The EJU Is Held in June and November; Overseas Venues Are 17 Cities in Asia

The Examination for Japanese University Admission (EJU, 日本留学試験) is taken by most people who want to enter the undergraduate faculty of a Japanese university as an international student. The Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO) has administered it twice a year, every June and November, both within Japan and overseas, since 2002. It measures the Japanese-language ability needed to study at a university and similar institutions, along with basic academic ability in subjects such as mathematics and science.

What follows is based on the “Examination for Japanese University Admission (EJU) 2026 Implementation Guidelines” on JASSO’s official website, along with its examinee guide, list of venues, list of using schools, and examinee-number data, checked in September 2026. Whether a person who has completed schooling in Ukraine can apply to a Japanese university is covered in “How Ukrainian Diplomas, Degrees, and Medical Licenses Are Treated in Japan.” This article is about the examination itself.

How It Differs From the JLPT

According to JASSO, the EJU began as a replacement for two exams that many universities had previously required for admission: the Japanese Language Proficiency Test and the “Examination for Japanese University Admission for Privately Financed International Students.” Where the JLPT certifies Japanese ability on a pass/fail basis across levels N1 to N5, the EJU expresses the Japanese needed for university study (which JASSO calls “academic Japanese”) and basic academic ability as scores, not as pass or fail. The JLPT’s exam dates, and its administration in Ukraine, are covered in the article on the JLPT.

Choose From 4 Subjects, as Your Target School Specifies

Examinees do not take every subject; they choose and take the subjects specified by the school or schools they want to enter.

Except for the Japanese writing section, scores are not the raw number of questions answered correctly, but are converted to a common scale. JASSO explains this is done so that scores can be compared even when the questions differ by session or venue.

Questions Are Set in Japanese or English

The science, general-subjects, and mathematics questions come in two versions, Japanese and English, and you choose one when you apply. The Japanese subject is only in Japanese. JASSO warns that the venues where you can choose English are limited. Which language you should choose also depends on what your target school specifies. There are no Ukrainian- or Russian-language versions of the exam.

The 2026 Schedule and Fees

The examination fee for taking it within Japan is 12,000 yen for one subject, or 23,000 yen for two or more subjects (both tax included). You apply through a site called “EJU Online” and pay by credit card, at a convenience store, or by bank transfer. Once paid, the fee is not refunded for any reason and cannot be carried over to the next session. If you add subjects after having paid for one subject, you must pay the full 23,000 yen again, not just the difference.

As of September 2026, applications for both sessions of the 2026 academic year have closed. The schedule and fees for the 2027 academic year have not yet been announced. The 2026 implementation guidelines were posted on JASSO’s site in October 2025.

Domestic venues are set up in 17 areas from Hokkaido to Okinawa. On the day of the exam, you need your admission ticket and the original of one of the following: a valid residence card, passport, or My Number card.

Overseas Venues: 17 Cities in 13 Asian Countries and Territories

For the 2026 academic year, the exam is held overseas in the following 17 cities. All are in Asia; there are no venues in Europe. Ukraine and its neighboring countries are not included either. JASSO states that it has not held the exam in Vladivostok, Russia, since the 2024 academic year.

• India (New Delhi), Indonesia (Jakarta, Surabaya), South Korea (Seoul, Busan), Singapore, Sri Lanka (Colombo)
• Thailand (Bangkok, Chiang Mai), Taiwan (Taipei), the Philippines (Manila), Vietnam (Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City), Hong Kong
• Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), Myanmar (Yangon), Mongolia (Ulaanbaatar)

Applications for overseas venues are handled by each city’s implementation cooperation body. If you live in a country where the exam is not held and want to take it at an overseas venue, there are conditions. According to JASSO, you need three things: an agent in the country or territory where you want to sit the exam who can handle everything on your behalf, from obtaining application documents through paying the fee to receiving your admission ticket; an understanding of the language used in the exam room; and a visa you obtain yourself. Neither JASSO nor the implementation cooperation bodies issue documents for a visa application.

People already living in Japan can take the exam at a domestic venue.

Which Schools Use It

According to JASSO’s “Number of Schools Using the EJU,” as of September 2026, 950 schools use it for admissions.

JASSO’s list of using schools shows the subjects and exam language each school specifies. However, some universities and faculties do not require the EJU at all, and even within the same university, requirements can differ by faculty. In its examinee guide, JASSO asks applicants to always check with their target school before applying. An EJU result is valid for two years (the most recent four sessions), but a school may specify which academic year’s or session’s results it will accept.

Some Schools Decide Admission Before You Come to Japan

Some schools decide admission based on your EJU results and your grades from your school of origin, and grant admission without your having to come to Japan first (JASSO calls this “pre-arrival admission,” watonizen nyugaku kyoka). Even in that case, applying to the university is a separate procedure from applying to the EJU. JASSO warns that applying to the EJU alone does not count as applying to a university.

Number of Examinees

According to JASSO’s published figures, the first session (June) of the 2026 academic year had 26,888 examinees (out of 30,804 applicants). Of these, 19,482 sat the exam within Japan, of whom 13,501 took it in Tokyo. Overseas, there were 7,406 examinees, with Seoul (3,394) and Hong Kong (2,039) the largest venues. In the 2025 academic year, there were 25,200 examinees in the first session and 24,545 in the second. JASSO’s published figures do not include examinee numbers broken down by nationality.

A Reserved Scholarship for High Scorers

By applying when you apply for the EJU, a high scorer can reserve the “Monbukagakusho Scholarship for Privately-Financed International Students” (48,000 yen a month, an amount that can change by fiscal year) to be received after enrollment. It is open to people entering as regular students in a university undergraduate faculty, a junior college, a college of technology (3rd year or above), or a vocational school (senmon gakko); graduate schools are not eligible. The 2026 examinee guide lists having the status of residence “Student” (ryugaku) as one condition for receiving it. There are also conditions on the amount of money sent to you from abroad and on the annual income of any dependent supporter you have in Japan.

Other scholarships available to Ukrainian students and researchers, and university-specific support, are introduced in “Scholarships in Japan Available to Ukrainian Students and Researchers.” Whether you are eligible should be confirmed with JASSO or the counter of the university you plan to attend.