Planning to go to college in Japan for Bachelor’s in animation

5 comments

1. This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.

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   **Planning to go to college in Japan for Bachelor’s in animation**

   I’m 24, and I get out of the US military in roughly 9 months.
   My plan is to use my Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits to attend a university in Japan, but I’m undecided on what university to go to, as well as the requirements. I suspect my GPA from high school isn’t the best, but would still like to get into the most prestigious university I can. Is there any way to remedy bad high school grades? What should I do with regards to portfolio requirements?

   I’m still learning Japanese, but I’m a pretty fast learner and aim to be able to pass an N5 test ASAP. That being the case, what are my options? My aim entails not leaving the States for the next 15 months, variably.

   I’ve done research, but it’s unclear to me and would rather ask for help from people who know a thing or two I don’t.

   Any and all advice is appreciated. Seeking the best. Thank you.

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2. If you’re female there’s Joshibi Uni of arts; if you’re not you could go to HAL College. There’s a list of approved schools in Japan on the VA’s website. Just filter by country.

   There’s no way to remedy bad grades from high school unfortunately. If you’re planning on attending a traditional Japanese uni you’ll also have to take and pass the EJU. If you’re choosing to go to an Arts college more than likely it’ll be a vocational school meaning you can only work in a your vocational degree once you graduate. HAL college is an example of a vocational school.

   Just a word of warning – the most prestigious school on the list of approved schools is probably Nagoya Uni of Commerce and Business; it’s ranked in the 90’s domestically (1000’s internationally). You won’t be able to use the GI bill at a prestigious uni in Japan as it would need VA approval.

3. Expect that generative AI is going to completely upend animation. They will still need animators but it will be nothing like animation today.

4. If you want to use GI benefits, your choices will be limited. I agree with pretty much everything u/throwaway92085 said.

   Most degree programs in Japan are also taught entirely in Japanese. There are exceptions, but likely very few in your desired field. I would cross-reference the VA website’s list with the English-taught degree program list on the StudyInJapan website. If there is any overlap, that’s where you apply. If you are looking at a Japanese-taught program, you will need a minimum of N2 level Japanese. I cannot overstate how massive the gap between N5 and N2 is. You might need to go to a Japanese language school for a few years first if you can’t find an English-taught program that is funded by GI benefits. Japanese language school is not cheap, and you can only work a maximum of 28 hours per week as a student. As a final note, English-taught degree programs in Japan are not known for their quality or their rigor. Not in the slightest, regardless of the university you attend. The support for students that you might expect from a university in the US (on-campus tutoring, professor office hours, near limitless access to academic journals in English, robust counseling centers, etc) are practically nonexistent at universities in Japan, especially in English. I’m warning you so your expectations can match the reality here.

   Whatever decision you make, as long as it’s an educated one, you will figure out what is best for you. I wish you all the best!

5. A degree in animation is beyond useless.