I went to a private, very high ranking college prep high school for 2 years, took a few aps, but had to drop out and get my GED due to health reasons. As a sophomore/freshman I had really good grades, but this was so long ago I’m not sure if it’s even relevant considering I didn’t graduate from said institution. I have not been to college in the US, and I have not been in the academic world for a few years. Due to the time around my “graduation” year, almost nobody I knew had any need to take the SAT/ACT as it aligned heavily with the timing of the coronavirus, and it was waived for university entrance for a long time, but I’m not sure how it is nowadays.
I briefly looked at Japanese University requirements, and all of the ones I’ve seen so far had a mandatory requirement for SAT/ACT testing. My Japanese is \~N3 right now, and I can confidently say I’d be able to pass N2/N1 by end of next year, however I would still \*prefer\* an English based undergraduate program then eventually transfer to a Japanese-language grad school. I don’t think N1 alone would allow me to be proficient enough to fully take a college level course in any of the sciences that I am interested in. I’m a pretty smart person, but the hard truth is my application is massively lacking, especially not having any sort of formal education for the last few years. I still have had a job on-the-books as a healthcare aide for 3 years now, if that’s of any assistance in making so I don’t look like a complete NEET/Dropout.
If directly applying would be impossible with my current circumstances, should I look to go to a uni/community college here in the US and transfer after some time? How many semesters would I need under my belt before being able to transfer to a Japanese university is a legitimate possibility?
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I currently have a Japanese girlfriend who is in college in Tokyo, and I really love the culture, so I would like to live there for many years. I don’t really care about making a lot of money in my career so long as I’d be able to have kids eventually without fear of not being able to support my family.
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This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.
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**Is it possible to even get entrance into a Japanese Uni without SAT/ACT?**
I went to a private, very high ranking college prep high school for 2 years, took a few aps, but had to drop out and get my GED due to health reasons. As a sophomore/freshman I had really good grades, but this was so long ago I’m not sure if it’s even relevant considering I didn’t graduate from said institution. I have not been to college in the US, and I have not been in the academic world for a few years. Due to the time around my “graduation” year, almost nobody I knew had any need to take the SAT/ACT as it aligned heavily with the timing of the coronavirus, and it was waived for university entrance for a long time, but I’m not sure how it is nowadays.
I briefly looked at Japanese University requirements, and all of the ones I’ve seen so far had a mandatory requirement for SAT/ACT testing. My Japanese is ~N3 right now, and I can confidently say I’d be able to pass N2/N1 by end of next year, however I would still *prefer* an English based undergraduate program then eventually transfer to a Japanese-language grad school. I don’t think N1 alone would allow me to be proficient enough to fully take a college level course in any of the sciences that I am interested in. I’m a pretty smart person, but the hard truth is my application is massively lacking, especially not having any sort of formal education for the last few years. I still have had a job on-the-books as a healthcare aide for 3 years now, if that’s of any assistance in making so I don’t look like a complete NEET/Dropout.
If directly applying would be impossible with my current circumstances, should I look to go to a uni/community college here in the US and transfer after some time? How many semesters would I need under my belt before being able to transfer to a Japanese university is a legitimate possibility?
​
I currently have a Japanese girlfriend who is in college in Tokyo, and I really love the culture, so I would like to live there for many years. I don’t really care about making a lot of money in my career so long as I’d be able to have kids eventually without fear of not being able to support my family.
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If the programs you’re looking at need the SAT/ACT, why not just take it? I don’t believe there’s an age limit to taking those exams.
Also, for the most part it is not possible to transfer credits between US universities and Japanese universities, so you would likely have to “start from scratch” at the Japanese university.
Short Answer: No, you wouldn’t be able to attend a Japanese Uni as an international student without SAT/ACT scores.
Long Answer: Even with N1 you wouldn’t be able to attend a Japanese Uni like a Japanese citizen as you would need to sit for the entrance exams. The only way to attend a Japanese Uni as a foreigner is to apply as an international student which requires SAT/ACT scores and/or take the EJU. Furthermore, college credits are not transferable between US and Japanese schools (unless you’re doing a study abroad program with a partnered school).
Based on the circumstances given, it would be most feasible to complete a 4 year degree in the states (attend community college for pre-req’s, maintain a 4.0, and then transfer to a reputable Uni and graduate) and if you still want to move to Japan, think about applying to jobs in Japan. Keep in mind the type of visa you’ll be eligible for (depends on your degree/experience) and tailor your school/work experience to that specialty so that when you apply for jobs you’ll stand out.
The other method is to apply to a language school in Japan that will prep you for Japanese undergrad. These will be intensive courses (9 am – 3 pm with 2 hours of hw everyday) that will teach you Japanese as well as provide assistance with the EJU. Caveat is this is going to cost you about as much, if not more than community college in the states. And it doesn’t give you a degree either, it’s just a 2 year prep course.
Yes
Honestly, the EJU isn’t that much harder than the ACT. It’s nothing like the SAT though so if you were to decide on taking the SAT vs ACT, prep with the ACT. The EJU tests your ability to infer answers similar to other standardized tests, so if you’re confident in your test-taking abilities, then yea, self-study should be enough. As for the EJU Japanese portion, there isn’t really an equivalency… EJU tests you on academic reading/writing (you’ll have to write short essays) whereas JLPT tests you on linguistics.
If your goal is just to physically be in Japan as fast as possible, the easiest route is via language school. Apply via the language school’s website, wait for paperwork processing, and then buy a plane ticket to Japan. This process generally takes about 8-9 months. A couple caveats though, you’ll need to provide proof of resources (when I applied the requirements were $15,000 for 1 year and $25,000 for 2 years). So a bank statement showing that you’ve had the minimum required amount for at least 3 months. And you cannot renew this visa, meaning once your 2 years are up you’ll have to leave the country or switch to a different visa that you qualify for. Usually it’s to a Uni/specialty school that provides its own student visa or you get hired and switch to the visa your company gives you. And lastly, not all of the time you spend on a student visa counts towards permanent residency. If I remember correctly it was something like 3 years count towards PR points, the rest have to come from higher education, work, time spent in Japan, and/or marriage.
I wouldn’t recommend this route if you don’t have a bachelors yet though because you’ll be spending a minimum of 6 years getting an undergrad degree. Companies aren’t allowed to higher foreigners without a bachelors (or 10+ years of relevant work experience, meaning mid-senior level usually); and this is an immigration requirement so you can’t skirt this.
There are accelerated bachelor degree programs in the US that let you finish in 2-3 years instead of the usual 4; if you know what you want to major in and what field you want to go into you could also go that route and then apply for a MEXT scholarship for grad school in Japan (though it’s hyper-competitive, 5% or so acceptance).