Application Eligibility

The following information is for applying for 2026 enrollment.

You must fulfill both Requirement 1 and Requirement 2:

Requirement 1: Educational Qualifications

Completed a 12-year standard education curriculum at an educational institution before your date of enrollment^* at 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 conditions (2-9) below. If you fulfill one of the following educational criteria before your date of enrollment* at APU, you fulfill Requirement 1 (Educational 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, European Baccalaureate, or GCE/International A Level results.
Completed a 12-year standard education curriculum accredited by an international evaluation group (WASC, CIS, ACSI, NEASC, Cognia, NCA CASI, NWAC, SACS CASI, COBIS).
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 before your 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, as individual conditions need to be confirmed.

In the event of changes in the qualifications for university admission as stipulated by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), the changes will be applied accordingly. Refer to the Educational Qualifications Chart if you would like to confirm if you meet the educational qualifications necessary to apply. If you possess an academic background other than those listed above, confirm further details via the Inquiry Form before applying.

^*The date of enrollment is April 1, 2026 for April enrollment and September 21, 2026 for September enrollment.

Other Educational Backgrounds

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 before your date of enrollment^*, you may confirm further details via our Inquiry Form before applying.

Requirement 2: Language Proficiency

You must meet one of the following English or Japanese language proficiency requirements. Applicants who fulfill certain conditions may choose not to submit a language proficiency test. For details, view the Application Handbook from our Downloads page.

Minimum English Proficiency Requirements for English-basis Applicants
IELTS	6.0^*
IELTS Online	6.0^*
TOEFL iBT® Test	75
TOEIC® L&R/S&W Test	1600
Duolingo English Test	110
Cambridge English Qualifications	169
Linguaskill	169
PTE Academic	60
EIKEN Test in Practical English Proficiency	2304

^*A minimum of 5.5 is required for each section
For TOEIC® (L&R/S&W), multiply the S&W score by 2.5 and add to the L&R score.
EIKEN also includes EIKEN S-CBT and EIKEN S-Interview. Regardless of the test type and whether the test is passed or failed, the EIKEN CSE 2.0 score will be evaluated.

Minimum Japanese Proficiency Requirements for Japanese-basis Applicants
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

For April 2026 enrollment, only scores of examinations taken on or after June 1, 2023 and by the application deadline will be accepted. For September 2026 enrollment, only scores of examinations taken on or after September 1, 2023 and by the application deadline will be accepted.
If your score cannot be verified online by the application deadline, you must submit the original score report. Scores that are not accompanied by an original score report will not be evaluated.
Except when otherwise stipulated.

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 before your date of enrollment* at APU?

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

*The date of enrollment is April 1, 2026 for April enrollment and September 21, 2026 for September enrollment.

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.

Yes No

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.)

Apply Now

Have you completed or will you complete one of the following educational qualifications before your date of enrollment^*1 at APU?

International Baccalaureate Diploma
Abitur
Baccalaureate Diploma
GCE A Level (two or more subjects^*2)
International A Level (two or more subjects^*2)
European Baccalaureate Diploma

^*1The date of enrollment is April 1, 2026 for April enrollment and September 21, 2026 for September enrollment.
^*2Two subjects is the minimum requirement but we highly recommend submitting three.

Yes No

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.)

Apply Now

Have you completed or will you complete a 12-year standard education curriculum at an international school accredited by one of the following, before your date of enrollment* at APU?

WASC
CIS
ACSI
NEASC
Cognia
NCA CASI
NWAC
SACS CASI
COBIS

*The date of enrollment is April 1, 2026 for April enrollment and September 21, 2026 for September enrollment.

Yes No

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.)

Apply Now

Have you completed or will you complete an 11-year standard education curriculum in Belarus, Kazakhstan, Myanmar, Peru, Russia, Sudan, Ukraine, or Uzbekistan before your date of enrollment* at APU?

*The date of enrollment is April 1, 2026 for April enrollment and September 21, 2026 for September enrollment.

Yes No

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.)

Apply Now

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 before your date of enrollment* at APU?

*The date of enrollment is April 1, 2026 for April enrollment and September 21, 2026 for September enrollment.

Yes No

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.)

Apply Now

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) before your date of enrollment* at APU?

List of schools 1, List of schools 2 (Japanese only)

*The date of enrollment is April 1, 2026 for April enrollment and September 21, 2026 for September enrollment.

Yes No

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.)

Apply Now

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:

Requirement 1: Educational Qualifications

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.

Both second and third year transfer applicants must fulfill one of the following requirements:

Have graduated from a junior college before your date of enrollment^*1 at APU.
Have graduated from a technical college in Japan before your date of enrollment^*1 at APU.
Have graduated from a special training school approved by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) before your date of enrollment^*1 at 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. You cannot apply if you have withdrawn from your university.

Second year transfer applicants must fulfill one of the following requirements:

Meet all of the following requirements before your date of enrollment^*1 at 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 your current university’s bachelor’s degree program.
Have completed at least one year of study in a university bachelor’s degree program within Japan and acquired at least 30 course credits before your date of enrollment^*1 at APU.

Third year transfer applicants must fulfill one of the following requirements:

Meet all of the following requirements before your date of enrollment^*1 at 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 your current university’s bachelor’s degree program.
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 one day prior to your date of enrollment^*1 at APU.

Second Bachelor’s Degree Applicants

This refers to students who will have already completed a bachelor’s degree program and plan to enter APU as a transfer student to obtain a second bachelor’s degree.

Second bachelor’s degree applicants who plan to transfer to APU as a second or third year transfer student must fulfil the following requirement:
- Have graduated from a bachelor’s degree program before your date of enrollment^*1 at APU.

In the event of changes in the qualifications for university admission as stipulated by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), the changes will be applied accordingly.
When applying, you must submit documents proving that you will meet one of the eligibility requirements listed above before your date of enrollment.
If admitted, you may be required to provide additional documents as part of the enrollment procedures to confirm that you have met the eligibility requirements. Your acceptance to APU may be revoked if you fail to submit the required documents by the stipulated deadlines.
If you possess an academic background other than those listed above, you may confirm further details via the Inquiry Form before applying.

^*1 The date of enrollment is April 1, 2026 for April enrollment and September 21, 2026 for September 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.

Requirement 2: Language Proficiency

You must meet one of the following English or Japanese language proficiency requirements. Applicants who fulfill certain conditions may choose not to submit a result of a language proficiency test. Refer to the details stated below. For more details about this exemption, view the application handbook from our Downloads page.

Minimum English Proficiency Requirements for English-basis Applicants
IELTS	6.5^*
IELTS Online	6.5^*
TOEFL iBT® Test	85
TOEIC® L&R/S&W Test	1730
Duoling English Test	120
Cambridge English Qualifications	176
Linguaskill	176
PTE Academic	65
EIKEN Test in Practical English Proficiency	2630

^*A minimum of 6.0 is required for each section
For TOEIC® (L&R/S&W), multiply the S&W score by 2.5 and add the L&R score.
EIKEN also includes EIKEN S-CBT and EIKEN S-Interview. Regardless of the test type and whether the test is passed or failed, the EIKEN CSE 2.0 score will be evaluated.

Minimum Japanese Proficiency Requirements for Japanese-basis Applicants
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

For April 2026 enrollment, only scores of examinations taken on or after June 1, 2023 and by the application deadline will be accepted. For September 2026 enrollment, only scores of examinations taken on or after September 1, 2023 and by the application deadline will be accepted.
If your score cannot be verified online by the application deadline, you must submit the original score report. Scores that are not accompanied by an original score report will not be evaluated.
Except when otherwise stipulated.

FAQ

Can I apply even if I am a current high school student?

Yes, even if you are currently enrolled in high school, you can apply as long as you present your graduation certificate by the time of enrollment at APU. Please check the details in Requirement 1: Educational Qualifications above for more information.

Is the GED recognized as an educational qualification for application eligibility?

Yes, it is recognized as one of the eligible educational qualifications for applying to APU. Please check Application Eligibility 1: Educational Qualifications above for more information. Additionally, you must also meet Application Eligibility 2: Language Proficiency.

How can I receive the Tuition Reduction Scholarship?

All international students are eligible to apply for the APU Tuition Reduction Scholarship for International Students. To apply for this scholarship, enter the required information and submit the essays and letter of recommendation by the application deadline. You may have a greater chance of receiving the APU Tuition Reduction Scholarship if you apply earlier. Recipients will be selected based on a comprehensive evaluation of all submitted documents, the recorded interview, and information regarding their family financial situation. The scholarship results will be released together with the application results.

Application Eligibility | APU Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University