Skip to main content

Japan

ENGLISH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS

The English language requirements for our courses are provided on individual course pages as minimum IELTS scores, however we accept many other tests and qualifications.

Please visit our English language requirements page for more information. 

Foundation year students Entry Requirements

Japanese students applying directly from high school (Kotogakko Sotsugyo Shomeisho) will need to complete a foundation course before enrolling on a 3-year Bachelor's degree. Birkbeck has two options:

  • Applicants who have already achieved 6.5 in the IELTS test can apply for four-year integrated Bachelor’s Degree plus Foundation programmes, which offer a joint confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) for all four years of study.
  • Applicants who do not meet the English requirement should apply for a Foundation Year or international Year 1 degree at our partner provider OnCampus London, which offer guaranteed progression onto Birkbeck’s Bachelor programmes.

Undergraduate Entry Requirements

Applicants can be considered for direct entry onto an undergraduate course with the following:

  • associate degree (Jun-gakushi) with a final grade of at least B+/75% or equivalent
  • vocational degree (Senmon-shi) with a final grade of at least B+/75% or equivalent
  • one year of a Bachelor's degree (Gakushi) at a recognised university with an average grade of B+/75% or a GPA of 3.2/4.0
  • International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma or A-levels will be considered for direct admission onto undergraduate degree programmes. IB requirements range from 28 to 30, depending on the course.

Applicants from Japan who have completed the Kotogakko Sotsugyo Shomeisho (Upper Secondary School Leaving Certificate) will normally require a Foundation course for entry onto undergraduate programmes at the College. These offer the opportunity for guaranteed progression onto Birkbeck’s Bachelor programmes.

Postgraduate Entry Requirements

To be considered for entry onto a Master's degree at Birkbeck, you would be expected to have a Gakushi from a recognised Japanese university. For programmes requiring a UK 2:2, a minimum GPA of 2.8/4.0 (65%) is required. For programmes requiring a UK 2:1, applicants will need a minimum final GPA of 3.0/4.0 (at least 70%). The minimum grade may vary depending on your university and from one subject to another. Relevant work experience may also be taken into account.

If you do not meet these criteria, you can apply for OnCampus' Master's Foundation programme, which is available for 2- or 3-term progression onto a wide range of Master’s degrees at Birkbeck.

Research degrees Entry Requirements

The usual entrance requirement for a research degree is a Master’s degree (Shushi) from a recognised university with a final grade of at least B+/75% or a GPA of 3.2/4.0. Please note that professional Master’s degrees do not usually include a thesis and applicants may not always be suitable for doctoral studies.

Applicants are strongly urged to contact potential supervisors within the department before submitting a research application

International partnerships

Ochanomizu University: Birkbeck has a bilateral undergraduate student exchange agreement with Ochanomizu University, Tokyo.

Contact us in Japan

Please get in touch with our in-country representatives if you have any queries.

SI-UK Education Council

BEO

  • BEO
  • Address: 5th floor, Davinchi Shinjuku Building,4-3-17 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-0022
  • Phone: +81-3-5367-3315
  • Fax: +81(0)3-5367-3316
  • Check website for office in Osaka

SI-UK (London)

  • SI-UK
  • Address: Linen Hall, 162-168 Regent Street, London, W1B 5TB
  • Phone:  +44 (0)20 7287 7040
  • Fax: +44 (0)20 7287 7030

Find out about our international scholarships.