How Much Does It Cost to Study in Japan in 2027? Some National Universities Are Raising Fees for International Students

The short answer

The standard tuition at a Japanese national university is ¥535,800 a year. From April 2027, some universities charge international students more. Tohoku University raises it to ¥900,000, Okayama University to ¥1,339,500, and the University of Tsukuba adds ¥73,000 a year.

Living costs average ¥105,000 a month, or ¥1,260,000 a year. With tuition, a year at a national university comes to ¥1.8 to ¥2.6 million.

We took the figures from the universities' official announcements and the Study in Japan website on 7 November 2026. Requirements depend on the university, programme and intake year.

What changes for the 2027 intake

International students at national universities used to pay the same as Japanese students. Universities can now set their own fee for international students, and at least three have done so for the 2027 intake.

The increase applies only to students who enrol from April 2027. Current students finish at the old fee. Tohoku and Tsukuba say the extra money will go to support for international students: counselling, career help, English-taught programmes. Tohoku promises a new scholarship for those who pay the new fee.

Fees from April 2027: three universities

Below is yearly tuition. The admission fee is paid separately in the first year.

• Standard national university fee: ¥535,800 a year. International students at Tohoku and Okayama paid this until 2027.
• Tohoku University: ¥900,000 for bachelor's and master's programmes, ¥364,200 a year more. Doctoral and professional programmes (law, accounting, public policy) stay as they are.
• Okayama University: ¥1,339,500, two and a half times the old fee. International students pay the same for bachelor's and all graduate programmes, including the doctorate. Japanese undergraduates will also pay more: ¥642,960.
• University of Tsukuba: ¥73,000 a year on top of the current fee (¥36,000 for non-degree students). The university says this is a minimum and may be revised. The admission fee stays the same.

Who counts as an international student

This is the key point. All three universities count as an "international student" only a person with the Student (留学) residence status. If you live in Japan on another status, for example as a family member, you pay the Japanese fee.

Okayama adds one more condition. An international student enrolled there in March 2027 (including as a research student, kenkyusei) who moves straight to the next level at the same university keeps the old fee.

What living costs

According to JASSO's 2023 survey, an international student spends ¥105,000 a month on average, not counting study costs. That covers food, housing, transport, phone and the rest.

Cities differ mostly in housing. The national average is ¥41,000 a month; in Tokyo it is ¥57,000. Housing alone makes a year in Tokyo about ¥192,000 more expensive.

A full year: three examples

This is our own calculation: tuition plus ¥105,000 a month for living. The admission fee, flights and insurance are not included.

• National university at the standard fee: ¥535,800 + ¥1,260,000 = about ¥1,796,000.
• Tohoku from 2027: ¥900,000 + ¥1,260,000 = about ¥2,160,000.
• Okayama from 2027: ¥1,339,500 + ¥1,260,000 = about ¥2,600,000.

What about private universities?

Private universities have always set their own fees. Study in Japan puts the first year of a private bachelor's at about ¥1,300,000, and about ¥3,800,000 in medicine, dentistry and pharmacy. At a national university, the first year with the admission fee costs about ¥820,000 at the standard fee.

After the increase, the gap has narrowed. An international student at Okayama now pays slightly more in tuition than the average first year at a private university outside medicine.

Common mistakes

• Using ¥535,800 from older guides. For the 2027 intake, check the fee of each university.
• Trusting the fee in an application guide that is already out. Okayama says the new fee applies even where its published guidelines show the old one.
• Assuming every university has raised fees. Individual universities announced increases, each with its own amount and programmes.
• Forgetting the admission fee. It is paid once, in the first year.
• Using the national average for Tokyo. Housing there costs ¥16,000 a month more.
• Counting on a part-time job to cover everything. Students may work up to 28 hours a week; see our article.

What you can do yourself and what we take on

You can choose a field and look up fees yourself. The risk of error lies elsewhere: finding the international-student fee for your intake year, working out which programmes the increase covers, and not missing deadlines. We match universities to your budget, check your documents and handle the application. Our work for one university in Japan costs $529. You pay the university's fee yourself, on its invoice, with no markup from us.

After you are admitted, we help with the COE and visa, $190. If you want to study without paying tuition, we prepare applications for the MEXT scholarship, $320. Admission is the university's decision and the scholarship is MEXT's; we do not promise a result.

What to do today

Write down two or three universities you like. For each, find the 2027 fee for international students and the admission fee. Add ¥1,260,000 for living, plus ¥192,000 for Tokyo.

How to apply to a Japanese university in English is covered in a separate article. Next, look at universities in Japan and grants in Japan. If you want us to work out your case, fill in the form.

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