s degree from another university.
Second year transfer applicants must satisfy one of the two requirements below:
-
Applicants who meet all of the following requirements by the time of enrollment*1 to APU:
- Have completed at least one year of study in a university bachelor’s degree program outside Japan.
- Have completed 13 years of formal education based on a standard course curriculum*2.
- Have acquired at least one fourth of the credits needed to graduate from their current university’s bachelor’s degree program.
- Applicants who have completed at least one year of study in a university bachelor’s degree program within Japan and acquired at least 30 course credits by the time of enrollment*1 to APU.
Third year transfer applicants must satisfy one of the two requirements below:
-
Applicants who meet all of the following requirements by the time of enrollment*1 to APU:
- Have completed at least two years of study in a university bachelor’s degree program outside Japan.
- Have completed 14 years of formal education based on a standard course curriculum*2.
- Have acquired at least half of the credits needed to graduate from their current university’s bachelor’s degree program.
- Applicants who have completed at least two years of study in a university bachelor’s degree program within Japan and acquired at least 60 course credits by the time of enrollment*1 to APU.
At the time of application, you must submit documents online proving that you will meet one of the above educational criteria by the time of enrollment to APU. After receiving your results, you must submit further documentation by post proving that you have successfully met the required educational criteria in order to enroll at APU. Failure to submit such documentation in a timely manner may result in your acceptance to APU being revoked. If you possess an academic background other than those listed above, you may confirm further details via our Inquiry Form before applying.
*1The date of enrollment is April 1 for spring enrollment and September 21 for fall enrollment.
*2 If you have completed an 11-year standard education curriculum at an educational institution in a country designated by MEXT (Belarus, Kazakhstan, Myanmar, Peru, Russia, Sudan, Ukraine, or Uzbekistan) as of August 21, 2023 and are currently enrolled in an educational institution for your 12th or 13th year of formal education, you may confirm further details via our Inquiry Form before applying.
You must meet one of the following English or Japanese language proficiency requirements. Applicants who fulfill certain conditions may be exempted from submitting a result of a language proficiency test. For more details about this exemption, view the application handbook from our Downloads page.
| Minimum English Proficiency Requirements | |
|---|---|
| IELTS | 6.5* |
| IELTS Online | 6.5* |
| TOEFL iBT® Test | 85 |
| TOEIC® L&R Test | 800 |
| Duolingo | 120 |
| Cambridge English Language Assessment | 176 |
| Linguaskill | 176 |
| PTE Academic | 58 |
| EIKEN | Grade 1 |
*A minimum of 6.0 is required for each section
| Minimum Japanese Proficiency Requirements | |
|---|---|
| JLPT N1 | 110 |
| JLPT N2 | 140 |
| EJU Japanese as a Foreign Language* |
Reading Comprehension/Listening and
Listening-Reading Comprehension:
total score of 280 Writing: 35 |
*Both minimum scores must be met
Note
Only scores of examinations taken on or after June 6, 2022 (for April 2025 enrollment) and August 29, 2021 (for September 2024 enrollment) will be accepted. Examinations taken after the application deadline will not be accepted. If you are unable to provide a digital copy of your results by the application period deadline date, you will be asked to submit an original version of the score report. However, if you are unable to provide an original document, your score will not be evaluated.
FAQ
Yes, even if you are currently enrolled in high school, you can apply if you present your graduation certificate by the time of enrollment at APU. Please check the details in the Requirement 1: Educational Qualifications above for more information.
Yes, it is recognized as an educational qualification. Please check the Application Eligibility 1: Educational Qualifications above for more information. Additionally, you must also meet Application Eligibility 2: Language Proficiency.
All international students are eligible to apply for APU Tuition Reduction, and additionally, first year international applicants can also apply for the AP House Global Community Scholarship. Selection is based on a comprehensive evaluation the applicant’s submitted documents, video-recorded interview responses, online assessments, along with other aspects of the submitted application. For more details, please refer to the Scholarships Before Enrollment page.
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