VisaSHOGUN / Study in Japan / Cost guide
Build a budget for the course you can actually take. Compare school fees, living costs and the timing of each payment.
Quick answer: Published first-year fees for the long-term examples below range from ¥915,000 to ¥1,130,000 before any applicant-specific extras. Housing and daily expenses are separate. As a planning benchmark, JASSO reports average living costs of ¥105,000 per month for privately financed international students in its 2023 survey. A ¥915,000 first-year school quote plus 12 months at that benchmark is ¥2,175,000, before flights, move-in costs and other extras.
The examples are school-published prices checked in September 2026. They cover different academic years, campuses and courses. “Tuition” alone is often lower than the total payable to a school, while a course price never includes an assumed year of rent. Use the exact campus, intake and duration when requesting a current quotation.
01 / LONG-TERM
These are illustrative long-term routes, not a ranking or a single market average. The cards show the school’s first-year total and what needs checking before you compare it with another quote.
TOKYO · FROM APRIL 2027
¥915,000 / first year
Screening ¥25,000, enrollment ¥70,000, tuition ¥780,000 and facility ¥40,000. The screening fee is due with the application; verify the payment schedule for your intake.
Official fee sheet →
KYOTO · FROM APRIL 2026
¥916,000 / first year
Application ¥30,000, registration ¥70,000 and one-year tuition ¥816,000 in its revised Standard Study Abroad fee notice.
Official fee notice →
TOKYO / OSAKA · 2027–28
¥1,065,000 / Shinjuku Main
Its published Osaka first-year total is ¥1,015,000. Both figures include application, admission, tuition, materials and facility/management fees; compare the exact campus.
Official price list →
TOKYO · 2027
¥1,130,000 / four terms
Registration, tuition and materials/DLS. Student visa applicants also have mandatory screening (¥50,000) and health management (¥15,000/year) fees. An appropriate iPad is required; rental is extra.
Official fee page →These figures are school charges only. KAI’s ¥1,130,000 base total is not the final amount for a Student visa applicant. ARC’s displayed notice starts in 2026, while the other figures above are for 2027 or 2027–28. Confirm newer fees before paying.
02 / SHORT-TERM
A weekly intensive class and a visa-oriented annual course have different billing and eligibility. Compare the same duration and the actual class hours before judging price.
| Published example | Course price | Extra to check |
|---|---|---|
|
Coto Academy intensive 1 week, Tokyo area |
¥40,000 | ¥10,000 registration for new students; confirm the schedule and any materials. |
|
ISI Shinjuku Main 10-week short-term general Japanese, 2026 |
¥241,000 total | Includes admission, tuition, materials and facility/management fees in its 2026 table. |
|
ARC Kyoto intensive 3 months, revised from April 2026 |
¥214,000 total | Includes ¥10,000 registration and ¥204,000 tuition in its notice. |
Different lesson lengths and formats make these prices non-equivalent. See our Tokyo short-term course comparison for weekly class time and more options. Sources: Coto, ISI, ARC Kyoto.
03 / REAL BUDGET
JASSO’s figure is a national survey average for privately financed international students, not a language-school-specific budget or a 2027 forecast. It excludes study/research costs. JASSO also reports average monthly rent of ¥41,000 nationally and ¥57,000 in Tokyo; your actual rent and commuting costs can be much higher or lower.
For a longer course, compare schools with Student-route programs and use the Student Visa guide to understand the application route. A short course does not itself establish visa eligibility.
Student status course, existing resident status, or a shorter visit?
Ask for the same start month and number of study weeks or terms.
Request a line-by-line school invoice and a separate housing estimate.
Identify deposits, payment deadlines, refunds and any transfer fee.
No. It is one school’s published first-year charge for a specified intake. Housing, daily expenses and other travel or setup costs need their own budget.
Some schools publish 2027 schedules and others have only a 2026 notice. Always ask for the fee sheet for your exact intake before applying.
Ask the school which payment methods it accepts and whether bank or currency conversion fees will reduce the amount received. The school’s invoice and deadline govern the payment.
Do not build a plan that depends on finding work immediately. Check the rules for your status and secure funding for tuition and living costs before committing.
NEXT STEP
Share your study duration, start month, level, weekly availability, goal, status and tuition budget. We can help narrow the course questions to ask.
School fees checked on official pages in September 2026. Published dates differ and prices may change. The living figure comes from a 2023 JASSO survey shown on Study in Japan.
