What Is the EJU? Japan's University Admission Exam Explained

If you plan to apply to a Japanese university as an international student, one exam appears again and again in admissions requirements: the EJU. It is not the same as the JLPT, and it is not required by every program, but for many undergraduate applications in Japan it is one of the main academic checkpoints.

EJU stands for Examination for Japanese University Admission for International Students. In Japanese, it is called Nihon Ryūgaku Shiken (日本留学試験). The test is used to measure whether a student has the Japanese ability and basic academic knowledge needed to study at a university or similar higher education institution in Japan.

If you are still comparing language tests, it helps to read our guide to the JLPT as well, because the two exams serve different purposes and many applicants end up dealing with both.

What is the EJU used for?

The EJU is mainly aimed at international students who want to enter undergraduate programs in Japan. A large number of Japanese universities use EJU scores as part of the screening process, especially for courses taught in Japanese. Some schools also use it for pre-arrival admission, which means you may complete part of the selection process before moving to Japan.

That does not mean every university or every degree requires it. Some English-taught programs, international tracks, and private schools may use different criteria. Before registering, always check the exact admissions page of the university and faculty you want, because the required subjects and accepted score periods can change from one school to another.

What subjects are on the EJU?

The exam is divided into four subject groups. You do not automatically take all of them. Universities tell applicants which subjects they must submit.

• Japanese as a Foreign Language: academic Japanese for university study, including reading, listening, listening-reading, and a writing task.
• Science: you choose two subjects from Physics, Chemistry, and Biology.
• Japan and the World: a humanities-style paper that draws on civics, geography, history, charts, and reading-based reasoning.
• Mathematics: Course 1 or Course 2, depending on the faculty and how heavily the program uses math.

One detail many students miss is that Science and Japan and the World are held in the same time slot, so you cannot take both in the same session. That is why checking your target university first matters more than collecting subjects at random.

Is there speaking on the EJU?

No. This is one of the biggest points that gets confused online. The EJU does not have a speaking interview or a practical oral test. The Japanese section includes reading, listening, listening-reading, and writing. If a university wants to test your spoken English or Japanese, that is usually done through its own interview or a separate requirement.

The Japanese section is scored out of 400 points for the main components, plus 50 points for writing. Other subjects are chosen according to the course you are applying to, so there is no single universal score target that works for every applicant.

EJU exam overview for international students planning to study in Japan

How often is the EJU held?

The EJU is held twice a year, usually in June and November. Scores stay valid for two years, which covers the four most recent sessions. If you sit the exam more than once, universities may allow you to choose the best eligible session from the score periods they accept.

There are also no official age limits and no formal qualification required just to take the test. Even so, Japanese universities normally expect applicants to meet the usual academic requirement of around 12 years of school education before entering an undergraduate course.

Where can you take the EJU?

The exam is offered in Japan and in several locations across Asia. JASSO updates the official venue list each year, so use the current exam guide instead of relying on old city lists copied from random blogs. Test availability outside Asia is still limited, which is why some applicants need to travel for the exam or apply to schools that accept alternative screening routes.

If you are still deciding where to apply, our article on universities in Japan is a useful companion read before you start comparing faculties, language of instruction, and entrance requirements.

How universities use EJU scores

There is no single “good EJU score” that guarantees admission everywhere. Each university sets its own standard, and some faculties publish clearer score expectations than others. A strong result for one course may still be too low for another, especially in competitive national universities or math-heavy programs.

JASSO maintains official lists of schools that use EJU and separate pages for pre-arrival admission and published minimum scores. Those lists are much more reliable than long copied university tables, because they are updated directly from institutional surveys.

Another important detail: because the EJU has no English section, some universities also ask for TOEFL, IELTS, or their own English exam. In other words, a good EJU score may be necessary, but it is not always the only test score in the application.

EJU vs JLPT: what is the difference?

The JLPT measures general Japanese proficiency. The EJU is built for university admission and includes academic subjects in addition to Japanese. Passing JLPT N1 or N2 does not automatically exempt you from the EJU if the university requires EJU scores.

That is why applicants often prepare for the two exams differently. The JLPT is useful for broader language certification, while the EJU is tied more closely to entering a Japanese university as an undergraduate student.

Frequently asked questions about the EJU

How to prepare for the EJU without wasting time

Start from the admission page of your target university, not from social media advice. That tells you which EJU subjects matter, whether the school accepts English-language papers, and whether you also need TOEFL, IELTS, or an interview.

After that, use official JASSO sample questions and syllabuses to build a study plan. This is much more useful than memorizing random score rumors, because the real pressure comes from matching the right subject combination to the right course.

If your plan is to study in Japan through a Japanese-taught undergraduate program, understanding the EJU early can save you months of wrong preparation. It tells you whether you should focus only on language, or whether you also need to rebuild math, science, or humanities knowledge before applications open.